What caregiving is teaching me about writing fiction could fill a book. If someone had tried to tell me, when I was a kid emptying my dad’s urinal and operating his Hoyer Lift, that caregiving and writing have a lot in common, I wouldn’t have believed it. Nor would I have believed it as a young mom caring for our medically-fragile baby. But as my mother’s health continues to decline and deadlines for my mystery series are looming, I can’t ignore the similarities between the two.

Writing may or may not be part of God’s plan for your future. However, I know he has something in store for your future, and he’s using your life as a caregiver to prepare you for it. Maybe he’ll also use these four lessons caregiving is teaching me about writing fiction to prepare you for whatever lies ahead in your life.

#1: Planning Is Important

As caregivers, we devote portions of our days to planning. We schedule appointments, check to see that the car is gassed up, and investigate special needs trusts long before our kids turn 18. Had this skill been put to use when I began working on my first mystery novel, maybe it wouldn’t have taken me 10 years to finish it. Thanks to my daughter, who showed me a method she created for plot planning, the second mystery was done in a year.

#2: Surprises Happen Despite our Plans

Caregivers can plan and plan and plan, and things will still surprise us, right?

To read the rest of What Caregiving Is Teaching Me about Writing Fiction, visit the Key Ministry website.

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