Today I’m sharing 3 reasons why writing a short story can be your next hobby.

I’ve been a storyteller since I was a child. However, it took some time until writing became one of my main hobbies.

There was an assignment I had to do in school. It was to write a short story about anything we wanted. As long as we completed at least one page.

At first, I didn’t care about it. I don’t like writing essays. I personally think they’re a waste of time.

I remember when I was in class working on this story. It was difficult for me to think of any ideas until certain thoughts flowed in my head. Then I felt excited and inspired to write. 

I decided to write a story about a girl who overcomes battles, becomes a hero, and bonds with her new best friend. Thinking back to it now, I’m not surprised I came up with this plot. These themes are in my blood.

Ever since, I’ve written lots of stories. And now I’m here, typing this blog post.

Sometimes it takes one important event that changes your life forever.

I’m not saying the same thing will happen to you. Every one of us has different and unique experiences.

But I learned that stories impact us in positive ways. When we’re bored, they keep us company whenever we crave a book in the middle of the night. They also empower us to create change and to break free from misery.

I also believe the reasons why you do something are more significant than learning how to do it.

Without further adieu, here are 3 reasons why writing a short story can be your next hobby.

Writing a story is a lot of fun

My first reason as to why you should try writing a short story is because it’s a lot of fun. At least I think it’s fun.

I feel like many people can enjoy writing if they give it a try. Fun is subjective and means differently for everyone.

However, it’s still a good idea to try something new. Just to see if you like it.

And I’m not only talking about writing stories. I mean interests in general whether it’s hiking, kickboxing, painting, singing, or whatever else comes to mind.

I enjoy writing because I love coming up with various scenarios and having them come to life on paper. I like creating challenges for my characters to go through, as well as helping them be in charge of their own destinies.

From my experience, it starts with an idea in my head. Oftentimes, my story ideas are about romance. I fangirl whenever characters fall in love with my stories.

The characters I make differ from each other personality-wise. I usually have a male and a female as the stars. 

In real life, people have challenges and obstacles in their romantic relationships. This still happens even if the couple is perfectly compatible together.

The problem I noticed is that many people refuse to try and solve these conflicts. People give up for silly reasons like if they get bored in their relationship. Or they say they’re supposed to feel sparks on the first few dates, but they toss aside a good potential partner anyways.

Unfortunately, it seems normal in Western society for people to break up easily.

I feel like almost all relationship conflicts can be solved with high quality communication and daily commitment. What I mean is talking to the other person and being honest with them, as well as doing whatever you can to support the relationship.

That is my personal view on it.

Love captivates me the most. I love writing about happy times and sweet moments, as well as conflict and hardships.

Like for example, the male and female meet. Or they have been friends for a while. They gradually bond and grow closer together. The pair eventually realizes that they’re attracted to each other. 

Both characters may even talk to their friends about their feelings. Those friends, if they’re good friends, cheer the main characters on and encourage them to confess to each other. Afterwards, both protagonists finally get together and they’re happy.

All of a sudden, conflict comes in. And it’s a freakin hurricane that just destroys everything. Or it could be a storm that’s been brewing for a while, finally making the relationship fall apart.

Examples of conflict could include: 

The woman has a male best friend. They’ve been friends since they were little kids. Then the best friend notices the attraction between the main characters and feels threatened. So he decided to confess his feelings to her. Then this messes with her head because now she feels confused and guilty. Maybe she used to have feelings for her friend, but she’s already fallen for the male lead. She just doesn’t want to lose any of them.

Another example would be that the man lands a scholarship or some kind of life-changing job opportunity. The only catch is he would have to move to another state or even another country. He tells his girlfriend about the news. (I just say girlfriend in this example, because if you’re married, you have to go. Support your husband or wife’s dreams.) 

So he tells her, and the woman is very reluctant to go with him. She would have to leave her hometown and all of her family and friends behind. She is very comfortable staying in the place she grew up in. This is going to cause conflict since they both have different views. She would rather stay and wants him to stay too. But he wants to go and wants her to come along.

There could also be a case where both the male and female don’t get along with each other even though there’s love and passion. They could be headstrong and stubborn. They think they’re right all the time while the other person is wrong. 

In this situation, it will take more time for them to learn about each other, appreciate their differences, and work together to overcome whatever obstacles are in their way. As well as loving and trusting each other.

