March 19, 2013

Writing About: A New Baby



A baby is always a miracle! If it is in the cards for one of your characters to get pregnant and have a baby, you can have a lot of fun with it! Pregnant women are interesting and entertaining in real life and should also be in literature.

In your writing, don’t forget to describe your pregnant character’s looks: her growing belly, her glowing skin, and her smiling eyes. Tell your readers about her pregnancy too: her wacky cravings, her aching feet, her morning sickness, and how she deals with it all while forging ahead on her mission whether it’s becoming the top lawyer at her firm, finding true love, or saving the world from extinction.

Then when it’s time for her to give birth, don’t skimp on the details! Share with your readers every contraction and every moment until the baby is born. 
                   See Blog: Writing About: Childbirth
After the baby is born, don’t forget to include the little boy or girl in your writing. After all, a baby is still a character. Never underestimate the power of a baby! Anyone who has ever held a newborn knows exactly what power I am talking about. They captivate everyone’s attention in a room. And a baby in a book should captivate all the characters in your book too.

A baby can really add something special to your story so include the small addition into your writing whenever possible. It would be a real disservice to your character if you knocked her up (metaphorically speaking, of course) and described the labor only to push her baby to the sidelines. Or should I say the footnotes?

Finally, babies have personalities just like the rest of us. Give the baby in your book a personality that’ll make readers gush, laugh, or cringe (if you are writing a horror novel). Does the baby coo sweetly? Does the baby make funny faces? Does the baby have supernatural powers? If the baby is cranky, describe his/her tiny fists and loud wails. If the baby is happy, describe his/her gummy smile. Whatever mood an adult can have, a baby can have too so write it!

Let them have all of their baby glory!



QUESTION: Is there a baby in your story? Tell me about him/her! Is one of your characters expecting? Tell me about her pregnancy!


4 comments:

  1. I've never written a pregnant character. Hmm. I have read plenty of books that show pregnant characters though.

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    1. It's a lot of fun to write pregnant characters. I had the opportunity and it was a delight! :D

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  2. Have you ever wrote a story about adoption

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    1. I kind of had. Not like an official adoption. But this guy found a little girl wandering the streets and adopted her. Does that count?

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