Expert Advice

People will tell you to write what you know, what you love. It's advice worth listening to...

For years now, in addition to my novels and poetry, I have been blogging. While this site is mostly about writing and becoming your best self, earlier blogs were all about family life and the foibles of being a Momster. (Check out imustbeoffmyrocker.blogspot.com/) It was cheaper than therapy, and killed more than the proverbial two birds with each post: I got to stay home with my kids, exercise my creative muscles, grow my tech skills, and help other moms know they weren't alone in their struggles. It was, and still is, a way to impact the world while bettering myself. Parenting is kinda the same.

I love my kids. They are amazing people despite the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing half of the time as a mother. Dwelling on all the mistakes I've made along the way, I sometimes get overwhelmed - with guilt, with regret... and with a longing to do better. It's that last one that matters most. No one is perfect, but acknowledging our flaws and moving forward from there is the only way to improve. Every. Single. Time. I may stumble more often than I'd like, but eventually, if my goal is the mountaintop, I will get there only by continuing to put one foot in front of the other. It's important to remember that - not just as a writer and parent, but as a human being - and to keep trying. We are all works in progress.

There are times within a family that it's members are like sandpaper, rubbing each other the wrong way. That friction is what smooths out our rough edges, and polishes us for our role in the world - a place just chock-a-block full of grit. (The world takes its polishing seriously!) Similarly, in a novel there is always conflict. How the characters push through it is what makes up a good story. Show me a life without conflict, and I'll show you a story that is going nowhere. 

"A flat road won't take you up the mountain."

I think that might be my best quote yet. As someone who seeks to continually learn and better herself, it gives me the proper perspective for my climb. Here's to your journey and mine; may it be filled with just enough grit and stumbling blocks to make it interesting.


If you liked this post feel free to share. Photo credits to K. M. D. in this shot of her sister, J.E.D.