Mother Writes: Paragraph Planet

Sunday, 28 October 2012

Paragraph Planet

Hooray, the 75-word story I wrote about in my last blog is being published on Paragraph Planet today. If you want to read it and it's past the date I'm posting this blog, go to the Authors page at the top right of the website and look for my name. It's only 75 words, and call me an egotist, but it still feels good to see my name in print ;)

Another website I love is Post Secret. It's almost a visual equivalent to Paragraph Planet - people send in postcards they make with a few words written on it: a secret, a confession or an affirmation. You may have noticed I love images and almost always use an image at the top of my blog. Years ago, when I did Julia Cameron's 'Artist's way' (a practical manual to finding and using creativity), one of the things I still use in my life is my image file. We were encouraged to start a notebook and cut out and stick in any images that 'speak to us'. Over the years, I've filled a notebook with pictures from newspapers and magazines. I don't need a reason for these images resonating with me, they just do.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my very, very short story - probably the shortest I've ever written!

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Mother Writes...What's it all about?

When I was little, I imagined with the supreme confidence of a child that when I was all grown up, I'd be a celebrated writer. And by grown-up, I probably meant about eighteen. The concept of even reaching the age of thirty, let alone beyond, was off my radar and my seven-year old self shuddered at the ominious thought of not having published at least several novels by that grand old age.

Fast forward to the present. Here I am, age thirty-five, wife to a lovely hubby and mother to three gorgeous children. Now, am I writer? My seven-year old self would hold a very strong opinion on this: No, because I don't have a single published novel to my name. But I'm pleased to say that now I'm all grown-up, I'm also a bit more measured and realistic in my expectations of myself. Don't get me wrong - I love my seven-year old self for believing I could achieve that much but I have, over the years, come to an important conclusion:

If you dance, you are a dancer. If you paint, you are a painter. And if you write, you are a writer.

But we have to actually do it, not just talk about doing it. It's all too easy to procrastinate about our creative endeavours and that's all I ask of myself now: to create; to write. And if I'm lucky enough to get something published (which I'm pleased to say that I have done, in the form of short stories, reviews and articles), well, that's a bonus. And that's what this blog offers: little slices of honesty on my plate of life as mother, wife and creator of words. It's often not easy to juggle all three, particularly dealing with bouts of chronic insomnia. But I have to trust this is all part of the journey, and challenges are what make life interesting.