Eve

We have thousands of tiny structures inside our bodies functioning like "Curves" or "Gold's Gym." These little energy powerhouses, called mitochondria, contain their own DNA. This mitochondrial DNA is different from the rest of our DNA genome, called nuclear DNA.

Scientists have learned that only women pass on her own mitochondrial DNA to her children. (Sorry dads, but your mitochondrial DNA stays put) So my grandmother's mitochondrial DNA is part of my daughter's mitochondrial DNA.

Our Ancient Mother

Even more fascinating is that scientists have used this information to trace the passage of mitochondrial DNA from mother to daughter back over 140,000 years to a single woman considered to be the maternal-line ancestor. Scientists call her "Mitochondrial Eve." I like to call her our ancient mother.

(Before I continue, however, I should state that it's probable that there were other women alive at the same time as Mitochondrial Eve, but they were either childless or had only sons who didn't pass on the mitochondrial DNA)

The Writer-Mama's Mitochondrial Eve

When I became a writer-mama 20 months ago, I began to think of my own mother's story and her mother's story and so on. Every day is a learning experience for me as a mother, and I'm quite certain I have reinvented the wheel hundreds of times. If only the female passing of mitochondrial DNA could tell me what my mothers have learned from trial and error when it comes to parenting.

But learning the dance steps as a new mom is what gives my story a purpose. Our mothers from generations and generations past all had unique stories. How often do we think of them when we write?

The lessons I received from my mom during my childhood are reflected in my writing, but I wonder what parts also reflect her mother and all the women before in our ancestral line.

Tracing back to Mitochondrial Eve, I wonder what her story could have taught me. In her day, what did she learn as a new mother? As a storyteller, did she pass on the skills we use as writers today? How did her highly-sharpened animal instincts influence her story-telling?

Instinctual Writing

A key to successful writing is understanding the nature of humans and our surroundings so well that we can touch the core truth of life in words. Unlike Mitochondrial Eve, the majority of my days and nights are spent inside walls. My animal survival instincts that I inherited from my ancestral mother have dwindled into cobwebs and dust bunnies in the dark corners of my mind.

As hard as I try to touch on the essence of human nature and nature itself in my writing, I wonder if every mother going back over all the generations did it better with their story-telling. I like to imagine Mitochondrial Eve utilizing metaphors and similies in ways we can't even begin to create, because she could not only hear Earth's heart beat, but she could feel it, smell it, taste it, and see it too.

How do your instincts weave their way into your writing?