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Home / Writer Spotlight: Natalie Bahm

Writer Spotlight: Natalie Bahm

Natalie Bahm crossed my path somewhere between the blogosphere and Twitterland. One of the things that impressed me about her is that in the midst of mothering young children, she crossed through a major hurdle toward authorship in having attracted the eye of an agent. Someone in the industry recognizes her gift and it’s only a matter of time before an editor/publisher discovers her. I thought she might turn me down for this guest post, busy as she is, but Natalie came through for me. In between doling out spoonfuls of food, wiping hands and changing diapers, she finds a way to balance her life of mothering and writing with just enough left over to share insight with others. Thanks, Natalie, for allowing us to glimpse one aspect of your journey and the wisdom you’ve collected along the way.

Natalie Bahm, writer of mid-grade silly
Discovering a Love for Middle-Grade Silliness 
by Natalie Bahm

I decided I wanted to write a novel the week after I had my third baby.

I was still on the I-just-birthed-a-child-and-I-can-do-anything high, so I didn’t realize this was a crazy idea. 
I had a great idea for a story.  It would be the kind of story that would change lives!  People who read it would want to make the world a better place! I figured if I was going to spend a bunch of time writing a book it had better be THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN, right?
So I set to work writing my masterpiece.
All was going GREAT until I had to write the first sentence.
An hour later I had a crying baby, a disastrous house (courtesy of my toddler and preschooler) and a blank page.
I’d tried to write something down.  I really did.  But nothing that came to my fingers was nearly as brilliant as the vision of my story I’d had in my mind.
I should have probably given up on the whole novel-writing thing then, but I think I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.  So I kept at it.  I wrote some short stories, started a couple truly awful adult novels and then I wrote and finished a really bad YA fantasy.
You would think that year would have been really discouraging, but it wasn’t.  I learned a lot of things about myself and about the way I write.
First, and most importantly, I learned that writing some huge life-changing book for adults was not my calling.  The stories I’d written for kids and young teens were the ones that I felt best about.  The voices felt authentic.
Then I got an idea for a middle grade novel. At first I dismissed it.  It was just a fun story, nothing like the deep grownup story I’d originally planned.  But then I thought about my own childhood and the stories that had meant something to me.  There were some deep, serious stories, like Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia, but I also loved every silly book ever written by Roald Dahl.  Those books meant something to me when I was a kid, and they mean something to me now.
That’s when I realized I didn’t need to write some brilliant, deep novel for my writing to be worthwhile.  That made all the difference.
I gave myself permission to write the fun middle grade adventure.  I’ve been writing, and enjoying, middle grade silliness ever since. 
I realize I probably won’t ever change the world with my writing, but I love what I write, and hopefully, someday some child will love it too.

(Read more about Natalie at her blog, Natalie Bahm.)

Q4U: Any questions for Natalie about what she’s shared about her writing journey today? What is your favorite children’s story?

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Comments

  1. PGW and Natalie,
    I througly enjoyed reading about Natalie.

    I’m interested in purchasing any books written by you, Natalie. Where can I find them?

    Roxane, thanks for introducing her!

    Reply

  3. Thank you Roxane! It’s been a pleasure getting to know you. Thanks for having me.

    Marie, I wish I had something to sell you! 🙂 Alas, none of my books are published yet. But hopefully I’ll have something to share with the world sometime soon.

    Thank you Laura! I’ve been rereading all of Roald Dahl’s books with my girls and I find them just as hilarious and brilliant now as I did when I was ten.

    Reply

  6. So fun getting to know you Natalie 🙂 I think when you said “I gave myself permission to write the fun…” well that really resonated with me. Its very enlightening to read about someone else’s journey to discovering the writing path they will forge.

    I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite children’s book- I love them all… they always carried me away and as long as a book can momentarily transport me, I will love it. Can’t wait to hear how the journey moves forward! Thanks Roxane, thanks Natalie!

    Reply

  7. Thanks Roxane for introducing us to Natalie! Thanks Natalie for taking the time. Your journey is an inspiration. I really appreciated how you wrote, it wasn’t so good, so you wrote some more. Very encouraging to us newbies! Thanks again and best wishes in your writing career.

    Reply