Flash fiction is one of the forms of story telling that I absolutely adore. I love writing it, and, because it is short, it fits in with my schedule or lack thereof as of late. Right now I am working on a series of flash fiction pieces where the subject matter revolves around emotions. Empathy, Love, Fear, Anxiety, Anger, Joy.
Now that I am a mother, all these emotions seem heightened and writing about them in a context other than revolving around baby is difficult. It made me wonder if moms who work in mediums other than the written word have the same difficulty. Painters? Do you find your preferred subject to be your little ones? How about sculptors? Certainly you photographers snap endless pictures of your children. I know that our poor cat Boo, who used to be the star of our albums, has only had his photo taken once in the last nine months. Every other image in our digital camera is of little H.
I’m willing to bet that the recent scrapbook craze came about because of children, and textile artists create for their kids too. But do they struggle as I do to round out their work?
Back to my flash pieces, I never really knew most of these emotions until I had little H. Empathy for when she got her vaccinations. Love since the moment I knew she was about to arrive. Fear when she stopped breathing momentarily on her third day of life. Anxiety during every moment of every day…..oh, she’s gonna bonk her head again I just know it! Anger at the thought of going back to work and leaving her behind, and Joy. Joy is most prevalent when I’m watching her learn new things…which means everyday I feel Joy.
Wish me luck. I will speak more on these flash pieces as I work on them. I hope to have about a dozen or so by the time I’m finished. Anyone who wishes to comment on their experiences are welcome to do so!
Much of what I did when Josh was young revolved around him. I found myself unable to write certain kind of horror fictions, for example, because I couldn’t separate my love for him out of my fictional world.
Very thoughtful provoking post.. I love it…
Keep up the good work
I kinda wish I wrote flash fiction, more immediate gratification. As it stands, I’m like, “I’ve got an idea. Let’s spend six to nine months seeing if it’s any good…”
Charles – Glad to hear I’m not alone here. In fact I’ve had to put my WIP aside for a while until I even out a bit.
Angel – Welcome! I hope you continue to visit and find something that interests you.
Steve – Yes, I do like the immediate gratification of it….well at least while writing it. Submitting is the same old long wait.
Great idea for a blog! I saw your post on Zoetrope so thought I’d pop over. I have a 16 month old son and tried to write when I was pregnant and after he was born but it was damned hard! Not just finding the time but finding anything interesting to say. I was getting desperate when pop! The fog lifted when my son was about 10months old. I am very lucky in that I have a supportive husband and we have been sharing childcare. So last year I wrote for three days and he worked for two days. This year, he is on full-time Daddyhood as I am supporting us through a fellowship I was awarded. I write full time apart from Thursday mornings when I look after the baby and he goes to a creche in the afternoons (which he loves!).
Good luck!
ps I wish my blogger page looked so flash! But I am technically challenged…