Ruth Snyder has always enjoyed writing from when she wrote to relatives as a child living in Africa to her recent short story on parenting published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Mothers.
“It was really exciting to hold the book in my hand for the first time and say ‘Wow that’s my name there and I can do this. It’s not just some famous person down in the States that does this, it’s ordinary people,’” Snyder says.
This Glendon writer’s story, Parenting Through Good Times and Bad, is about an experience with one of her sons and doing just what the title suggests. She says parenting can get discouraging, and is not an easy job.
“It’s just nice to know sometimes that you’re normal, you have problems like everybody else does and you will make it through,” she laughs.
Snyder keeps a notebook where she jots down ideas, descriptions of places and people, and funny things any of her five children do.
She says her oldest daughter acts as both her editor and marketer and recalls her promoting her book at a recent craft sale.
“My mom has an article in that book, you have to buy it. It’s on page 99,” she laughingly mimics in a high-pitched voice.
The first time Snyder submitted a piece for publication was two years ago and won the contest. Since then she has been active on Twitter and was asked to blog for Alberta Education. She tries to submit two articles for contests a month and was recently published in the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship anthology.
Snyder says sometimes writing can become something people put off, thinking they will do it when they have more time, or when their kids are older. She makes time to write in the evenings after her children go to bed.
“If you want to do something badly enough, you’ll make a way for it to happen.”
And just like mom, her children are readers and writers. She says the first place her boys go is the bookshelf.
“It’s kind of neat to hand your passion on.”