Get More From Life

We’re all guilty of it. What with our long working hours, even longer drinking hours and weekends filled up with commitments for the next three months, when we manage to snatch a couple hours for ourselves, all we want to do is flop on the sofa, watch crappy movies and stalk a friend or two on Facebook. But all those hours add up, and you could be using that time to do something more worthwhile. Read on to find out about a couple of ways to get more from your down time.

Instead of watching reruns… Unleash your inner artist

You may be glued to your laptop catching up on the first two seasons of “Modern Family,” but it’s finally time to get your butt off the couch and seek some cultural enrichment.

Take a hand at life drawing by practicing with live models at Random Art Workshop (Unit 2501, 25/F, Fook Lee Commercial Centre, 33 Lockhart Rd., Wan Chai, 2811-1845, www.randomartworkshop.com). There won’t be an instructor onsite, but there’ll be a monitor who can give feedback during breaks at these drop-in sessions. Priced at $250 per session or $1,000 for a five-session package. R.A.W. also offers photography, scrapbook, painting and crafts courses.

For a more hands-on approach, try pottery. I-kiln (Room 24, 4/F, Goldfield Industrial Centre, 1 Sui Wo Rd., Sha Tin, 2787-5544, www.i-kiln.org.hk) has a 3,000-square-foot workshop that’s second to none. There are courses for everyone, from complete novices to seasoned pros, priced at $1,280 for eight sessions with an instructor, including supplies and use of the kiln. Best part is, you can bring your creations home to decorate the house.

Reruns of last season’s “Project Runway” have inspired you to design your own threads? Why not enroll in a sewing or fashion course? At ITS (3/F, Sun House, 181 Des Voeux Rd., Central, 2116-3916, www.tuition.com.hk) all courses are conducted in English. You’ll be able to graduate from basic skirt making, pattern cutting and garment finishing to advanced dressmaking. There are even special courses on embroidery and doll clothes making, if you’re so inclined. Prices vary according to courses and materials used.

Instead of reading trashy magazines…Write a book

Not that we have anything against magazines, but we can all agree that your time is better spent crafting your opus than poring over yet another “celebrities without makeup” article in the latest gossip rag. Melanie Ho of the Hong Kong Writers Circle teaches us how to take that first step towards literary stardom.

Craft Your Story
Decide what you want to write, whether it’s literary fiction, a Hong Kong whodunit or even science fiction. Read books within your genre to learn how the experts get it done. Figure out the plot and an idea of your central conflict. Is your protagonist fighting aliens in space or is he confronting his family’s dark past? While some writers outline their books chapter by chapter, others just jump in and begin writing. Whatever your method, your plot and characters will need to keep your soon-to-be-readers interested. 

Stay Disciplined
Find a time and place to write, and write every day. Most people tend to write in the early hours of the morning, or late at night after work. Making time to write (and actually writing during that time) is half the battle. If you need an extra bit of motivation, National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org) is held every November. The campaign challenges writers to complete a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month. 

Seek Out Other Writers
Moral support aside, joining a writers’ group can help get you from “once upon a time” to “happily ever after.” The Hong Kong Writers Circle (www.hkwriterscircle.com) offers regular writing workshops and critique groups, which are comprised of small groups of writers who read and critique each other’s work. The feedback isn’t always positive (sometimes it’s downright brutal), but it’s helpful in getting you through the toughest chapters of your novel. Not ready to write a novel? The HKWC also publishes an anthology every year of short fiction and non-fiction pieces.

Edit 
Celebrate finishing your first draft with a glass (or bottle) of red wine. Then, print off your manuscript, grab a red pen and edit. Now the real work begins. Edit for plot, for characters, for clarity, for style. Redraft, revise and rewrite, and when you think you can’t edit any further, edit again. 

Find a publisher or decide to self-publish
More and more writers are looking to self-publish these days and there’s a lot of interesting discussions on the merits of self-publishing versus traditional publishers. One accomplished author who blogs on the subject is Joe Konrath (jakonrath.blogspot.com), although many other authors, agents and editors also have lots to say on the subject. If you’re looking to get a small, independent press to publish your works, Hong Kong has quite a few solid options: Chameleon Press (www.chameleonpress.com), Haven Books (www.havenbooksonline.com), Proverse (www.proversepublishing.com) and Blacksmith Books (www.blacksmithbooks.com).