The Similarities Between Newborns and Writing

I have a six-week old son and he has been keeping me busy around the clock.  I am still finding time to write though.  Every pregnant woman or every mother has heard the advice “sleep when the baby is sleeping” - I’ve decided to do the opposite.  When my baby is sleeping, I am writing or reading a craft book, answering my homework assignments for my monthly workshop or reading a book within my genre.  (I still do find some time for sleep.)

Last night during his 2:30 a.m. feeding, in my very groggy not very competent state, I realized that there are parallels between having a newborn and writing. 

1. Burping a baby is similar to trying to interview your character (especially your hero): they squirm, they cry, they scream and they fuss and sometimes you just don’t get what you need out of them.
2. Changing a diaper is similar to the working through the middle of your story: you just never know what you’re going to get, and sometimes its a little poopy.
3. Everyone seems to have advice for you, or at least they offer you a critique - warranted or unwarranted.  Especially the famous lines, “don’t do that, why are you doing that, I never did it that way...”
4. Best laid plans don’t always work out.  The old saying, "You can dress them up, but you still can't take them anywhere truly applies." 
5. Keep you up all night, but you still rise with a smile on your face.  You can learn to function on little sleep - who needs sleep?
6. You can read all the books, take all the classes, talk to all the experienced others to prepare yourself or to make you better, but until you have it right in front of you and you are doing it and living it, you still don’t know.  There’s no “real” manual or right way on how to do it properly.
7. Both need constant care, nurture and love.
8. Watching it grow, change and evolve is the most amazing experience.
9. You can’t help but dream, think and worry about it when you are away.
10. It’s all worth it in the end and it makes your life meaningful.

Happy writing!

R.J. Garside :)