Rands Writing Prompts #8 (March 11, 2024)

Understanding the Why

• Describe your hobbies.

• Write 250 words about your favorite hobby.

• Write 100 words about a hobby you wish you had.

Welcome to the Week #8 of Rands Writing prompts. The prior week is right here.

There are things you are interested in, and then there are the hobbies. The difference between the two is your level of investment. Your interests show up throughout your day, and you briefly stop and think, “Oh, that’s interesting,” and then you move on. When the interest involves your hobby, you stop everything and think, “This is interesting. I must understand more. I want to understand why.”

One of my favorite interview questions from a former boss was, “So, you write books on leadership. Do you think it makes you a better leader? Why?” The answer was an immediate “Yes,” but then I had to explain why. I said, “The act of passing an idea, an interest, out of my brain and through my fingers onto a page requires me to both understand what I am thinking and, often, how I feel about the idea.”

You’re reading this because some of you like writing, but maybe you don’t consider yourself a writer yet. That’s fine. Took me years to admit I was a writer. Still don’t believe it, by the way. My advice: spend no time thinking about your writing ability and write about your hobby. Write about what you love to do when you aren’t doing anything.