I know I dove deep into some dynamics of romantic relationships. My point is that writing about the beauty and pain in life is amazing in its own way.

We read stories because we can relate to them. The main character’s experience could even be what we’re going through right now.

It’s nice to be able to write from personal experience and create dream scenarios that would be interesting to see in person.

Writing a short story is a great way to bond with friends

Another reason why writing a short story can be your next hobby is because it is a great way to bond with friends. You can even join a creative writing club and ask others if they want to storytell with you. 

It would be an enriching experience. And it can even help you make new friends. You just have to put yourself out there.

So I pretty much talk to my closest friends everyday. They are part of why I look forward to waking up in the morning and seeing what each new day has in store for me.

Every day I think to myself: “I wonder what I’m going to do with them today?”

I love doing the simplest activities with them. Whether it’s hiking together, going grocery shopping, watching movies, or just commenting on the weather.

One other thing I’ve done is writing and sharing stories with my friends. In the past, we sat down and collaborated on writing stories. We brainstormed the plot together and each of us would have a section assigned. Then we would finish the story and read it aloud.

The stories we made varied in genres, but there was usually comedy somewhere in them. We like adding our inside jokes, especially if we were writing a parody about ourselves.

When we got together to review our stories, we laughed at certain scenes because they referenced funny memories we shared. We also took the time to make sure the story is decent from a literary standpoint. Grammar-wise, we were usually on top of it.

However, if you have a group of people writing a story in sections, it doesn’t always come out as smoothly because each person writes differently. Writing a story together is an amazing experience, but it’s a lot of work.

We have not written one in a while. My friends and I still bonded even more due to these creative sessions.

I was able to see what kind of stories they’re into. I got to see their perspectives on what they think a good story is. Overall, it was just so much fun and helped me grow as a writer.

When more time clears up, I’d love to do that with them again.

Writing a short story teaches you about important life lessons

One last reason why you should try writing a short story is because they teach you important life lessons. If you pay attention to them.

I feel like most stories have personal development messages embedded in them. 

An author could be writing a story just for fun, not thinking too deeply about how they want to affect their readers. Even if the story is fiction, they still share their values and views on life.

When I was younger, I checked out teen romance books from the library. What I noticed is that the author is usually a woman, probably in her 30s, and her relationship status varies. What I mean by “relationship status varies” is that the author bio will either be: she lives by herself with some cute dogs, or she lives happily with her significant other.

So whether she’s single or has a husband, I can tell that she believes in romance even in her personal life. The author is the type of person who believes in falling in love with an amazing man who makes life a thousand times better.

I write romance stories because of this ideology too. It’s amazing to love someone and experience life with them. Besides romance, I consider friendship to be the source of some of life’s greatest lessons.

When I write about the friends of the main character in my stories, I point out that they’ve been friends for years. The main character and their friends have fun together, and they are there for each other during difficult times.

This is how my friends and I are in real life. One thing I learned from being with my friends is the significance and power of loyalty.  

When life gets hard, we do our best to be there for each other. I’m talking about situations where there’s poverty, illnesses, grief, loss, etc.

Being with my closest friends almost feels like marriage. We stay together even in sickness or health. They’re not the type of people to abandon someone they love.

I never realized how loyal they are until life became difficult at certain points.

Here is an example: I was told by my doctor to exercise everyday. I am skinny, but I still preferred staying inside and laying down all day.

I was too lazy to exercise. It’s a bad habit ingrained in me. Due to my sedentary lifestyle, I used to get tired often. I wouldn’t have energy to do anything.

Now I exercise almost everyday. Because my friends forced me to. 

Some people who read this may think my friends should have minded their own business.

Well, I am their business. Honestly, if they were in my shoes, I would definitely tell them to get up and start exercising too. Sometimes people need a push (or some hard shoves) to get back on the right path.

I probably took them for granted before, but now I’m extremely appreciative of them.

That is why I love reading new books and pondering what the author may have learned from their life experiences.

Writing stories is my lifeblood. And it’s also why I think it can be your next hobby. 

Thank you for reading my blog post! 

Comment down below if you’re thinking about writing a short story. What kind of story would you like to write about? Do you feel like it’s a suitable hobby for you?

If you want to join the Nikkaflora fam for this journey, subscribe to my email list and social media below. You’ll stay updated and receive additional content. Let’s create, appreciate, and f*** hate!

💜 Nicole 💜