Samantha Lierens on Creative Writing and Care

In this second post in a new series on creative writing and care we talk to novelist Samantha Lierens, who writes as Lizzie Page.

Samantha writes historical fiction focusing on women’s lives. Her latest book A Child Far From Home has been hailed by reviewers as ‘Heartbreaking… Dazzling… Best read with a great big box of tissues’ and ‘Heartwarming… Had me from the first page to the last.’ I met Samantha on a creative writing MA in the very early 2000s when the publishing world was still trying to find the next Bridget Jones’s Diary, and I was struck by her wit and wisdom about the challenges facing women writers. So I’m thrilled that she’s agreed to be interviewed for Speak Up!

If you’d like to be interviewed as part of this series on creative writing and care, please email me at info@katepotts.net.

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Creative Writing and Care

What are your caring responsibilities?

I’m the mother of three children – I don’t quite know how that happened. 😊
I wouldn’t associate myself with the word ‘maternal’ or the word ‘caring’.

The kids are teenagers and the oldest has left home. I have far less hands-on caring responsibilities than I used to have (although I’m mindful that this can change in the blink of an eye). One of the big reasons I wanted to do this piece is to let those of you with young children know that it usually does get easier – hang on in there.

What kind of writing do you do?

I’ve been writing historical fiction since 2018, under the pen-name Lizzie Page. My first book was The War Nurses. I like writing about women in the twentieth century. Some of my books are inspired by true stories.

I recently completed a five book series – The Shilling Grange Series – about life in a post-war children’s home. I’m currently working on a series about evacuee children separated from their mothers and how that worked out long term.

What difference did becoming a parent make to your writing and creativity?

My books tend to be about carers, often reluctant carers – like Clara Newton in the shilling grange series, or host-mothers during the evacuation.

The responsibility of looking after children is often at the heart of my books as mothers or carers have to balance their needs and children’s needs. This pull in different directions has been a big theme in my writing and probably reflects the same pull in my life.

I have written books and only much later – maybe after the second draft or so – realised that I was unknotting some parenting dilemma in it.

In terms of process: when the children were young, I understood time was a luxury and I had to snatch it. Twenty-minute sprints, even ten minutes, would have to do.

Being a parent has affected writing style too. I think my style is quite… what’s the word… choppy? Abrupt? I do like a short paragraph. I don’t think it would ever have been really flowery, but having limited time, or rather short bursts of time rather than days, doesn’t help.

The responsibility of looking after children is often at the heart of my books as mothers or carers have to balance their needs and children’s needs. This pull in different directions has been a big theme in my writing and probably reflects the same pull in my life.

Does your creative and writing life impact on or influence your parenting?

Interesting one. I know I’m a worse person if I’m not writing when I want to be writing. Writing maintains my equilibrium. It absolutely helps me manage my day-to-day life.

To write my books, I’ve researched children’s lives in the first and second world war. It was tough! I wonder if it’s made me more impatient with the woes of kids in the 2020’s… I don’t think it has. I hope it might have made me more empathetic, and more determined not to sweat the small stuff.

Am I a better parent because of my writing? Doubtful. 😊

What would make juggling writing and parenting easier?

When the kids were young, husband was out the house from 6.30am to 7.30pm most days. My parents are dead and the in-laws are far away. It was hard, especially as it felt like one of them or us was always ill.

When he started working from home (covid) everything became much easier, it really did. After all these years, just having another grown up in the house was massive.

I can look at a mess and continue to sit in it without any sense of urgency. I know many women, particularly mothers, struggle with that. So, yeah, I would say it’s good to train your brain to prioritise yourself too. So what if writing feels self-indulgent? The self IS important.

Nevertheless, get a cleaner if possible.

So what if writing feels self-indulgent? The self IS important.

What one piece of advice would you like to give your younger self about writing?

I don’t think my young self would listen to my older self. She’d be like, ‘sod off, what do you know?’

Nevertheless, here’s lots of advice to ignore:

Relax, don’t be so hard on yourself. Write what you care about (not what you know). Write authentically but please give some thought to your reader too. You need to carry them with you. If you don’t feel like writing for a while, that’s ok too. If the urge is there, you’ll get back to it some day.

If you can finish your projects, great. If not, find out if that’s a project problem (there’s something wrong with the idea) or a you problem (you can’t stick at stuff!). Nothing wrong with experimenting though. Is this a novel, a short story, a screen play? Have a go at them all.

I’d tell her – write what you want to read.

I’d also tell her as a bonus: You are not going to be the next Simone du Beauvoir – for one, you’re far too uptight. Try to be yourself, but perhaps a more disciplined self. I.e., stop talking about it and get on with it.

I’d also tell her, older people make better writers – in your face, kid. 😉

Samantha Lierens lives on the Thames Estuary with her husband, kids and dog. She loves coffee out and being by the sea. She used to enjoy travelling and lived in Tokyo, Paris and London before coming back to where she grew up. Samantha has had lots of different jobs from waitressing, teaching English, and marketing to administration, usherette and bingo calling, but being a writer is her absolute favourite.

For more support with your writing life, find out about my teaching and mentoring and editing or get in touch.

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