I began my full-time writing career a few months before having my baby, and that new parental perspective helped provide the inspiration for many articles.
I write nonfiction in the form of reported articles on everything from health to travel, but also more personal opinion pieces where I share my view on the world. As pregnancy, childbirth and new motherhood are intense experiences, they can add new layers to writing and inspire fresh ideas.
Parenthood is a brand new life chapter which can alert you to themes or topics you hadn’t considered before. Even from early on in pregnancy, new idea avenues just pop up.
But where does parenthood fall in terms of genre? Is it health, society, politics, general parenting, food (weaning tips), drink (non-alcoholic cocktails), travel, a photo essay, opinion, career, entertainment, environment or another lifestyle-based niche? I found I could relate almost anything back to parenting as it is a subject that permeates all aspects of life. The topic works across all types of publications and even has international appeal.
Parenthood is also a niche within itself as not everyone is a parent, or has a baby or young child. It can be a less crowded field for those drawing on personal experience, especially one which is current and anchored in today’s society. Popular parenting blogs can pay as much as general news websites.
Having a child also introduces you to people that you might never have met otherwise, like fellow parents, health professionals, nursery workers or other professionals that can provide new perspectives for new material.
I think that in terms of the craft of writing itself, I have become more vulnerable as emotions are closer to the surface but also more. Parenthood is fast-paced and distractive, so write all thoughts down as soon they happen. Whether on your phone or a pad in the diaper bag, keep something handy to capture the wealth of ideas.
In terms of the craft of writing itself, I have become more vulnerable as emotions are closer to the surface but also more focused as I have much less time to do it.
These are some of the ideas and angles that motherhood inspired in my first year of writing after the baby arrived:
I wrote about the birth of my child and used this experience to highlight problems with medical care for the Metro, a publication which specializes in real-life stories.
My new experience highlighted the inequities of parenthood as well as the worldwide pressure to have children which I wrote about in the political publication Prospect Magazine.
I wrote about morning sickness for the Atomic Mommy parenting blog and the secrets of a vegan pregnancy for Birthing Magazine.
As breastfeeding is another important issue that parents face but isn’t really discussed as much as it should be, I wrote about it for health publications The Femedic and Get Me Giddy.
From a career perspective, having a child can impact your finances so I researched and wrote about this issue for the Media Diversity Institute.
The lens of parenthood can really shine a light on many unexplored, and previously uninformed, areas for you to write about. I’m grateful that my life experiences have bolstered my career and as my child grows older, new writing opportunities will continue to open.
It has also better connected me to the audience as my writing is more relatable to those experiencing similar situations in parenthood, so much so that I get more messages from readers about these articles than any other.
A side perk is that writing about these experiences becomes a wonderful way to capture those moments in time that you might otherwise forget.
BIO: Jennifer Sizeland is a freelance writer and assistant producer with 12 years of experience in the media industry. She has written for many publications including the BBC, the Independent, Metro, Manchester Mill, Get Me Giddy, the Media Diversity Institute, Funny Women and her own sustainability blog called Land of Size. She lives in Manchester and you can follow her on Instagram at @lifeofsize or Twitter at @landofsize.
Leave a Reply