As a freelance writer working from home, I had to deal with the reality of giving my husband and children proper attention while still finding time to write. I discovered that with a little creative thinking, writing could be a shared family activity. Although writing is thought of as solitary work, it can actually bring families closer together. For those with small children, here are some suggested activities:
1. Read a lot.
Read on your own, but especially read with and to your children. Read a variety of different types of writing, ancient and modern. Consider reading as an adventure and a learning experience. Introduce your children to the joy of reading books. If you love reading, they will soon want to follow your example.
2. Take your children with you to bookstores and libraries.
There are wonderful children's sections and story hours that your children will enjoy while you have a chance to look around for books yourself. Libraries are free; therefore, borrowing books is the greatest bargain possible.
3. Write everyday, preferably at the same time.
You become a better writer by writing consistently. So set that precious time aside each day and refuse to make excuses to yourself.
4. Have your children write along with you.
If possible, give your child an appropriate word processor or computer. As you write, they write. Share the experience. Have them read their stories to you and read some of your work to them.
5. Try specific writing activities together.
You don't have to be famous to write an autobiography. However, many well-known writers have used memories of their childhood effectively in their writing.
Try journal writing.
Have your children keep a journal or diary and do the same yourself. Shop together for the notebook and pen you will use for your journal. There should be a ceremonial quality to this activity. Give your children a sense of how special it is to keep a journal. Select a time of day when you can share time to register a journal entry. After dinner is a good time to take a little out for journal writing together. It should be done each day. At first, you will have to remind your child to engage in journal writing, but if you are enthusiastic about it and consistent, your child will pick up on it.
Draw inspiration from dreams.
From Biblical times, dreams have been thought to be prophetic. Freud certainly found much there to analyze. Children have remarkably imaginative dreams. Encourage your older children to keep a notebook and pen beside their bed. When waking after a particularly vivid dream, they should describe it in as much detail as possible. Later, they might turn the imagery of dreams into poetry. With younger children, you might want to discuss their dreams with them and then write down the words that are inspired by their dreams. Then read back what you've written and ask for their input.
Subscribe to media.
Whenever possible, read magazine and newspaper articles and clip those you find of particular interest. Encourage your children to do the same. Many ideas and inspirations for writing can be obtained by active reading from media.
Clip and make a folder of interesting photographs to be used at a future time for writing and drawing inspiration.
There's an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. A good picture is worth at least that and probably a lot more. Inspiration for writers can come not only from reading newspaper and magazine articles but also from looking at the photos. Interesting photographs are all around us and are worth saving as a resource. Have your children collect some interesting photos from magazines or newspapers and do the same yourself. Then you can each write a response to the picture. The response would be open-ended: short story, poem or short essay. Picture and writing would then be shared and discussed.
6. Take your children on family trips.
For example, go to an art museum. Ask them to select one special painting to write about. Do the same. Put yourself into this painting. Who are you? Where are you? What are you doing? Write a response in any form you wish and ask your child to do the same. Back at home, share your writing and discuss both the paintings and your responses to them.Take your children to: a zoo, a play, a lighthouse, a ferry ride, a movie, on a vacation. Take notepads along with you so that you can write briefly about what you see. Sketches can even be included with written observation.
When you return home, sit down with your children and write about the experience in more detail. This should be done as soon as possible, either that evening or the following day. Reading what is written and sharing in a discussion is important. This should be in addition to any journal entries. All of these activities will inspire you as a writer.
Writing need not be a solitary activity. It can be a shared family activity that enriches our lives and those of our children, making family experiences more meaningful and enjoyable. Working at home doesn’t have to take away from the family but instead add to it if handled correctly.
--------------------------- About the author ---------------------------
Multiple award-winning author Jacqueline Seewald has taught creative, expository and technical writing at the university level as well as high school English.
She also worked as an academic librarian and educational media specialist. Her Kim Reynolds romantic mystery novels, originally published in hardcover
by Five Star/Gale, include:
The Inferno Collection, The Drowning Pool, and The Truth Sleuth. The first two novels in this series are now available as ebooks in all formats including Kindle, Nook, Kobo, etc.
Check out The Truth Sleuth in a new affordable paperback edition from Harlequin Worldwide Mystery:
Check out all her books on Amazon:
No comments: