So, I kind of rather was hoping that people thought it would have a nice mixture of different topics and it also takes in the fact that I've had two children recently.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Having children changes you forever, as a writer and as a human being. I hope it's for the better on both counts, but I guess we'll see.
And so much of my life has been about returning home and longing for home, wanting my children to know about my roots. And I thought I can't be the only one to feel this way so I thought it would be an interesting topic to explore.
One of the reasons I began to write was because I wanted stories for my children where the characters spoke as they did and had similar life experiences.
I think having kids has been the biggest influence on my work since I started publishing.
It's not that I bounce ideas off of my children as much as it is that having children has had a profound effect on the way I see the world. They have mined my soul. They've made me a better person and therefore a more empathetic writer.
Literature gives us a window into other people's experiences in other places, in other times, so I thought it would be really interesting to investigate how different people had written about motherhood, and childhood.
When you have a child, as anyone knows who has them, that's basically all you want to talk about.
Having two children with autism, it makes you really think about how we do relate to each other.
I've found it easier to write, to coalesce my thoughts, since having children. It brings you back to what you experienced yourself as a child, and you empathize with what your parents went through.
I expected it to be overwhelming and all-encompassing, but having a kid brings you into the world in a whole different way.