The Motherhood Collection
Keeping Mum; The Mother Lode; Mum's The Word; Mother's Ruin; Mother's Little Helper; The Mother Wound
It occurs to me that several of my stories are on this theme. It never seems to be the "nice" side of motherhood, either. You know. The home-cooked dinners and freshly washed children with rosy cheeks. Picnics in the garden, walks in the park, feeding the ducks. Feats of superhuman strength or courage to save her little ones.
Nope, it's the yucky underbelly. The risk, pain, and toil to bring new life. Infertility, unwanted pregnancy, surrogacy. Grief. Hyperemesis gravidarium. The bone-cracking pain of a complex birth. The toxic mother, or the narcissistic one. Munchausen by Proxy. The pushy and ambitious woman who counts her daughter's wins as her own. The beauty pageant Queen Mother. The sleepless nights, sexless relationships. The losing yourself.
Content Warning
For this reason, I recommend proceeding with caution if any of these are tricky or sensitive topics for you.
Mums are Great
Please don't assume that I don't like mothers! On the contrary, some of the best people I know are mothers. The same is probably true for you.
The truth is, it's just more fun writing dark and twisted stuff.
It's Not Just Me, I Swear
"When Mothers Go Bad" is a pretty popular trope in movies and on TV. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Rosemary's Baby. Coraline. Carrie. It's a theme that fascinates many of us on some level, and is it any wonder? Every one of us is born from a mother. She is our first relationship, and our standard of measure for the ones that follow. (Ladies, no pressure.)
Apparently, My Best Stuff is About Mums
I've pulled these together in one place because I genuinely think some of my best stuff has been written on this theme. Not bragging or anything, (okay, maybe a bit) but I have two challenge wins on this platform, and they both have a place in this collection. How did I only just notice this? 🧐
Friends! Citizens! Lend Me Your Eyes!
If you've been following me for a while, you've probably seen a few of these before, but if there are any that are new to your eyes, I'd be absolutely thrilled if you have a quick shufti.
My Impeccable Sense of Timing
Thanks to my impeccable sense of timing, I did not post this on Mother's Day.
Here they are, oldest to newest.
* * * * *
A Mother Speaks (Blood, Honey, Salt - Part 3)
There are lots of mothers in this one. There's also a reference to D-MER (if you don't know what that is, it stands for Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex, and it sounds like the worst).
It should stand on its own, or you can read the whole series if you really want (I wouldn't, I feel it needs a complete re-write).
*
Found
Another one that is part of a series, but can (should) stand okay on its own. It's bloody long, though, so grab a cuppa.
*
Run, Run, As Fast As You Can...
I am proud of this one. I may never write something to top it.
*
Miracle Soup
A short and sweet wanky poem.
*
Meat, Walking
Here be dragons!
*
An Angel is Born/Dies
If you can't tell, this is the backstory for the mad doctor from "A Mother Speaks".
*
A Motherless Child
One of the first I wrote for my story a day project last year 😁
*
Stretching Poor
I wanted this to be visceral. I hope I managed it.
*
Amelia's Secret
What would you do for your kid? What are the limits?
*
A Treefecta of Tales
A trilogy in six parts. Loads of mother Stuff going on here!
*
One For My Blog
Mommy bloggers, amirite?
*
Beauty and the Beast
Not the worst kind of mother, but she's up there.
*
The Price
Oh, and this one.
*
A Siren's Call
This was an entry for the Unreliable challenge last year.
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My Baby
A tricky one.
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Room of Unforgiveness
I like this lady. She's a good egg.
*
The Unwanted
The title and the content warning are both fully warranted on this one, I think.
*
Spoilt
I was pleased with this one. If you haven't read it, I'd love for you to give it a look.
*
A Mother's Hope
A nice one, for a change.
*
A Dish Best Served Salted
I dunno if it's "nice", but... well, see for yourself.
*
Boy Eyes
Look me in the eyes and tell me you can't relate.
*
The Bond
This one was my first one back after a break, so I'm a bit rusty.
*
Update!
Of course I have some more for this collection!
This one was a lot of fun to write, and it still makes me smile:
+
If you've ever struggled with your kids' sleep, this one is for you:
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This one is depressing:
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This one could follow on from Woom. If you wanted it to.
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And then this one can follow on again, if you like:
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This one is warm and fuzzy, for a change:
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Thank you for reading!
About the Creator
L.C. Schäfer
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I'm not a writer! I've just had too much coffee!
Sometimes writes under S.E.Holz
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📢 Raise Your Voice Thread: 01/08/2026
Our “Raise Your Voice Threads” are hosted most alternating Thursdays at 12PM ET to offer creators more avenues to uncover exceptional stories on Vocal. As we are continuously searching for fresh creators and inspiring stories, this thread provides an opportunity to exchange and discuss the stories that have moved and motivated us on Vocal.
By Raise Your Voice by Vocal6 days ago in Resources
Comments (8)
I haven't read any of these. I'll have to do some reading.
Well, I'm gonna be catching up on some L.C!
Some I rember, some I don't but knowing your writing they are all chillingly good.
I remember when you wrote Meat Walking, I read it here, and when they opened up voting on them, it was the only one I recognized, lol. It's one of my favorite ones that you wrote <3
So many good stories. You’ve worked bloody hard.
Oh wow, out of these 22 stories, I've already read 19 of them. I'll swing by to read the remaining 3 when I have the time
nice collection-I'll have to go back read some again
What an impressive collection, LC! I remember and read many of these stories but will have to go back to some I didn't once my crazy semester of teaching 5 classes is over.