Many authors dream of becoming full-time authors. They dream about getting out of bed in the morning and being excited about their work. They start crafting the novel they've been planning about for decades. While some people are lucky enough to be able to write for a living, many writers struggle to get the first book on the market because all they think about is when to write, how to write and get some time to focus on this professional venture during the day. Having a job, having a relationship, and having kids definitely slow down your writing and you may feel you have absolutely no time left, especially if you are a woman with a young baby.
So how did the professionals handle the calls of daily life as they face these major deadlines in real life as well? Just because writers are professional and have big paychecks coming in doesn't mean that they have any more time in their daily lives.
Nine kids and writing
Danielle Steel, who is the mother of nine kids where one is deceased, reveals that having children will definitely slow down your writing. Her first novel was published back in the 70s and she struggled to keep up her writing during the periods where she had kids. Now that her kids are grown up she may have more time in her hands. She doesn't have to worry about them getting something to eat, taking them to daycare or school, and she doesn't have to worry about tucking them into bed at night.
All of her children are grown up and have moved away from the home.
But Steel admits that it was tough when she was younger as she had to care for the kids. She reveals that motherhood changes everything but in a positive way. She would write her novels after her kids went to bed, so she could give her attention to the kids throughout the day.
Setting an example
While it may be tough to write a novel while having a child, Danielle Steel sets the example that persistence pays off. After putting my baby to bed at night, I don't really have any energy to sit down and work on a novel. But when I look at her and what she did with nine children and I look at my situation with one baby, maybe it's not that bad.
Maybe it's a question of how badly you want to succeed as an author and how much work you willing to put in, even though your mind is strained and your body is tired. She's definitely setting a great example for women with children who want to become authors and she's a prime example of how hard work pays off, especially being a mother with children.
Are you surprised that motherhood changed the way she managed to get work done?
