Episode 50: Clint Edwards and #Expectations
NSFK. LET ME REPEAT. NSFK.
(NOT SUITABLE FOR KIDS!)
Buckle up, Buttercup, because this episode will take you all over the map when it comes to parenting and writing. Mel said it’s because we're "Grade A Bullshitters" and Clint said, "We gave the podcasting world a real gift with this one. You're welcome." We cover everything from children who narc on their parents, to dogs who pee like fountains, writing when you also have a full-time job, and... well, LIFE. Because sometimes you just have to sit back, look at things, and laugh...
IN THIS EPISODE
Today we're wrapping up our June Father's Day series with Clint Edwards about parenting, writing, and all the glorious mess in between (figurative, mostly, but also literal. Kids are freakin' messy).
Clint is the author of the popular blog, I Have No Idea What I'm Doing: A Daddy Blog, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things (Parenting, Marriage, Madness), and I'm Sorry...Love, Your Husband. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Scary Mommy, and like, a dozen other awesome things that you can totally check out by going to his website, www.byclintedwards.com.
Clint gives us the skinny on balancing a full time job and great writing while ALSO being a husband and father. It's a lot, you guys, but we all understand because that's what we're all about here at MomWrites/DadWrites/ParentWrites. It's hard to prioritize your writing when you've got everything else on your plate, and it often involves getting creative when you're finding time for your work. (Yes, sometimes this means getting up really early or devoting your lunch breaks to writing instead of food, or handing your children the iPad and letting PBS Kids raise them for an hour. We're sorry/notsorry about that.)
We also talk about realistic expectations when it comes to making a living as a writer - it's a hard road, and you may never get to the point where the only job you have is putting out amazing work, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. For many of us, it's part therapy/part creative outlet, and it does us no favors to ignore or pack away that part of ourselves. Plus, it teaches our kids that we're actual human beings with dreams and ambitions and not just walking/talking/scolding snack vending machines.
“It’s not really about money, it’s really about passion and interest in what you’re doing.”
