What Birth Order Has to Do With Writing

I'm fascinated by personality analysis and always enjoy looking into different theories about personality. What makes people think, act, and react they way they do? One interesting theory is the idea of 'Birth Order', made popular by authors like Kevin Leman in his book The Birth Order Book.

In a nutshell, the theory goes that 'First-borns', 'Middle-childs', and 'Babies' will likely display certain tendencies common to each group. First-borns like to take control. They get the job done but sometimes come across as 'bossy' and unyeilding. Middles, (according to the theory) are less confrontational, sometimes insecure, but are usually good mediators. Babies are spoiled (no surprise there...) and don't mind breaking the rules. Less forward than First-borns, they also get things done, (if it means getting their own way) but often in an unconventional manner.

Perhaps you've noticed some of these character traits in your own family. I know I have. I am surprised at how my own siblings and children fit the prescribed descriptions. I also recognize my own tendencies. I'm a 'baby' myself; the child of a baby, and married to a baby. My husband and I both recognize our tendency to want things our own way and it gets interesting sometimes, believe me. Like so many babies, we also tend to have what some people might consider a 'blase' attitude when it comes to caring what other people think.We just do what we want anyway, without a lot of fuss.

Lest you think all babies are terrible people, let me expand on that a bit and then tell you how this relates to writing. The negative side of this trait could be called 'passive defiance'. (I heard James Dobson describe this as 'standing up on the inside'.) Unlike the First-born, who will probably let the world know loud and clear that they don't like something and then fight for their rights, babies just stay relatively quiet but do it anyway. (Middles probably don't break the rule in the first place.) On the positive side, we babies know what we want and don't mind going about getting it - and with very little confrontation or ruffling of feathers.

In terms of my writing experiences, I see this attitude reflected in my own writing style. Some might call me 'edgy' as it applies to a Christian worldview, and I've come to recognize that they're probably correct. Guess what? I'm okay with it. I'm not one to get too upset about negative criticism because of my choice to write this way. I feel there is a place for writing like mine, so I will continue to go about my business and write 'edgy' Christian fiction. Basically, I'm writing how I want to write with a clear conscience and not everyone has to like it.


I'm sure if I took a survey I'd find there are First-borns also writing in this genre who are standing up and making some noise about the fact that this is an acceptable branch of Christian fiction. There are probably also some Middles out there who are trying to use the genre to bridge the gap between the typical CBA fare and mainstream fiction. Thanks to both groups for their valuable contribution to 'the cause'. As for me, I'm just going about my business, perhaps breaking someone's perceived idea of a rule here or there along the way ... just standing up on the inside.