The Boston Globe on mothers who write

This morning’s Boston Globe ran two complementary pieces on working mothers: some who are working on their PhDs while having babies, and others who forge literary careers while raising their kids. An excerpt from the latter:

Many stay-at-home-mothers create new careers they can pursue at home, but it takes a dreamer, or a masochist, to choose writing. Why pick solitude, intensity, and lack of validation when stay-at-home mothering already embodies those things for many women?

Lynne Griffin, 48, a former pediatric nurse, finds writing an antidote to the isolation of stay-at-home motherhood. As a young mother she’d felt lonely and reached out to connect with other mothers. Once she trained herself to be a writer, the loneliness disappeared. “I get in the flow, and there’s no better place than that for me,” said Griffin.

In 2005, she found friendship and validation in a writing group that includes MacKinnon. “That’s why mothers seek out play groups and writers seek out writing groups – to be seen, to be heard, to be relevant,” MacKinnon said. Within two years of joining the group, Griffin’s first novel, “Life Without Summer,” was snapped up by St. Martin’s Press for the kind of advance writers fantasize about.

Finding time to write seems a special challenge for stay-at-home mothers, who describe round-the-clock responsibilities for child care and housework. They write whenever they can – in short bursts, between chores, or when their children nap. They meditate on their stories while driving or vacuuming or playing Candyland. Most said they sleep little and rise in the pre-dawn hours to write. But they believe the intensity of their two loves, family and writing, inform each other.

The piece goes on to ask if writing helps women become better mothers. Check out the full article–it will resonate for many.