Mothers Day for Writers

Happy mother's day to everyone out there with a mother! One of the things writers must do is learn continually. We can learn and be inspired from everyone and everything, and harnessing and using that is part of why I love being a writer. And what better day to highlight incredible sources of learning then Mothers Day?

Someone once called me and my writing effervescent, and asked if that was my natural voice or if I had developed it. The answer was easy: I got it from my mother. My mom is one of the most passionate, alive and enthusiastic people I've ever known. Here is a quote from my roommates British Literature professor that I may or may not have posted before: "Most critics assume that, like Dickinson, Hopkins was a total shut-in. I mean, you have to have a certain level of isolation in order to obtain that low a wonder-threshold. Emily Dickinson could basically walk downstairs and go, 'Whoa! BREAKFAST!' and have enough material for a month." Its obvious from my mother that you don't have to be a shut-in to be excited about life. Finding beauty, interest and wonder in everything around us can make our writing (not to mention our lives) more vivid, exciting, memorable and even relatable.

We can learn from our mothers time too. My mom has done a fantastic job of exposing us to a bunch of cool stuff from her childhood. For example, right now I'm watching The Sound of Music, and not just because Christopher Plummer is yummmy (ok, so mostly because Christopher Plummer is yummy), but its one of those awesome cultural things that my mom has made part of our house for as long as I can remember. Ask your mom what movies and books and music she was raised with and educate yourself. You'll find gems (see photo above), be informed about things you should be informed about, and the more you have in your creative stock the more you have to draw from.

So learn and write, learn and write, bless my homeland for...I mean, happy writing :)
Sarah Allen