A Writing Mother’s Manifesto

posted in: Blog, Writing/Authorship | 2
Writing Mother's Manifesto
Photo by Green Chameleon at unsplash.com

I am a writer. Writing is my passion. I love stories, asking ‘what if?’ and finding out where it leads. I love the transformative power of stories, taking you to a new world and putting you in skin you would never otherwise occupy.

I’m also a mom. I have two beautiful children who amaze and frustrate me day after day. I must tend to their needs, and I want to be a good mom, so I try. I put my words away and play, or feed, or change diapers or clothes, or hug them until they go to sleep. But the written word pulls at me, its siren song drawing me to my medium of choice – the computer.

A computer is a wonderful and awful device. It’s full of so much potential, endless possibilities. Herein lies the problem: as much as the written word pulls me, the frustrations of life make the distraction of games and social media much more appealing. An escape. Where I don’t have time for words, I find time for games and articles. Oh yeah, and I have to find time to work. Writing isn’t exactly paying the bills, but I hope one day it will.

And then I come to the end – I’m out of lives, out of emails, and bored with my feed. I turn back to my writing, and I’m out of time again. A child needs feeding. The dishes need to be done if we’re going to have any plates to eat on tonight.

Still, I must write. When the moment presents itself, I gather up my little ones and find things for them to do. My son watches videos and my daughter sits on my lap, toys laid out on the couch next to me, and I steal a few moments to write. Sometimes I don’t get far. Envisioning the scene comes to a halt, and I must stop and concentrate. And then, slowly, with my left hand (I’m so right-handed, and prefer typing with two hands), I conjure up a few words, and then a paragraph. It’s a slow process, but little by little, it all adds up.

Because I’m both a mom and a writer, each day is a struggle. Some days I give up and just try to be. Some days I rely too heavily on my husband to keep our children entertained (and boy am I grateful for those extra moments). I squander my meager seconds and then resolve to capture every one. No matter what, though, I always come back to writing, and I always will. I have stories to tell. I have other skins I must occupy, and other worlds to explore.

Tomorrow and the next day and the day after that, I will write. Whether one word or one thousand, I will put words to page and string together stories. When I fail, I will get back up and try again. I’m a mother and I’m a writer, and I’m perfectly imperfect at both, but that’s okay. It’s just who I am.

I wrote this writing mother’s manifesto in response to Jeff Goins’ Writer’s Manifesto. I want to thank him for his encouragement. He doesn’t know me, but his writing has touched me. His words have empowered authors everywhere, and if you’re an author (or aspire to be one), then I encourage you to check out his work.

2 Responses

  1. This afternoon, as my 4 year old and I left her doctor’s appointment, I asked her what she wanted to do when we got home.
    “Well, I can watch some Netflix and you can do some writing!” she chirped. It was cute, and it made me smile, but I also felt that gnawing worry – have I been letting her have too much screen time, putting her off so I can “do some writing?” It’s so hard to strike the right balance, when the words pull you in one direction and the sweet little people pull you in the other direction.

    Love this manifesto!

    • Thanks Michelle! And what a sweet little girl. It’s not an easy balance, and I’m sure as mothers we’ll make mistakes, but it’s that gnawing worry that tells us that we care, which goes a long way. Know that you’re setting a good example for your child – you’re pursuing your dreams! – and I encourage you to take advantage of each moment, whether unplugged and present with your child or plugged in and getting those words out, but it sounds like you’re doing just fine, mama. :)

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