Monday, May 4, 2015

Writer Mama #Bloghop


I saw this bloghop and I cheered. What an awesome idea from our wonderful host Sharon Bayliss. Parenting is difficult enough alone, but to be a writer mama/papa? It can be crazy.

Today, writer parents share secrets and support each other. The post can be anything related to writing while juggling the responsibilities of parenting. Sharon has even supplied a list of topics for those of us who have very limited time online. Plus, a random poster will win a Writer Mama Care Package (US) or a $25 Amazon gift card (INTL).

Be sure to visit all the participants for great advice, encouragement, and funny stories.

I have so many things to say on the topic of being a writer mama. I'm going to share the greatest misconception people have of me when I tell them I'm an author.

"You're a writer? I bet your son loves it when you read your stories to him. How many children's books do you have published?"

None. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Just because I have a small child does not mean I write for children. I write for adults. Bloody, scary, intense, and sometimes naughty tales. It never seems to sink in. Usually the next question I'm asked is if I'll write a children's book. Nope. At this point in my life, I have no interest.

"But... you have a child. Don't you read to him?"

Yes. All the time. He loves it when we read books together. In fact, he just turned five and he's reading at a third grade level. We appreciate and love the authors who give us all these fantastic children's stories, but I am not one of them.

My husband and I nurtured a love for reading in our son, and he has a great imagination. I would love it if he decided to follow in my footsteps, but the main thing I want him to see is that his mama is following her dreams. So if he wants to be a chef, an astronaut, or a superhero, I hope he feels that he can do whatever he wants and follow his own dreams.

23 comments:

  1. How awesome your son is such a great reader. And those times reading together are so precious. I can still remember all the time sitting reading to my daughter. Those times were so precious.

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  2. This is a great idea for a blogfest. I love the button. :)

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  3. I've always loved that term "Writing Mama." I know there's a bunch of blogs out there with that theme. And over the years, I've come across several of them.

    It's not easy being a writer/parent/career person...all at the same time. Awesome!

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  4. Natalie, I love sitting with my little guy and getting absorbed in a story. More so that he loves it too. :)

    Melissa, Sharon did a great job!

    Jay, not at all easy, but hopefully an inspiration to our children.

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  5. I'm a writer but not a writer mama...unless my cats count. ;P I know that so many expect writer mamas to write children's books. That's an annoying stereotype!

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  6. That is awesome, Christine. You are an excellent mother.
    Weird how they assume you write kids' books.

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  7. Looks like a fun hop! Enjoy. Have they seen the vampires you create? :-)

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  8. Weird how they assume you write kids books indeed.

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  9. Someday, I know my kids are going to read the books I write. The idea makes me gulp, but it doesn't stop me from writing the stories I know I need to write.

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  10. I have the same thing as well. When I start teaching new classes and they find out I write, I let them guess my genre. Because I'm a teacher and a mother I get "children's books" or "non-fiction" a lot. When they hear horror and urban fantasy, well, I wish I had a camera in my classroom for their faces.

    Reading is so important for our mini-mes. With our son, we've read to him every night since we came home from the hospital. People are surprised that he is 7 and about to finish the last of the Harry Potters, but he really does love it.

    Keep up the great work!

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  11. I've noticed how people think mom/writers with young children always assume the woman is writing children's books. Strange.
    I used to write between innings at my kids' baseball games. Got a lot done that way.

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  12. That's really interesting how people would assume you write children's books! I actually wouldn't have expected it. Would we assume all adult writers don't have children??

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  13. Chrys, cats totally count! :)

    Alex, maybe I give off an innocent vibe.

    Lee, not yet!

    Pat, I don't know why. It's strange.

    Shelli, me too.

    Courtney, yeah, their reactions are priceless! I can't wait until my son is old enough to read the Harry Potter books.

    Susan, great use of time!

    Sarah, that's a good point.

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  14. Great blogpost! I can see we feel the same way about wanting our kids to follow their dreams like we did/are trying to do every day. :)

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  15. Oh man- I wish my love for books would rub off on my 5 year old son! He loves being read to....but not wanting to read yet! Hopefully, he'll get a great teacher in kindergarten who speaks his interest!

    Too funny people think you write for kids!

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  16. LOL, yeah, your stories definitely aren't aimed toward children. Sorry you have to deal with misconceptions like that! I'm not a parent, but people still make random assumptions about my writing/art, too. So annoying, for sure!

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  17. Good for you. Writing for children is hard. I wrote one story for my grand daughters. Just for them alone. They may be 30 something before they are allowed to read my usual writing :)

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  18. I love that you've nurtured a love for reading in your son. (and I giggled a little at people expecting you to write for children just because you have one).

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  19. aberthot, we certainly do! I'm pleased to have met you this bloghop.

    Kterrette, it's a good thing your little guy likes to be read to. Get the love for stories in his blood!

    Kimber, so true! :)

    Heather, I'm curious as to what people mistake about you.

    Donna, most definitely. I applaud children's authors and their talent to make such magical stories for our children.

    Lynda, thank you.

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  20. This is an awesome idea for a bloghop.
    Interesting that everyone thinks you write for children - I have 4 and when I tell people I write, they usually think it's romance. Go figure.

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  21. if only authors who had no kids wrote adult books, there'd be very few adult books!

    yay for your adult selections! we need stuff to read too =)

    and thanks for all your visits in april!

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  22. I get that a lot too, although it's also because my series is about wizards. Some people who aren't big readers simply do not understand how a wizard book could be for adults, and I simply do not understand how they don't understand that! Thank you for participating!!

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  23. I, too, get the children's writer assumption. Maybe double since my day job is teaching middle school. I am working on a middle grades novel now, but none of the rest of my writing is appropriate for children. My response is usually, "No. I get enough kids in the mom and teacher parts of life."

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