How to Care for Your Word Baby
Feeling nervous and day-dreamy? Retreating behind a computer for hours and hours after work, talking to people who never existed? Desperate to share what you’ve been working on with the whole world, while also terrified that anyone ANYWHERE might see it before it’s finished?
Then it sounds like you’ve got yourself a Word Baby! Congratulations!
When it comes to Word Parenthood, every Word Baby is unique and special, but there’s much we can learn from each other about the process. Word Babies are delicate, vulnerable creatures. You might spend months, or even years, thinking if a Word Baby is right for you before writing anything down, but once begun, a Word Baby will take on a life of its own.
Maybe you envisioned a bone-chilling horror story that turned into a steamy paranormal romance. Maybe you meant to write a story, but (surprise!) ended up with a sequel, or even a trilogy! Word Babies will surprise you just about every time. They feed on effort: some in dribs and drabs, some in wild bursts of productivity. The important thing to remember is: all Word Babies grow at different paces. Just because someone else’s papery bundle of joy came along in a matter of months doesn’t mean yours needs to do the same; some of the best Word Babies of all time took years! Just let it grow at its own pace, and feel free to enjoy. Spending quality time with your Word Baby can be rewarding and rejuvenating.
Be warned, Word Babies WILL challenge you. They’ll give you the silent treatment. They might pick up bad habits from other people’s Word Babies. And be prepared, because eventually, they WILL sh*t the bed. But that’s just part of the deal.
The urge to protect your Word Baby may drive you to strange behavior: picking fights with strangers on the internet, locking your Word Baby away from the light of day, or ignoring your Word Baby for other pursuits in fear you might “mess it up.” But hey, there’s no such thing as a perfect Word Baby, and you’ll never know if it’s ready to face the world if you don’t give it a chance. One day, your Word Baby might be ready to leave home. And when that time comes, you’ll just have to hope you raised it well enough to stand on its own merits. And when it’s time to try, THANK GOD, because if you’re anything like me, you need some peace and quiet in your head.