Finding time to write has become more of a challenge since giving birth to my baby girl. Ok, let’s be honest here, finding time to do anything other than look after her has become a challenge! However, as she skips past the ten week mark old (yes, 10 weeks!) I can cheerfully say ‘I am getting more things done’.
‘Things’ include writing on occasion – this blog post counts as writing, of course, as does my newspaper page for my local paper, ‘The Munster Express’. But when it comes to creative writing, I must admit the furthest I’ve got has been a few lines of poetry, hastily scribbled while my daughter slept on my other arm. However, I’m confident these lines are just the start of me getting back to my writing. Writing has always been there for me. Writing is a part of me.
As for the novel I’ve been working on, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to give it much attention as my new life continues to unfold. I may have to put it aside and concentrate on poetry and flash fiction for a while. I remember reading an interview with a female poet, who was also a mother – she said she chose to write poetry because it meant she could get a piece of work finished in the time available to her.
Also, if I’m being honest, poetry is the writing form that is closest to my heart; it always has been. It seems to me that the best way forward will be to get up after my daughter’s early morning feed (currently at around 5am) and write for a couple of hours while she sleeps. It’s going to be tough, but necessary.
As for my current inspiration, well, of course my daughter is at the centre of my thoughts, as is the whole experience of becoming a parent, but I am also looking towards spring and feeling quite relieved to have left January behind. I am watchful and mindful of subtle changes – longer afternoons, a slight lift in the chill, less bareness in the landscape. Soon, snowdrops and crocuses will blossom at the side of the road and there will be more colours to see, more scents in the air. There will be promise and expectation and a deep gratitude; for my daughter, for seasons, for words and for being.
Photo credit: Jessica Keating Photography / Foter / CC BY-ND