What Life Teaches You About Writing

I think Jillayne and I have been thinking along the same lines. If you wonder why, check out here post from Thursday HERE.

As I turned my writing focus to more spiritual fulfillment and included God in my writing practices, I was reminded to observe my children in particular for ways to improve my writing voice. They provide me with tons of great information in general, those kids, but when I use what I see, hear and feel in my writing it makes for a stronger story.

For instance, because I nearly lost one of my sons to an undiagnosed disorder when he was a baby, I know a lot about the feelings a mother experiences in that situation.

And, last Thursday, my oldest son taught me what a mother feels when her teenager is thrown from a horse and then stepped on by said horse.

These examples are pretty obvious ones. I'm sure most of you can imagine the general feelings a person experiences in these situations. But the more subtle nuances of the moments, the things that can enrich a tense moment in a book, are things you can only know if you life through these things.

And I don't want to focus on just the bad stuff, though that does make good fodder for writing books. The sweetest moments of life can bring about the happiest endings, or the most tear-jerking moments of a book.

So, what is life teaching you?