By Christian Warren Freed
By now, most of you know that my full-time job is writing books. I’ve cranked out over 30 military sci-fi and fantasy titles over the past decade, sprinkled with a little how-to, my combat memoirs, and a children’s book I’m struggling to find the right artist for. I travel the state hitting different book festivals and cons and meeting all sorts of people. One constant, no matter where I am, always seeming to find me is that special comment of ‘I’ve always wanted to write a book.’
Pick an age. Pick a demographic. It doesn’t matter. There is a universal allure to seeing your name on the cover of a book, whether most of us want to admit it aloud. Despite the multitudes of people who have said this line to me, it never really made me think or reflect until my niece and her family visited after the holidays.
At a precocious eight years old, young Liv scribbled a bunch of drawings on a sheet of printer paper and knocked out a short story about a certain mouse with big ears we all know getting kidnapped on his way to the coffee shop. Don’t worry folks, no rodents were harmed in this story and there was a happy, if convoluted, ending.
I was told, after Liv’s eyes widened at the number of books I’ve written (and own), that she wanted to write books too. How cool is that? Naturally, I encouraged it, even at the cost of immeasurable sheets of printer paper. How could I not? That got me thinking. A year prior, a second niece who is heading into high school this year practically gushed over her book idea. I spent days talking to her about it and helping her develop her story, characters, and setting.
I was amazed at her level of creativity, perhaps in part because my own kids never pursued any creative inklings. Should I have been surprised? I don’t know. We are each gifted with certain skills and traits. I knew from a very young age I wanted to write books. It was in my blood. Had to have been.
Knowing I’m not alone, I can’t help but wonder what I—and by that, I mean WE—can do to foster this creative spirit in the next generation? Sure, most kids won’t go on to write, but in a world where over ten million books are published on Amazon already, the odds are much better than when I first snatched up a box of crayons and started scribbling.
Where does the drive come from? Some nagging feeling in the back of the mind quietly whispering to draw, to write, to create. When people ask me where I come up with all the ideas, I tell them, in jest, I need to get the crazy out of my head. (Hopefully children don’t feel this way!)
I started with a sheet of paper, a partially stolen idea from some cartoon, and all the arts and craft supplies we could afford back in 19…. Never mind all that for now. With a little tongue sticking out of the corner of my mouth and the wit of a five-year-old, I created a masterpiece of buddy aliens just looking to have fun.
From there I convinced my parents to get me graph paper, better colored pencils, etc. There was no messing around with glue sticks or glitter here! I went in hard, encouraged by my mother (since she went to art school) and begrudgingly acknowledged by my Vietnam veteran father. I went on to develop comic books and eventually won the student of the month award in 10th grade for a very, very bad book. Flash forward a few, ahem, decades, and here we are. I’m writing this and you’re reading it.
So, the real question is, what can you do for your kids when they speak that magical sentence: ‘I want to write a book’? The answer is surprisingly simple. Let them run with it. Even if you don’t have the creative bug in you, that doesn’t mean you can’t relate to your children as they begin their journey. And, let’s face it, a pack of typing paper is way cheaper than bats, helmets, pads, sticks, etc.
We’ve all tacked up our, well, interesting, pictures from our children on the refrigerators and given the celebratory pat on the back. Writing is no different. There is unadulterated joy in seeing the sparkle in their eyes as they present their first little written piece that first time. Like Liv, they’ll red you their work with an assurity most of us can use, knowing they have written the next best book.
Even if it’s but a few paragraphs, there is a sense of accomplishment welling up inside. For those truly inspired, it becomes an unstoppable force. The cost is a sheet of paper and a pack of pens. The reward is confidence building that will take them through their school years and into life.
Writing a book can be consuming. It took me the better part of a year to write my first book. Endless nights after school, sports, and chores, banging away under a lamp on my fancy word processer. And you know what, it was all worth it when I stepped onstage in front of the entire student body and got a little medal pinned on my shirt. I still have that medal and look to it when I run into snags, delays, and walls.
If your child comes up to you and says they want to write books, start a conversation. Not only will you learn a little more about the person they are becoming, you will strengthen that familial bond we all need. Listen to their ramblings of ideas and possibilities. We’ve all seen enough television and movies to know how stories work. Toss ideas around and see which ones stick. Chances are, your child already has favorites.
That’s it. Simple as that. Sometimes life gets so hectic and convoluted we lose focus on the little things that truly matter. I wish my children would have come to me with the same ideas I presented to my parents back in the lonely days before the internet.
My parents instilled in me the drive and purpose sustaining me today, especially in my writing. There were never any words of discouragement, even at a time when only a small percentage of ‘authors’ were published by the Big 5. Breaking into the business is a whole different story, one we’re not going to get into here.
No, friends. This is all about our children and how we can support their dreams in the best way possible.
Is Liv going to go on and write books when she’s grown up? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean the spark isn’t inside just waiting to be set free. Time will tell and I, for one, am pretty excited to see what happens next.
Happy writing, Holly Springs.
