Interview with Karen Thurm Safran, author Parenting—Let’s Make a Game of It

 

 

Chapter Break Book Blog with Karen Thurm Safran, author of the new parenting book, Parenting—Let’s Make a Game of It

 

 

At what point did you decide to be an author and what was your path to publication?

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be an author. I even chose a pen name! Proudly, at age seven, I promised my parents that I would dedicate my first book to them. Well, fast forward through the years, I changed my path and went into the marketing profession. Soon I forgot about this childhood dream. Sure, I liked writing, but it no longer was an ambition. Or so I thought.

After fifteen rewarding years of helping to grow an educational program, I decided to leave the company and take time off. I went to New Zealand. I visited my grown kids. I hiked with friends. I wasn’t really sure what to do next, but life sure works in mysterious ways. One day over lunch with a new friend, who happened to be an author, the writing ambition started percolating in my brain. “I want to write a book,” I eagerly announced. “A parenting book showing the playful parenting style that my parents used with me, and I used to raise my kids.” Of course, my friend loved the idea and suggested sharing this through whimsical anecdotal stories which busy parents could quickly read. In my usual style, I raced home and started writing, pumping out one story after the next. “Keep going!” my boyfriend exclaimed. And so I did. “We love it!” my kids said with delight. So I kept going.

A few months later, I was in Boston visiting my best friend from elementary school. Before I excitedly shared the news, I asked if she remembered my childhood dream. Silence. Then after a few moments, she looked up with a smile and announced, “An author!”

Now, eighteen months later, I’m beaming with pride at not only dedicating this book in my parents’ memory but also writing it to honor their playful parenting style. I figure if it helped me as a stressed-out, single parent, it can help anyone!

 

Describe your writing process and how it progressed.

I tend to trail blaze my own path, and that’s definitely what happened with my writing process. I always loved creative writing, so I thought I could simply sit down, type away, and whip out a book.

After several months of pumping out stories, I enthusiastically assembled a group of friends and former colleagues to start reviewing the stories. Tada! I thought the writing part was finished, so I only had to finalize the title, and create a cover. Soon I could self-publish my book. Hah!

Luckily, I first shared my manuscript with a close friend who happened to also be an editor. “Um, Karen,” she said, “I really like your stories, but have you considered taking a writing course?” A writing course? I never considered this route. So, hungry for knowledge and on a quest to learn, I took an online course and attacked each story, applying what I learned. Now my stories had compelling introductions and developed stronger characters.

A month later when I finished, I reached out to others on my assembled review team. Then I heard from another friend. “Um, Karen. I love this story, but you might want to study how your favorite author uses dialogue.” Dialogue? So, that day I promptly took a course and revised each story. Well, when I presented the new and improved stories, the scenario continued. With each friends’ suggestions, I rewrote each story based on some new realization about effective writing. When I thought a story was “done,” it ended up being “done-done-done-done.” Soon I had a running joke that “done” was never really “done.” If I had to guess, I’d say that after ten solid months of re-writing, by the time I was really finished, the final version was more like done-done-done-done-done-done-done-done-done-done.

 

 

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? Do you have any odd writing habits?

Oh yes! I experienced writer’s block, but I refused to let that stop me. I treated writing like an airplane taking off on a flight. A plane doesn’t suddenly ascend in the air. It has to gradually move toward the runway and then accelerate before liftoff. Well, that’s how I treated writing. Even if I was stuck or not in the mood, I sat at my computer and started typing. I gave myself permission to write poorly, start in the middle, or do whatever, just as long as I wrote. Once I came up with this realization and rhythm, I had more reasonable expectations and the writing process became easier. With this approach, I learned that I needed at least a three-hour focused period for my “plane to take off” and fly smoothly. In fact, this system worked so well that I had to make myself take bathroom breaks! The more I wrote, the more I discovered, like these tricks:

1) Immerse in the voice

When I was stuck and needed inspiration, I re-read parts of a book from a favorite author: Sophie Kinsella. I love her voice! So, her books became my textbooks for emulating her style. Since I highlight with my Kindle, I can easily jump to these sections. I’m not sure if this is typical, but I highly recommend it! If nothing else, I kept myself entertained while getting into the writing mood.

2) Listen, does it flow?

I may work alone, but it’s never quiet. Nope, I don’t listen to music, and I like it to be dead silent. One course gave the BEST tip! Listen to your book. My gosh, what a difference! While something looked great on “paper,” I cringed when I heard it read aloud. Every story had to be impactful. Each sentence had to flow. So, I spent hours listening as my computer read me the text. It’s a good thing that no one was in the room… they would have strangled me! Sometimes I listened to the same sentence over and over, tweaking it until it sounded just right.

