Writing – The Cure for Boredom
Growing up on a farm in the Canadian prairies, I was often bored. Too far from neighbours and not interested in playing boy games with my younger brothers, I made up friends in my head.
We would go on adventures together, travelling to faraway lands and meeting incredible characters. Television didn’t appear in our house until I was ten years old, so the movies I created in my mind became my entertainment.
Wandering the lonely, flat prairies, I turned the landscape into busy metropolises, grand seascapes or dense forests.
Curious about how other people lived, I read whatever I could get my hands on.
This added fuel to my imaginary world and kept the boredom at bay.
My adult life was busy with raising children, building a career, taking courses and volunteering. I still got bored easily and turned to my old habit of making up stories. I began to write them down and eventually sent some short stories to competitions.
To my surprise, I won a few prizes! A couple of my stories were chosen to be included in anthologies.
I was a grandmother of four by the time my first book was published. Now I have a series of four books published about a young girl who travels the world, has exciting adventures and meets interesting people.
All because I don´t like to be bored.
Curiosity killed the cat, so they say. But I think curiosity creates the cat.
To be a writer, it is necessary to be curious. You need to constantly wonder, what if? When I get stuck in my writing, or get bored, I transport myself to another world with unique situations and amazing people. The bored little girl with the unstoppable curiosity starts creating again.
Many authors get asked the question, “Why do you write?”
I might well answer as Author Dorothy Parker did:
“To cure my boredom.
The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity.”
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I like what you said, Darlene, about curiousity creating the cat! I must keep that in mind. Another writer friend of mine admits to being nosy. I like that. Writers need to be filled with curiousity, it’s what brings us back to the page time and again. Of the times I’ve declared I was going to quit writing it was always that need to know that brought me back to it. Nice to see you here! 😀
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Yes, that curiosity brings me back to writing time and again. I guess we all have moments when we think we should quite. Maybe we need a help line for writers! Thanks for commenting Laura.
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Hello Ms. Foster! Fancy meeting you here! As a fan of your books, I hope you continue to struggle with being bored! 😉
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No matter how busy I am. I still get bored. Thankfully I just turn the computer on and write, that fixes it!! Don’t worry, I think I will always struggle with it. Love to hear from a fan!
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I can relate. I grew up as an only child (my sister was 18 years older) in a small town in Switzerland. For me stories–whether told by my mother, read, or created in my head–kept me from getting bored! Lovely post, Darlene!
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Yes, I’m sure you can relate. Perhaps that’s why we both like to spin tales and write them down.
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Nice to meet you, Darlene. I know what you mean about boredom and having no one to play with. I grew up in a city then moved to the “country” which was a smaller town and more countrified. There were no girls in the neighborhood to play with so I amused myself and read extensively and wrote poetry. My slogan is Reading Gives You Wings to Fly! I believe it did! Best wishes with your books. Let’s connect on links.
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I’m sure you must understand. Thanks for following my blog and social media sites. A great place to keep in touch.
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Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog and commented:
Check out Darlene Foster’s story and her interesting books.
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Thanks Don 👍😃
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You’re welcome.
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Thanks so much Don!
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You’re welcome.
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It’s great to see Darlene featured on TSRA’s blog! During the 80s and early 90s, friends ranched a large tract of land on those same prairies not far away from where Darlene’s family lived, so I learned about loneliness and boredom through them whenever I visited from Calgary. (I would make a point of driving out of my way during sales trips in order to spend a night or weekend at their place.) The entire family still reads voraciously, long after they moved away to the “city”, but we sure did enjoy walking and exploring the land, even as adults.
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Thanks Susan. Many of our city friends and relatives loved to come out to the farm for an overnight stay as a treat. I of course, wished I lived in the city! Now I appreciate my rural upbringing.
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We even attended a community branding “party”, the Jenner Rodeo, and ate at the famous Patricia Hotel Steak Pit while our friends lived there!
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I loved this, Darlene: “curiosity creates the cat.”
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Thanks Frank! You can borrow it any time.
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I love that! My mum hated it when we said we were bored as children and she would quickly reply “get a book and read!”. I would have loved you stories as a child, as I too was curious about other cultures and to this day, I am never without a book! 👍👍👍
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A wise mom is one who says, “Get a book and read.” I think it is Mother’s Day in the UK so Happy Mother’s Day!!
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Thank you, Darlene. I Had a lovely day painting my son’s room as he’s moved out!
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Love the guest post and this, Darlene, “There is no cure for curiosity.” A fantastic observation. ❤ ❤ ❤
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Thanks Tess! I can’t take credit for the quote as it was Dorothy Parker who said it first but I have always loved it.
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A great share anyway. Great guest post, Darlene. 😀
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