Turkey Day in Technicolor Man! Just being a mom is rough, and, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, sometimes very melancholy! It can be great for writing, though. Channeling those feelings into your creativity and making amazing works of art. Who could complain about...
Read MoreManic Momma’s Musings Once upon a time, in a peaceful, little suburb about 60 miles Northwest of the crime-riddled megacity of Chicago, lived a carpenter, his wife, and their 2 beautiful children. The curvy woman certainly didn’t look much like a superhero. She was...
Read MoreNetworking on social media can be a tricky thing to balance. With us writer-moms already having so much to work around that social media can seem like just another thing to devote time (that we don’t have) to. Yet social media can be a fantastic...
Read MoreWe held our first WMI writing sprints and a wonderful chat last week about summer writing goal setting to help kick off our Summer Writing Challenge, and the response has been amazing! We’ve had dozens of writing projects added to the sign up sheet with...
Read MoreMay is coming to a close and our month of celebrations is over, but that doesn’t mean the fun stops there! Writer Moms Inc has lots of writing fun planned for the summer months, including a Summer Writing Challenge! Running from June 1 to August...
Read MoreMay has passed by in a flash and we couldn’t be more thrilled at how successful it’s been! Thank you for showing love to all our interviewees and webinar presenters this month. We hope every WMI member could take away some useful information no matter...
Read MoreFormer New York Times parenting writer and host of the #AmWriting podcast KJ Dell’Antonia joins us to talk about all things writing and parenting– from her new book How to Be a Happier Parent and Love (Almost) Every Minute of It, to her journey from non-fiction into...
Read MoreGet ready for another AMAZING interview! Week three of out #wm_chat birthday bash features an interview with writer-mom Rebecca Angus. Not only is she both a writer and a mom, she’s also a literary agent with Golden Wheat Literary Agency. She’ll be answering questions from...
Read MoreWhat to do when you’re feeling stuck— interview with Melanie Parish
Read MoreAuthor Michelle Hazen joins Abby Mathews and Melanie Parish for Sex Scenes 101. Because friends don’t let friends write bad sex.
Read MoreHey everyone! Welcome to the new Writer Moms Inc website and this new fun segment featuring all things #wm_chat! Today we’re talking about what #wm_chat is and what Autumn and I have in store for the chat this week. What is #WM_Chat you ask? First...
Read MoreWeek two of our birthday bash brings another great interview! This week we’re lucky enough to have moms, authors and agents Amy Brewer and Patty Carothers stopping by. Amy and Patty have experience on both sides of the book- being literary agents at Metamorphosis Literary...
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Man! Just being a mom is rough, and, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, sometimes very melancholy! It can be great for writing, though. Channeling those feelings into your creativity and making amazing works of art. Who could complain about that perk? We can be proud of who we are, what we create, and who our children are becoming, but many days can break even the strongest foe. It’s hard to feel like you can do it all and still keep your sanity. Well, I’m trying something new; after 30 years on this planet, I’m embracing my crazy!
What I mean is, I was built with tough genes. Made with some extra powers that may look like curses to some, but I’m learning to embrace what I’ve been given. Not only was I born with stick-straight hair and a crappy metabolism, but I also have 4 AMAZING super powers: Anxiety, Depression, Manic Depression, and Bipolar Disorder.
Though they may be far from extraordinary, many other moms have some of these same super powers. I know of others who are afflicted in more unique ways, like those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Germaphobia. Obviously, Invisibility or X-Ray Vision would be much more useful, especially when the kids are in their teens and we want to catch them sneaking out or wearing a crop top under their sweater. I’m happy to say I have the pleasure of being blessed with all four of, what I like to call, my super crazy-mom powers…
I know. They don’t sound all that great, but I’m learning that they really are!
Take, for example, Thanksgiving. My crazy-mom powers are especially helpful around the holidays. The ever-present Anxiety will always help me think of every possible disaster that could happen. Every possible spill, every potential family feud. Anxiety will help remind me of last year, and that horrible recipe for stuffing that I thought would be delicious. Manic begins to set in and and my brain is already concocting plans to keep the turkey from possibly burning, setting numerous alarms because timing is everything, and I already have several scenarios playing in my head so I can diffuse the bomb that could be Aunt Lisa’s new beau. Prep time is definitely shorter when you’re Manic. Multitasking is made easier when you’re Manic. But mostly, you feel indestructible when you’re Manic. You really feel like you can accomplish anything and confidence is the key to productivity.
They are pretty great powers to have, but sometimes they can make the days a little more overwhelming. Depression usually likes to sink in around 3 in the afternoon, right when everyone is sitting down to dinner. Depression is hard to get excited about, for obvious reasons. Especially if no one says how much they loved my sweet potatoes. I might cry right there in the gravy and no one likes salty gravy. The power to keep my head up is almost non-existent, but then Bipolar sneaks in – like Grandpa for a tweak – and makes me Manic again so I can clean up quickly and enjoy the rest of the evening. The energy of being surrounded by friends or family, seeing them smiling, enjoying the meal I prepared, makes every little scary thought, or sad feeling disappear.
I’m learning to love my super crazy-mom powers, even if they sometimes make me feel like I’m going to lose my mind. Though I may not look put together, because my kids, and Manic Depression, keep me busy, I’m hoping I’ll eventually find the time to go get my hair done, or find the extra energy to start exercising again. It would be nice if I looked as good as I’m starting to feel about all of this. I never could feel like a regular person, but now I’m starting to feel like I could take on the world.
