An important part of every writer’s journey is the transition from seeing ourselves as “someone who writes” to seeing ourselves as writers.  We asked all the Go Dog Go Baristas to tell us a little bit about their journey as a writer.  We hope you enjoy learning more about the Baristas and are inspired by their stories.

When you did you start writing?

I started flirting with writing when I started high school but was more interested in reading and playing around. My writing was of course very amateur and focused on schoolwork and assignments. I loved assignments about my reflection on assigned books or asking about my thoughts on social topics.

When I turned 19 I served an LDS mission to California, just north of LA. I was separated from my family and everyone I knew. It was a challenging experience. One way we stayed in contact was to send written letters and email. I found myself writing daily to family and friends about my adventures in the wild world that is California. One person that I was particularly fond of writing was the woman that would eventually become my wife. We wrote to each other weekly. My writing was terrible, her’s was spectacular. I loved running out to the mailbox each Friday and opening up the envelope with its neat handwriting. Our conversations were often about our daily life. We would ask endless questions of each other and read between each line for those things we couldn’t put down. We talked about jobs, hobbies, family, religion, school, and our hopes for the future.

After almost two years of our correspondence, I realized how much I loved writing, and loved writing her. The rest of that is another story, but I started writing down daily thoughts in my journal and notebook which soon became the home to many story ideas.

What kind of writing do you do?

I try to stretch my abilities as a writer and write just about anything and everything. My favorite currently is to write fantasy, suspense, and memories from my own life.

Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

Inspiration comes in many forms for me. Daily interactions with my children (I have two boys) and wife, music, and being out in nature. I work nights in a hospital and draw upon my interactions with other people going through extremely challenging times in their life. I find an endless amount of raw emotion and inspiration that come in those midnight hours and the stories come, unbidden.

What are you current writing rituals/practices? 

I try to write when and wherever I can. That’s why I always carry my phone or a notebook so that I can get the thoughts out and down and later into my blog or on google drive. You never know when thoughts are going to hit you.

When did you start thinking of yourself as a writer?

Probably when I fell in love with writing letters. It was a burning passion that I did almost daily as I wrote down thoughts and impressions and shared experiences of life with my family. I remember thinking, I really like doing this, I hope I can get somewhere will all of it.

What are your future writing goals?

I’ve been actively writing for 10 years and have numerous stories in the making, probably too many. I hope to be able to submit my first actual manuscript by the end of the year. I have a goal of being a published author who has written a successful fantasy series. I’d love to also be published in multiple genres as a writer. We have so many experiences in life that transcend one genre, and for me to stay with one, I feel, would limit my potential as a writer.

“If you don’t turn your life into a story, you just become part of someone else’s story.”

-Sir Terry Pratchett