 

 

Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?

• Write about something you love. You want your passion to grab the reader and carry them along.
• If you’re a newbie author, take writing courses before you finish. LOL, my approach was definitely backward.
• Be kind to yourself and set realistic expectations. Sometimes you won’t be in a writing mood, regardless of your tricks. And that’s okay.
• Find people in your target market who are willing to read early versions and provide feedback. Make it very clear that you want honest feedback. Then listen, welcome it, and apply what you learn.
• I used Google docs and had a spreadsheet to keep track of who was reading which stories. I love Google docs because anyone can easily access them. You can also restore older versions when necessary.
• When you think you’re done, go back and see how you can improve it. Actively look for stumbling blocks. Remember, you’re not truly done until you’re done-done-done-done-done-done-done-done-done-done.
• Hire an editor, but don’t depend on that person to finalize your work. I used two editors and then spent several more months editing until I was pleased with each story.
• If your dream is to write a book, don’t give up. Go for it! It’s incredibly satisfying and surreal seeing your book on Amazon.

 

 

Describe the book in 15 words or less for people who are just learning about it.

Learn Playful Ways to Stop Struggling with Your Child and Start Having More Fun

 

 

What would like people to take away from your book?

I hope my book will spark playfulness, so parenting will be less stressful. Life goes by way too quickly. Wouldn’t it be nice to stop struggling with your child and have more fun? Well, you can. Parenting—Let’s Make a Game of It illustrates this through light-hearted, easy-to-read stories that entertain as well as inspire.

Parenting can be exhausting and overwhelming. Your kids are whining, not listening, uncooperative—even melting down. We’ve all been there! Instead of nagging, yelling, and getting into power struggles, this book uses games to overcome everyday challenges. You’ll have more fun as a parent. You’ll empower your kids. And your family will spend more time connecting. Since people are busy, each story stands alone, so you can read them sequentially or by a particular parenting challenge.

Like many parents, the mom in this book faces typical frustrations during her children’s toddler through elementary school years. When she changes her approach, things quickly improve. Tension turns to quality time. And life becomes more playful.

Let’s turn chaotic moments into cherished memories.

 

Is there anything you want to add?

In celebration of my book launching, I’m offering a special price for April 2019. You can visit my site for more info.

 

Title: Parenting—Let’s Make a Game of It

Author: Karen Thurm Safran

 

Blurb: Being a parent is incredibly rewarding, but it’s also stressful. And a lot of hard work! There are ongoing struggles and never-ending issues. Wouldn’t you like to make parenting more fun?

Through light-hearted stories, learn playful ways to stop struggling with your child and start having more fun. Parenting can be exhausting and overwhelming. Your kids are whining, not listening, uncooperative—even melting down. We’ve all been there! Instead of nagging, yelling, and getting into power struggles, this book uses games to overcome everyday challenges. You’ll have more fun as a parent. You’ll empower your kids. And your family will spend more time connecting.

Like many parents, the mom in these stories faces typical frustrations during her children’s toddler through elementary school years. When she changes her approach, things quickly improve. Tension turns to quality time. And life becomes more playful.

You’ll Discover Ways to:

• Interact with your children so they willingly listen and cooperate.
• Stop your kids from misbehaving and throwing tantrums.
• Reduce the struggles of parenting the strong-willed child.
• Teach overwhelmed and upset children coping skills and calming techniques.
• Learn creative ideas for conflict resolution.
• Experience less parenting stress and more joy with your kids.

Get Ready to See Things Differently

Whether you’re a parent or grandparent, Parenting—Let’s Make a Game of It will spark your playfulness and turn chaotic moments into cherished memories.

What are you waiting for? Parenting, let’s make a game of it!

 

 

About the Author

Karen Thurm Safran works as a marketing executive in K-12 education technology, making learning fun for kids. She has a BA degree in psychology from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from Santa Clara University. Even though she works in an exciting industry, being a mom is by far her favorite job. As a parent, she gets to apply her problem-solving, organizational, and leadership skills to empower those she loves most–her two children.

When Karen’s children were young, she found that parenting became more enjoyable, rewarding, and empowering when she used a positive and playful style, innovatively creating games to deal with everyday challenges. She wrote Parenting–Let’s Make a Game of It in memory of her parents, and to spark playful parenting, encourage out-of-the-box thinking, and ease frustrating moments.

 

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