Guest post: Finding time to write, by Bryan Young

I was absolutely thrilled when on of my oldest friends & fantastic author, Bryan Young, agreed to do a guest post here. Seriously, if you haven't read his most recent novel, Operation Montauk, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Dinosaurs, Nazis, a space ship, time travel... oh, and a monkey! 

I returned the favor and did a guest post on his blog on interacting with readers, which you can find here. Bryan's post on finding time to write can be found below. 

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Janine and I have been friends for a long time, and so when she asked me to do a guest post for her writing blog, I said, "Sure!" With the exclamation point and everything. And she asked me to write about finding time to write. She and I share many things in common, but chief among them is our mutual love of Star Wars and our ability to write quality work while having two of the busiest lives in the galaxy. So it seemed like a natural fit for me to write about finding time to write. We should start with the most obvious statement in the world: If writing makes you happy, you should be writing. Period. And if your writing is good, there's no reason you shouldn't be publishing. But the biggest stumbling block for people always seems to be, "I don't have time to write." I'll let you in on a secret: Me neither. I make time. I wrote and published well over 250,000 words in 2012. In 2012, I also held a full time job. I had freelance work on top of that. On top of that, I have a family that demands attention. Dates, play dates with the kids, school functions, and on and on and on. I've got a gig hosting a pub quiz every week, and that needs to be written as well. I'm as busy or [...]

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Thrifty Fashion: Modest is Hottest (and stripes!)

I've not hidden the fact that I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, aka "Mormon"), but it's also not something I am "in your face" about. It's just a part of who I am - like curly hair, my family, sneezing in threes, and pretty much anything else that's integral to my life. And so it's natural that just like my personality, colors, patterns, and weather effect my clothing choices, so do my religious beliefs. I was raised LDS, and I remember my parents always teaching from a very young age to dress appropriately, modestly. When I turned 12 and graduated from "primary" to "Young Womens" I was given a small book "For the Strength of Youth" that further clarified the way we should dress, act, and treat others. As an adult I've tried to maintain these values and standards, though I am human, and do fail at times, especially in my treatment of others. I need to be better about that. When my husband and I were sealed to each in the temple other (a little while after we were married) we made new covenants to each other & with the lord - one of them being to dress modestly. So, unless I'm running (or participating in another physical activity, like swimming, etc), I don't wear anything sleeveless, low cut, short (I stick with knee length), etc. Essentially, like I was taught as a teen, I try to think "Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord's presence?" That's a pretty good guideline. I don't find this limiting at all, and I don't think my "fashion sense" has suffered for it either. Though I'm certain my parents disagree with me & my "fashion sense." ;) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You might be asking yourself (because I know I'm certainly asking myself), why the heck is this author/Marine/mother/wife writing a [...]

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