by Peter Leavell, @PeterLeavell

The man I sat near set his drink down and rubbed his head. “I want to start a family, but I’m too busy. A wife and kids will ruin my career.”

Other men agreed.

“I disagree.”

They looked at me. “What do you mean?”

I proceeded to give ten points explaining why a man or woman should be a writer with a family.

—Know what’s best for your family. Give them your time? Or your example? Many times, we muddle through mediocre play sessions for two hours when we should have spent one hour with awesome play and one hour reading and writing with them.

—Writing with a family tests your capabilities. What are you made of? Chores and writing? If you can manage family and writing, your skills enter an extreme category which sets you apart from normal people. You’re a superhero. My family is in awe that I write while they sleep. I don’t function well at mundane chores, but hey, I’ve written.

—Putting pen to paper will drive you to conferences, which means travel and contact with interesting people. Bring your family. As my mathematical minded son says, writers are amazing—you are never short on fascinating conversation. You never know what tidbits of wisdom they’ll pick up.

—Creativity tends to drive the writer’s family if you involve them. My daughter, in an attempt to express herself, picked up a brush and paint and shaped pictures without fear. Why? Her father expresses himself through his writing. We have a creative family because we create together.

—Hard work is frightening. But sitting for several hours in a chair, working, creates a culture of dedicated focus instead of phone surfing and television watching. The family with a writer in it works hard to make their dreams come true.

—Party together when something is finished! Writing is about delayed gratification, and finishing a project shows the family not to be afraid of putting in the time to tackle something hard.

—Rally behind every person’s dream. So you write? Cool. What if your daughter wants to dance? The two can go hand in hand. Listen to how-to-write books while driving to practice, then pull out your laptop when you get there and boom, you’re both working together on your dream. Together. It worked for me, and my kids ask me how the writing went after I asked them about practice. If everyone has a dream, everyone is busy, and you may find yourself with more time than you first realized.

—There’s pride working together for a common goal. And with every small victory, seeing the pleasure in your family’s eyes…unforgettable. My family was prouder that I finished a manuscript than when I signed my first contract.

—The focus and dedication force you to purge bad habits. You’ve no time for stomach aches, short-lived sugar rushes, mind fogs, and television binges. You and your family usually clean up their act, slowly, eating better, exercising, and enjoying short moments of time captured together.

—You’ll notice I use the words with them often. Writing is a together journey everyone can take. We use family reading time with soft music to allow me to snatch a half hour to write like a berserker.

The men I chatted with are now looking for wives.

Dino Hunters: Discovery in the Desert

Siblings Josh and Abby Hunter don’t believe their parents’ death was an accident. After taking pictures of the most incredible find of the 1920’s—proof humans and dinosaurs lived together in the same time and place—desperate outlaws armed with tommy guns are on their tail! Only Josh and Abby know where the proof is hidden—in the canyons of Arizona’s desert. When an intruder searches Josh and Abby’s bags inside their new home, the two convince their uncle Dr. David Hunter to return to the canyon and find the pictures they’d hidden. But the outlaws are just as eager to find the proof before Josh and Abby. Can Josh use his super-smart brain to outfox the villains in time? Will Abby’s incredible physical abilities stop full-grown men? And will their uncle believe them?
Dino Hunters is an apologetics-adventure series aimed at the middle reader to help them trust the Bible from the very first verse.