I’m a mom before I’m a writer. It’s one of my favorite things to be. And I KNOW God has a sense of humor because he gave me five fun, crazy, challenging, and imaginative kiddos who’ve rocked my world in the best possible way. My oldest is 19 and my youngest is 10 – three boys and two girls.
It’s amazing how much these kids have direct inspiration on my life as a writer for several different reasons.
1. They teach me about ‘life’ which translates into my stories – Living life with a bunch of people who have different personalities, interests, and ways of seeing the world creates amazing opportunities for different discussions and perspectives. I hope that comes out in my stories. I like variety in characters and concepts, even if all of my books are romances. My kids have grown me as a person and a Christian, and I hope readers benefit from that in my stories.
2. They help me write kid-stuff – I LOVE to add kids into my books, in fact a few of my characters have been directly inspired by my kids. I think kids can add levity and depth to stories in a very different way than an all-adult cast can do. Getting to experience that in real-life certainly impacts the way I write about it in fiction.
3. They keep my imagination active – Oh boy, do they!! I’ve engaged in front-yard sword-battles, Nerf gun attacks, fantasy-world dress-up, new gaming opportunities (Go Mario, Zelda, and Minecraft). In my upcoming novel, I even allude to a very fun Nintendo game. With my oldest son (19 years old), I get to talk about character development and story creation because he’s a writer too. My 15-year-old daughter loves to talk books and movies with me. My 17-year-old son and I discuss various gaming story world – and all of those discussion push my imagination into motion in different ways. It’s so much fun!!
4. They’re invested in my writing journey too – My kids pray with me before I submit a proposal to publishers. Isn’t that SWEET? They also ask me about my imaginary people in my imaginary worlds. And they’re fantastic cheerleaders. My 15-year-old daughter has been my ‘assistant’ to all of my local book signings and has even traveled with me to conferences before because she loves joining me in this journey. It’s been super fun to introduce her to my writing buddies 😊
As a side note – I’m doubly inspired because I work with kids in my “day job” as a speech-language pathologist. In my current WIP, I’m including a character who has a repaired cleft lip and palate, and I hope to continue to be inspired by these amazing kids that I serve to incorporate them into my future stories.
I can’t imagine being on this journey without the support of my kids…and am grateful for the purposeful and ‘accidental’ inspiration they provide to help me create believable, fun, and creative characters 😊
4. They’re invested in my writing journey too – My kids pray with me before I submit a proposal to publishers. Isn’t that SWEET? They also ask me about my imaginary people in my imaginary worlds. And they’re fantastic cheerleaders. My 15-year-old daughter has been my ‘assistant’ to all of my local book signings and has even traveled with me to conferences before because she loves joining me in this journey. It’s been super fun to introduce her to my writing buddies 😊
As a side note – I’m doubly inspired because I work with kids in my “day job” as a speech-language pathologist. In my current WIP, I’m including a character who has a repaired cleft lip and palate, and I hope to continue to be inspired by these amazing kids that I serve to incorporate them into my future stories.
I can’t imagine being on this journey without the support of my kids…and am grateful for the purposeful and ‘accidental’ inspiration they provide to help me create believable, fun, and creative characters 😊
Who do you take along on your writing journey?
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Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes novels inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her Penned in Time series has garnered recognition in the INSPYs, Grace Awards, and the ACFW Carol Awards. Her contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, received 4-stars from Romantic Times, and most recently, her newest release, The Thorn Healer, received a Top Pick from RT with 4 ½ stars. Her newest contemporary romance, Just the Way You Are, released in April 2017. You can connect with Pepper over at her group blog, The Writer’s Alley, her website, Facebook, Instagr
