Time to say Hello!

[morganlbusse]

I figured since I've been lurking around these forums for the past few weeks that I should probably introduce myself

I've been a follower of Jesus Christ for seventeen years now (and am most thankful he saved me). Along with that, I am married to a wonderful man who is a pastor of a small country church in Oregon. Most of my days are spent chasing 4 rapscallions... er... kids who I love dearly (just gotta remind myself sometimes how much I love them when they set my living room on fire or try to microwave the cat!). They are six, four, and 2 (the youngest are a set of boy/girl twins that really keep me on my toes).

When I have free time (haha, what's that?) I write. I never would have pegged myself as a writer, but found myself dissatisfied with the selection of christian fiction and got tired of running into either inappropriate romances or swearing in the secular fantasy/sci fi. It was my husband who finally convinced me to write and have been doing it ever since.

I have been writing for 4 years now. And in those four years I have learned that one cannot just pick up the pen and write; that it takes time, practice, and hitting one's head on the keyboard (although that method has yet to produce anything worthwhile ;P).

Currently my writing is only a hobby. My family comes first and sometimes that has meant taking time off from writing or only getting a page done a week. But I keep at it and continue to learn the art of writing.

So there ya go! Glad to meet all of you I'm so glad I've found others who love God and speculative/sc-fi/fantasy as much as my husband and I do

Morwena

[CastleLyons]

Welcome, morwena!

Oregon, huh? Beautiful country there. What town are you in?

[morganlbusse]

I'm located in the beautiful coastal town of Bandon. We live in a parsonage with a backyard that backs up into a beautiful forest. When I need inspiration for my writing, all I have to do is look out any of our windows and watch the mist swirling up through the trees or the sun peeking through the thick branches. Sometimes my husband and I joke about Sasquatch being our neighbor

[torainfor]

Welcome. I'm originally from Portland, and my husband has aunts in Coos Bay. (And now I'm imagining they're kept in a dome in the middle of the Bay by an evil arch villain.)

[Teskas]

Welcome, morwena. Strength to your pen.

[scintor]

Welcome to the pandimonium. The people here are really helpfull and creative with any requests. I'm the resident science nut who is always happy to answer a question or venture an opinion.

question: Why wouldn't you have expected to be a writer?


Scincerely,

[e-mail]

[morganlbusse]

Good question Scintor

I guess its because I'm not one of those who at 5 years of age said "I want to be a writer!" (I read that a lot in other author's bios). I'm a science lover and thought I would have a career somewhere in that field until God showed me he had other plans for my life.

It was my husband that encouraged me to start writing and ever since then, I've fallen in love. I hope in a couple years to turn my hobby into a career, but until then, I'm mommy first. I only have these couple of years with my kids before they're off in school and I want to make the most of this time. And if I find time to write, well, that's just icing on the cake

I'm also using this time wisely to learn everything I can about writing. I'm discovering that like anything else in life you want to do well at, you've got to practice a lot: you want to be a concert pianist, you need to play all the time; you want to be a quarterback for NFL, you need to practice all the time.

Granted, my time is strapped right now, but I try and take advantage of the time I have by reading books on writing, creating scenes in my head while doing the dishes, working through "plot knots" while folding the laundry. I've even been known to have my laptop open on the counter so when I start to have a conversation between characters flow through my head I can quick type it down.

Its slow going this way, but anyone can write (almost), but I'm the only one who can be a wife to my husband and mommy to my kids. And when I remember that, it keeps my priorities in line

[Jeff Gerke]

Welcome, morwena!

Jeff

[rwley]

Welcome morwena; I understand what you're going through. A lot of my early writing was done between diapers, tantrums, meals, loads of laundry, little league games, church activities and jobs. I didn't start really putting all the energy into writing until the boys were in High School and didn't get anything at all finished and published until just last year; long after the boys left home. Don't ever stop writing, even if it is only a page or two a week or a month. Cherish the time with your kids. It's absolutely irreplaceable.

Glad you're here.

Robi

[scintor]

I asked why you didn't think you would be a writer because it struck a chord with me. I never thought I could ever be a writer and the idea that my friends were so impressed with my stories that they would encourage me to become a writer has been one of the biggest surprises of my life.

I'm also a disabled house husband with two children with Asperger's syndrome myself. Between the housework and taking care of them, I write when I can.

Scincerely,

[e-mail]

[Christian Soldier]

Ah! Asperger's syndrome. Mix in a little ADD and that describes me perfectly(Can you tell?).

Back to the subject. A very delayed greetings to you, Morwena, with the hope that you would find all that you are looking for here, and some things you weren't. I know I did.

[morganlbusse]

Thanks everyone for saying hi!

Right now, my hubby and two of my kids are gone, so I have the night to myself (and have my computer out trying to write)

I've been working on this chapter for a couple days and it seems the words are slow in coming. I hate chapters like this because they are painful (I've decided writing is like giving birth... sorry men... but you sweat, you hurt, and it takes a looong time, but the only problem is when the words finally arrive, they weren't quite what you were expecting, unlike the beautiful children you get the other way. So you delete and start over- which you don't do with your babies )

Anyway, while I labor over this chapter (yes, pun intended , I thought I'd quick swing by and read up on some of the topics here. Hope your fingers are flying faster than mine!