On Fathers and James Scott Bell's 10 Writing Commandments

I don't really know how to start a post about my dad. I won't get too personal/mushy, don't worry, and I'll try and keep things writing related, but what can you really say about the people to whom you owe your upbringing, character, values, habits, outlook, quirks, neurosis, not to mention your existence?

But dads. We are who we are because of our parents, impacting not only the fact that we are writers, but the way we write as well. Our whole perspective and outlook and style is shaped by our parents. It's kind of nice to take a step back and look at how our writing and writing careers are influenced by the parentals. Today, our dads.

I'm going to brag about my dad for a second, if that's okay. You know that little old geneology site called Ancestry.com? Yeah, he started that. Now he's with an equally awesome company, also geneology, called FamilyLink. He's got amazing ideas for increasing ease and efficiency popping in to his head all the time, is always on the technological cutting edge (the number of computers at my parents house is amazing, and I think he was one of the first few hundred people in Utah Valley to join LinkedIn), and has awesome ideas about marketing and networking. I get my fascination for that kind of thing from him. Getting the actual ink-on-the-page writing done is really a one-woman job, but for everything else needed to make a successful career as a writer, especially in today's publishing industry, I've had an incredible example and teacher.

Not to mention he's just a really, really great dad.

So what about you? How has your father influenced who you are as a writer?

Before I sign off, I want to tell you to be SURE to check out James Scott Bell's post giving his 10 Commandments for Writers. It's the sort of thing you'll want to put on a plaque in whichever room you do your writing.

Have a happy Father's Day and a pleasant Sabbath, and keep writing!

Sarah Allen