I Gave My NPC a Hobby and Accidentally Fell in Love

NPCs, non-player characters, side characters, background extras (whatever you call them) aren’t supposed to matter. They’re wallpaper. A name on a tavern roster. A guard at the door. A barista who hands your hero their latte with exactly three pumps of chaos syrup. And then I give one of them a hobby. Suddenly, they’re not wallpaper—they’re the mural.

Why hobbies matter

A hobby is the fastest shortcut to depth.

• A villain’s henchman who knits socks in his downtime? You’ll never look at him the same again.

• A bored innkeeper who carves tiny ships out of soap? That’s a whole personality right there.

• A shy priestess who secretly breeds racing snails? …Now she’s my favorite.

Hobbies say: this character exists even when the hero’s not looking.

The accidental love story

The problem (or delight) is that sometimes the hobby steals the spotlight. That side character with their snail obsession? Suddenly they’re all you want to write about. They elbow into scenes, they whisper plot hooks, they even start demanding their own subplot.

I once built a whole novella around a “throw away” character because I made the mistake of giving her a hobby: binding old spell books with flowers pressed in the margins. Boom! Love affair. Couldn’t put her back on the shelf.

Writer pro tip

If you ever feel like your draft is flat, throw in a hobby. It doesn’t have to be big. Give your background characters little obsessions. The world feels fuller, richer, and more real, and sometimes you discover a new favorite along the way.

My world is now 30% hobbies and 70% chaos, and honestly? I regret nothing.

Have you ever had an NPC steal your heart (and your plot) just because of one weird hobby? Tell me, so I don’t feel alone in this madness.