Martine of Dainty Mom is one of my favorite bloggers. She’s creative, motivating and her blog is a positive influence for WAHMs everywhere! It’s wonderful to have her write a guest post on her own wifely steps. Read on and be inspired by her story about one of the things she knows best: writing.
“Write what you know.”
I’ve heard this said many times. First time that I can probably recall this as advice was in my primary school creative writing class. We had to write an essay or two every week, and they had to be about what we were currently passionate about, thinking about, busy about. At that point, I knew I could easily write down what I knew. I wrote poems, songs, stories, and even joined writing contests within our class. In high school, essays were more common than Math or Science assignments, thanks to my homeschooling path that gave me the freedom to tailor my education towards writing.
Around 7 years into the writing profession (I had been working in a publishing company, then began teaching writing in a tutorial school), I realized it been a long time since I wrote for myself. In fact, it had been a long time since I had written just for my pleasure, to fuel my passion. Sure, I had odd jobs contributing articles to some obscure publications. Sure, I lent whatever skills I had to assist in that small publishing house. Sure, I’d dabble here and there at poetry, lyric writing, and even scriptwriting. Nothing lent itself well to me though, nothing except when I wrote from the heart, from my gut.
So what do I know?
I’ve always known I wanted to get married. I believe I knew what I wanted on my wedding day after watching Father of the Bride: a wedding in a church and a reception at home. And yes, I did just that. On April 12, 2008, I became the wife to my one true love. Today, we’ve started a family, with the addition of our son in late 2009, just three weeks shy of my 31st birthday. Now, the three of us live in a comfy three-bedroom apartment in a quaint little neighborhood in the vast city. The husband and I both work from home – something we’ve always wanted to do since we got married – so that we could be more intentional in our parenting of our child.
I know I’ve always wanted to be a mom. I’ve always liked kids, and I suppose it showed through the years, especially in my involvements with the children’s ministry in the Catholic community I used to serve in. I also taught in a tutorial school for seven years, a job that allowed me to mentor and be a big sister to around 40 kids. I was also active (and still am) in the homeschooling circuit, knowing that one day I will also educate my child at home, at least until he wants me to. But being a mom opened my eyes to a new way of appreciating children. I’ve hardly scratched the surface in terms of being a mom.
I know I am a writer. My grandmother said that writing was in my blood, especially since we’ve got some national writers in our lineage. I’ve always believed, though, that anyone can write: I used to tell this to my students when they’d write research papers, essays and poems. But while I believe that writing can be taught, it takes a different type of person to write about what she knows. I know how to write; I write for a living; but I’d say that I have so much yet to learn about writing what I know.
Today, I know one thing for sure: That I’m content, happy, and fortunate. I believe I am living the married, motherly life I always wanted, so yes, you could say that I am living the dream – my dream, that is. Of course, there are things to improve, a house to eventually own, a car to eventually pay off fully, and a family business to finally to see to fruition. But for now, I can say I am content, happy, and fortunate.
As a writer – both for others and for myself – I’m writing about what I know, what I’ve observed, and what I have yet to discover. At work, I can pour my creative juices into copywriting projects, blogs, even small businesses, and this thrills me. With my blog, I’m going back to the basics of real journaling, determined to mull over my life and commit all the golden moments to memory.
With all that’s to be taken in, I doubt I will ever have time when I won’t know what to write. If I do, please, just send coffee.
Martine de Luna is housewife, mom, and the owner of Dainty Mom, a tips and inspiration blog for work-at-home moms and winner for Best Home & Parenting Blog at the 2011 Philippine Blog Awards. Born in Manila, but raised in Hong Kong and Singapore, Martine fell in love with writing in her years in the British school system. She has been writing ever since, apprenticing on editorial teams as a teenager, teaching English as a single professional, and now working at home as a freelancer and consultant. She lives in Quezon City with her hubby, Ton, and son, Vito Sebastian.
