Writing and Parenting Parallels: How Writing and Parenting Overlap

Today's post is done by Rochelle Campbell who is an author and mother (who by the way is about to give birth to a little girl) I asked her to explain how parenting and writing go hand in hand.

The writing of a book can be likened to the birthing of a baby.  However, there are distinct differences.  With a book, you can stop and come back to it at various points in time.  Once you’re in labor, there is no stopping!  You must proceed to the end result – the birth of the baby!

However, the overall writing process I follow parallels parenting nicely.

The brainstorming a new story is akin to the conversations both parents have about starting a family.  However with a book, it is you and your muse having the conversation.  The odd thing about this convo is it tends to be lopsided.  Your muse tells you WHAT you should write and your brain/ego tell the muse all of the reasons why you should write this other thing that’s currently VERY HOT right now in publishing.  (Oops, did I write that out loud??)

The outlining your story is similar to when your child is little you have all of these grandiose plans…like how you will behave when your child reaches this milestone and that pinnacle.  These high points are akin to the plot points in your story.  What (most) parents don’t do is to fill in the gaps in between these high points.  How will you get from elementary school to middle school?  What does that look like?  What are the minutiae that go along with these years?  But that’s like taking the fun out of life (and writing!).  The fun is in enjoying the journey as you travel it.  Otherwise we’ll be like that Adam Sandler movie Fast Forward.  We’ll miss out on all the little joyous moments.

The ending of the story also parallels well.  We think we know what the ‘end’ of parenting is – when a child graduates college (or maybe high school, depending upon what generation you’re in!).  But is it really?  Is that ending satisfying enough?  Will the reader (or your child) find enough in what you’ve given?  Or, will they want another tome/lesson?  Or, will your child have all of the lessons truly necessary for their lives to run with them?  Will they need more from us after graduation?  We have to see as we go, don’t we?  Same thing with writing!

The editing process is exactly like raising a child; one is not quite sure of the right way to do things.  Why?  Because there is no ONE right way to do anything!  It is all about what is best for your child/your book at that moment.  In time, you can revisit past decisions and revise what you’ve said/written and hopefully have an awesome result!

For all of these reasons, writers make great parents (albeit nerdy ones!) because many of the same steps we take to bring a story into the world are very similar to the ones utilized to rear a child.  The same amount of thought, creativity, compassion, and wisdom required in great writing is necessary for great parenting.

Twitter: @NoteBkBlogairy

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Leaping-Out-On-Faith-ebook/dp/B007RGBQNA

Blog: notebookblogiary.blogspot.com

Who, What, Where, When and How?

Many people ask how an author comes up with the story lines we write.  Some of mine come from bits and pieces of conversations I hear.  A few develop off tangents of ideas I read in news articles or personal experience.  I read different genre as well as what I write, paranormal and erotic romance.

 My recent release, Hot for Torrey, came from a discussion on friends with benefits and the younger generation as well as generation X hooking up more.  I often listen to music as I write and my favorite group is Blue Sky Riders.  Their song Little Victories inspired Holt and Torrey’s second chance at love story. 

One thing that needs to be taken into account is letting your muse take you places and ask questions that sometimes you might find wacky or outside your comfort zone.  Once the questions start rolling you often can find a scenes or scenarios that intrigue you or percolate into characters and/or settings demanding their story be told.   My first book, Red Hot, came from a fellow author talking about a novella she was writing for an anthology call on firemen.  Brent and Bunny’s story went more than novella length and became my person catharsis to post 9/11 in many ways. 

Since mash-ups and cross-genre came on the scene, I’ve taken ideas from science fiction stories I’ve read and enjoyed, let them marinate in my muse’s juices and given them my own spin by twisting them with paranormal aspects.  It doesn’t always work.  Sometimes the outcome is as interesting as the journey.  

 I blog weekly at Shape Shifter Seductions.  My blog mates and I have come up with our own town of shape shifters.  We run flash pieces on them most days.  While others we have guest authors happen by as well as our own promo when we have new releases.  We enjoy the blog hops we participate in which gives us an idea to focus on as a theme and we go from there.  I’ve taken a few of our citizens from our shape shifter town and moved them up to Alaska.  The two triads are fun to write about.    Sharing our creative drives together allows the five of us (my blog mates and I) to use each other’s characters in our flashes and see our characters grow or find out new things about them. 

If a story line from a favorite movie, childhood cartoon, current program, or other books ignites your juices to tell the story from your view with unique and different characters go for it.  Remember plagiarism and stealing story ideas is theft. So be careful and write new and your story that we can all enjoy as much as you enjoyed the ones we authors have already written.

Solara Gordon

Romance with a Spicy Kick!