Sarah Sundin, @sarahsundin
Babies learn from grown-ups. But can we learn from them?
Our first grandson is almost eleven months old. Watching him learn is a great joy—and it makes me think. And often, it makes me think of the writing life. So what can we learn about writing from babies?
Embrace the Mess
Mealtime with my grandson is entertaining…and disgusting. It’s more than nutrition. It’s a tactile play experience as he explores texture and taste and multiple ways to destroy a banana. Someday we will teach him manners, but for now I squelch my aversion to mess to allow him to learn.
Writers can be averse to mess too. Plotting, character development, and editing can overwhelm us with mess. We want everything neat, to come together into a cohesive whole—and now. But creativity tends to spark best in chaos. Relinquish control and let your subconscious play. Embrace the mess as you mash story bits into a flavorful stew.
Persevere!
One of my grandson’s newest skills is making things fit—inserting the peg into the pegboard, the shape into the shape-sorter ball, the ball through the ring. Two weeks ago, he couldn’t do it. One week ago, he figured it out—but couldn’t do it all the time. Now he’s more proficient. He simply keeps at it. Try. Fail. Try. Almost get it. Try. Fail. Try. Got it! He kept crawling back to the pegboard, determined to make it work.
Recently a friend of mine from church told me about a story idea that won’t leave her alone. “But I’m not cut out to be a writer,” she said. “I’m too stubborn.”
I laughed. Because stubbornness—let’s call it perseverance to be nice—is an essential trait in a writer. We will fail. Rejections threaten to paralyze us. Story ideas refuse to fit together as we envision. Only through perseverance, crawling back to our keyboards over and over with determination, will we finish our novels.
Wonder!
My grandson loves pointing at things and saying, “Uzzat?” (What’s that?). He loves swinging doors open and closed. He watches in utter delight as a balloon drifts to the ground. He lives in a constant state of wonder.
As writers, we must cultivate that sense of wonder. Look around and question—what’s that? What makes that person tick? What would someone do in a situation like that? How would that feel?
Savor the sound of a favorite word or a phrase you strung together. Take delight as a character comes to life in your head and on the page. Enjoy the wonder of creating a colorful world with strokes of black on a page.
Know when you need a cuddle, a snack, or a nap
As much as he enjoys the independence of exploring on hands and knees, our grandson comes to us routinely and asks to be held. We know when he’s fussy and needs a snack, or when he’s rubbing his eyes and needs a nap.
Writing is tough. It’s exhausting. Right now, I’m coming through a draining time both professionally and personally. I need a hug, a good night’s sleep, and a large supply of Ghirardelli dark chocolate.
Sometimes we need that. Know when you need time with friends and family. Take adequate time for both rest and exercise. Make sure you have a healthful diet—which for me includes supplements of chocolate and coffee.
As the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940, Aleida van der Zee Martens escapes to London to wait out the occupation. Separated from her three-year-old son, Theo, in the process, the young widow desperately searches for her little boy even as she works for an agency responsible for evacuating children to the countryside.
When German bombs set London ablaze, BBC radio correspondent Hugh Collingwood reports on the Blitz, eager to boost morale while walking the fine line between truth and censorship. But the Germans are not the only ones Londoners have to fear as a series of murders flame up amid the ashes.
The deaths hit close to home for Hugh, and Aleida needs his help to locate her missing son. As they work together, they grow closer and closer, both to each other and the answers they seek. But time is running short—and the worst is yet to come.
Sarah Sundin is an ECPA-bestselling author of World War II novels, including Embers in the London Sky (coming from Revell, February 2024) and The Sound of Light. Her novel Until Leaves Fall in Paris won the 2022 Christy Award, The Sound of Light is a 2023 Christy Award finalist, and The Sky Above Us won the 2020 Carol Award. A mother of three adult children, Sarah lives in Southern California and enjoys speaking for church, community, and writers’ groups. She serves as co-director for the West Coast Christian Writers Conference. You can find her at http://www.sarahsundin.com