Hey, as long as I have the CostCo card and enough money for Christmas presents, I’ll just be happy if the next holiday goes more smoothly this year. The world can wait until after Christmas has gone off without a hitch. Baby steps!
-M.M.
A little about Manic Momma!
Once upon a time, in a peaceful, little suburb about 60 miles Northwest of the crime-riddled megacity of Chicago, lived a carpenter, his wife, and their 2 beautiful children. The curvy woman certainly didn’t look much like a superhero. She was very good at hiding behind her “crazy mom” persona: long, blonde hair, always full of split ends, mousy brown roots over 3 inches long, and geeky glasses, complete with scratched lenses and child fingerprints. Her messy bun and obsession with leggings and tunics added to her disguise. It caused quite a surprise on the day that it was discovered that she possessed the most unique super powers on the planet. Among her many talents, she had the power to predict and detect danger before any threat even occurred. She could feel things more deeply than the average person, had the ability to do several things at the same time, and, even though she was afflicted with Daily Chronic Migraines, she persisted. Her only weakness was the spending money her husband would give her, for she could never run out of things to justify buying for her babies.
She was…. Manic Momma!
Check out Manic Momma’s website to read more from her!
Once upon a time, in a peaceful, little suburb about 60 miles Northwest of the crime-riddled megacity of Chicago, lived a carpenter, his wife, and their 2 beautiful children. The curvy woman certainly didn’t look much like a superhero. She was very good at hiding behind her “crazy mom” persona: long, blonde hair, always full of split ends, mousy brown roots over 3 inches long, and geeky glasses, complete with scratched lenses and child fingerprints. Her messy bun and obsession with leggings and tunics added to her disguise. It caused quite a surprise on the day that it was discovered that she possessed the most unique super powers on the planet. Among her many talents, she had the power to predict and detect danger before any threat even occurred. She could feel things more deeply than the average person, had the ability to do several things at the same time, and, even though she was afflicted with Daily Chronic Migraines, she persisted. Her only weakness was the spending money her husband would give her, for she could never run out of things to justify buying for her babies.
She was…. Manic Momma!
Check out Manic Momma’s website to read more from her!
Networking on social media can be a tricky thing to balance. With us writer-moms already having so much to work around that social media can seem like just another thing to devote time (that we don’t have) to. Yet social media can be a fantastic tool to engage with readers and connect with other writers. It’s also a necessary way to expand your author reach and platform. So, given that having a social media presence is so important, how do we fit it in? How do we keep it from taking over our precious writing time? How do we use it effectively? How do we stay consistent? Tune into #wm_chat to hear what other writer moms have to say!
And don’t forget #wm_chat is happening at two different times throughout the summer- 8pm EST and 8pm PST.
Visit us over on the Facebook page to stay up to date on chats, the Summer Writing Challenge, and fun daily posts!
We held our first WMI writing sprints and a wonderful chat last week about summer writing goal setting to help kick off our Summer Writing Challenge, and the response has been amazing! We’ve had dozens of writing projects added to the sign up sheet with goals ranging from first drafts, to revisions, to query writing, to book launch deadlines. It’s amazing to see all the projects you guys are working on 🙂
There’s no deadline to sign up, so join us for a little summer writing motivation! We’ll be doing another set of writing sprints on Monday at 8 pm EST.
Also this week we have Kimberly S Belle as our guest on Interview With A Writer Mom. Kimberly writes suspense fiction and is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She’ll be chatting with us about book marketing and her upcoming release, Three Days Missing. Join us at 7 pm EST!
May is coming to a close and our month of celebrations is over, but that doesn’t mean the fun stops there!
Writer Moms Inc has lots of writing fun planned for the summer months, including a Summer Writing Challenge!
Running from June 1 to August 31 we’ll be hosting writing challenges, sprints, and check ins to provide all our writer moms motivations and accountability throughout the summer. Summer can be hard on writing goals between kids being home from school, vacations and the beautiful weather calling your name. By signing up for our Summer Writing Challenge we’ll get you motivated to keep plugging away at those goals!
Also happening throughout the summer- we’ll be hosting TWO #wm_chats! One happening at 8 PM EST and one at 8 PM PST. We want to give all moms a chance to attend, so if you can’t catch one you’ll now have a second opportunity! Coming up on Monday June 4 we’ll be talking about your summer writing goals.
More information about the challenge and chats can be found on our Facebook page!
May has passed by in a flash and we couldn’t be more thrilled at how successful it’s been!
Thank you for showing love to all our interviewees and webinar presenters this month. We hope every WMI member could take away some useful information no matter what stage of writing you’re in. To wrap up our final week of #wm_chat one year anniversary we have another fantastic interview coming up, plus a chat with Autumn and I and more giveaways!
First up is a writer-mom interview with Myra Fiacco, owner and editorial director of Filles Vertes Publishing. She’ll be chatting with us about small press publishing, answering some of your publishing questions, and letting us in on what she and her team have coming up! As part of that chat we’ll also be announcing the winner of our mug giveaway. Join us on Twitter at 8 PM PST on May 28th.
Later in the week Autumn and I will be on the Facebook page for a fun, informal chat where you’ll get to know a little more about us and have a chance to ask us anything! We don’t promise to be all that exciting or have answers to all the writing questions out there, but we wanted an opportunity to have some fun and share a bit more about ourselves. Come find us on Facebook at 8:00 AM PST on May 31st!
And be sure to drop by and enter your name into the final birthday giveaway of the month Autumn will open up the contest on Saturday (May 26) and winners will be announced Monday (May 28)!
