Hobbies and Characters

mmmm... I don't know if you need to worry about 'fun' so much as depth.
What makes your character unique and suited to the situation you created? How did your character come by the traits and talents they will exhibit in the book?
Such as, if it was a big heist thriller to steal diamonds, does your girl know anything about jewelry? If so, why?
If she doesn't, then why did she go to the jewelry store that day?
If you want to interject personality and depth, than your character needs to have a reason for every action and reaction, those reactions were caused by some event, which was influenced by a person...back, and back, and back. Do you have to write all that out? No. not everyone does, but I prefer to.
And...if that was totally off the mark of your question, sorry. lol.

SuzyB said:

As I begin to write my first draft (outline finished, so excited to finally start!) I ask this..........my MC doesn't have any special hobbies, and since my story is borderline romantic thriller and every event that happens unravels quickly, I don't really have time to think about what my MC likes to do for fun. I did give her a career, but other than that I don't go into much detail about her "fun" atmosphere. And the more I go into the story, I can say she likes peppermint hot tea, but just little details like that.

Do you really have to go into a full blown character desciptions by what they look like and do for fun??

Click to expand...

You don't have to do anything in writing. Well, you've got to be coherent, but then there are even novels that barely pass that and still get published (I'm not being ironic; I just read a book by Thomas Pynchon).

As a person that does not do well with outlines (oh I try, but they're so half-assed), I don't put so much into my construction of plot as I do with my characters.
...My inspiration comes from a central idea. I like music a lot, I'm driven by it. So my mc is really into music, too. As a girl into music, what would she do for fun? Well, go to shows of course, collect music, get a job involving music, hang out with people who like music, have a nerd-like knowledge of music trivia... Well, I've come up with a pretty good skeleton for a personality of this girl.
Since we have this simple skeleton, it can very easily be added to throughout the novel. You don't have to think of the details immediately, just drop them off where it feels right.

Also, what is her job, anyway? Why did she choose this job? Does it have to do with some hobby she loves? People choose jobs (for the most part, at least) that they have some interest in for a particular reason.

I agree with the others. Your character's personality is going to influence what she does for a living, what she likes and dislikes, the way she thinks about things.

Four people in danger:

A bright, introspective person might be drawn to chess and think in metaphors from the game: He'd captured my bishop, but the king was still safe. For now. She'd be more likely to think of the situation as a mental exercise, not jump gung-ho into physical action.

Someone who loves taking risks might think less and act more, and even get a thrill from the situation, or at least use past experiences as a yardstick: Okay, this was bad, but not quite as scary as the first time I jumped out of a plane blindfolded.

A gamer: We'd cracked level three, but I had a feeling level four was going to be a real bitch. And this would probably go along with a better than average knowledge of computers, which could be vital to the plot.

If there's physical danger, a piano player might worry about keeping her hands safe. Could even have a moment of identification with the villain if she finds out he's a musician, too.

That sort of stuff might even influence whether the character reaches for peppermint tea or a can of Jolt.

Some very good points here. In reality, we ALL face situations based on who we are inside. As Marlys says--a person who considers piano playing important is going to be careful of their hands. Someone who carves wood will have sharp instruments around and a sure knowledge of how to use them if someone attacks them. My background is in law, so I'm going to look at the CONSEQUENCES of my actions. If I were involved in a car chase, I'd be thinking in the back of my head--"Oops, went through a red light. There's a few points off my license. But I might be able to argue the point from the bullet holes in the trunk."

No, really! That's what would be going through my head. The driving would be instinctive. My mind would be somewhere else entirely. And that's what happens with hobbies that people are passionate about. They flavor your perception of the event.

Definitely look at some hobbies for your MC, Suzy. You might be surprised at what interesting things come out of it in the text.