Motherhood, Writing, and a Little Bit of Chaos
Writing is something that comes in waves for me. I will not claim to be someone who practices every single day. For me, writing is an outlet, something I can claim as my own. When parenting, it is easy for me to lose myself and quickly forget the things I enjoy beyond Bluey, chicken nuggets, and singing Frozen songs. Don’t get me wrong, a good Disney song is definitely on my playlist.
Most of my writing is done in the margins of motherhood. It is something I have to intentionally carve out in the moments between reading books to my toddlers and making lunch. It is a fine balance, and I have definitely made the mistake of writing too long and ending up with some hangry children as a result. I do not suggest that.
Most of my writing happens in the mornings once the kids go off to play or after they have gone to bed for the night. Those are the times when I usually have the most energy and space to put my creative mind in gear.
Victoria’s laptop on Scrivener
What happens when I have an idea at an inconvenient time?
I keep an inspiration note in my phone. Sometimes I am lucky and have a notepad on the counter where I can quickly jot something down. Many times, though, my kids have run off with the pen that goes with it.
Screenshot from Victoria’s Notes
I have learned that inspiration does not always come when it is convenient. It shows up in the middle of motherhood, in the middle of noise, and in the middle of everyday life. So I do my best to catch it when I can and come back to it later.
For me, the trick to not running out of inspiration is not really about forcing it. It is about paying attention. Motherhood itself gives me plenty to write about. The challenge is usually not finding inspiration, but finding the time and space to shape it into something.
When it comes to inspiration, I think it comes both from my kids and from the events in my own life. Harris Meets Lottie was written while I was thinking about the birth of my second child. Obviously, it is not exactly what happened on the day I had my oldest daughter. It is, however, based on many of the questions my son asked as he prepared to become a big brother.
A more fictional fantasy series I am beginning to work on also has many ties to my Catholic faith. The characters are shaped in part by how I view people in my life, such as my husband, our current youngest daughter and how she may be as she grows older, as well as various other people I have come across over the years. So when you see the quote, “Watch out, I’m an author and you may just end up in my next book,” I would take that seriously.
The stories I write may take different forms, but so often they begin in the life I am already living.
