Nobody is too small to teach you a life-changing lesson.
Nothing is too little to make change happen in your life.
In this article, I will expose five lessons my little eight-month-old daughter has taught me that may change your life as a writer and as a human.
A few months ago when she was born, she didn’t make any distinction between me the father, my brothers, friends, relations, and her mother — the only exception was her mother for the breast milk she gave her unfailingly. But if another woman came with breast milk, I am quite certain she would not make out the difference.
This was the age of innocence and blindness. She enjoyed the company of whoever gave her peace, strangers and family alike. What does this mean in the life of a writer?
When you set out on the journey of writing and building a following, a crowd of innocent readers converges on your courtyard to discover your content. It could be just one reader or a couple of readers who want to enjoy what you’re about to offer them.
They don’t know you. I mean they are not yet familiar with your style, your intentions, and your mission. Technically, I liken them to bags hanging on an aircraft about to take off. When the journey starts, most of them will be blown away by the wind; a few will hang on; and those that had taken their seats aboard will try to pull them…This is the stage of innocence and blindness. So how do you keep these blind followers when they get into the stage of experience?
The stage of experience.
Fast forward eight months. My daughter was able to recognize the mother, the father, and her grandmother. Why did she set these three people apart? That’s the question you might want to ask me.
Her mother is by her 24/7. Her father cares for her. Her grandmother cares about her.
There are no questions as to why she recognized her mum unmistakably, but why she chose me and her grandmother is what we should duel on.
Understanding the context of this distinction is crucial, given that ten people are living with me under the same roof. We all constitute a family, no intruders.
Now let’s get to the depth of the matter. Of all these people, only the mother, the father, and the grandmum stand by her when she needs them. The others, my cousins and siblings, do not bother to carry her, feed her, or play with her when she needs them. On the contrary, they occasionally pull her jaws for no good reason.
But when I carry her, for instance, I turn her around to ascertain that there is no point of discomfort somewhere; I play with her; when she enjoys being alone, I understand and let her be…
To demonstrate her gratitude, she welcomes me each time I am returning from work by crawling to my feet and cries when I leave the house in the morning. I don’t want to talk about her mother and grandmother because she spends most of her day with them. What does this imply in the life of a writer?
Once the veil of innocence is lifted from the eyes of your readers they would want to stick to someone or something that values them, that adds value to their lives. Remember you are writing for people to read, people with special needs.
If it weren’t so, you would rather keep a diary. Readers may not tell you directly, but what they want is what adds value to their lives. It could be the beauty of your ink, the charms of your mind, or simply the content — the niche.
Let’s go back to my daughter. My cousins who played with her for their gain lost her attention( pulling her jaws is unpleasant to her). Today, they can’t carry her, not even for all the tea in China. If you write primarily for yourself, you may not grow as fast as you would expect. This is not a call for disconnection from your writing. Writing has been and will remain the outcome of a connection between body and soul.
All the same, will she stick to just three people?
Not! She is expanding her empire gradually by building trust with strangers. And how does she go about it?
She tests the genuineness and steadfastness of every newcomer and determines if it’s worth it.
Two weeks ago my younger sister came over. She is still with me, though. At first, it was almost impossible for her to carry my baby, for the latter wouldn’t let it happen. They were like a cat and a dog in the wild. But my sister is caring and loving and has successfully won her heart. Today, my daughter keeps her aunt and her mother almost at the same level. This is exactly what happens to our readers. They read one great article from us, hang around for a while to see if we can deliver, and stay steadfast and genuine. Once this trust is established, they bookmark us. They start looking for us everywhere.
The age of roots digging
The last lesson I have learned is that despite all the distinctions, she will be connected by blood to all these people when she grows up. I don’t disagree with the fact she will still discriminate between who treats her well and who is unkind to her. What I mean is that she will always come back to her uncles and aunts notwithstanding their character, evil or good.
This shows that when we become a stronger writer, some readers will connect with us because they feel a sense of belonging where we are. It could be people who love our niche, our writing style, or our mindset.
Thank you for reading. Do share your thoughts with us to edify a growing community of like-minded people.
