On writers and writing

By Lisa Braun

"In a mood of faith and hope my work goes on. A ream of fresh paper lies on my desk waiting for the next book. I am a writer and I take up my pen to write"
(Pearl S. Buck).

Writing. Since I was about 14 years old, maybe even earlier, I have been keeping journals. Sometimes on one-sided paper (thanks Dad) that was holepunched to fit in my red Herbert Laurels school binder, sometimes in hard-cover lined journals from Zellers, but I was writing. Perhaps it started around the time each of us Peters kids got into the Pioneer Girls/Brigade devotional magazines, but it hasn't stopped. There have been fits and starts at various points in my life with journalling, but I write on. My favorite forms today are the black hardcover journals from Shoppers, or the sometimes short, sometimes long facebook notes (the lazy girl's blog, I call it).

Writing. Two years ago for Lent, I gave myself over to writing. Not willingly, but with great will. Not necessarily filled with joy, but rather with choice. I called the 40 days (plus a good chunk more) my penance, petition, sacrifice, and offering. Not because I wanted to, or at least not completely. But because I had to. I was compelled. By something outside myself, but not particularly divine or holy, or at least it didn't seem so at the time. But rather, by the university. The deadline for my Masters Project was looming, and I couldn't see any other way to completion except to carve out daily time -- as much as I could grasp -- from every possible other option. Sometimes I managed 1 hour, some days I wrote for up to 8, but did I ever write. At the keyboard in my office, at the kitchen island, at the computer nook. I got up early, and I stayed up late. I was whole-hearted in my devotion. Somewhere early in the process, I decided that this offering would be my joy to give that Lenten season. Man, it was hard, but I experienced something incredible in those many hours alone with my work and my God. Something about being consecrated and set apart. There's a lot of stories in that season, just ask me sometime. I wrote every day. Every day. I feel overwhelmed just thinking about that time.

Writing. A few days ago, I spent some time brainstorming and scribbling with two scraps of paper and a good black pen on the ride home to Hepburn from Regina. Comfortably settled in the co-pilot's chair. Trying to capture my vision for why I write, and why I want to share what I write, and why I want to create space for others to write. And I came up with some ideas for the blog. I hope to reveal a bit here and there, especially as I learn more about designing pages, making links, and other great blogging basics. If you are good at this stuff, stop by and teach me something new sometime. But I will write. And if you don't see something for awhile, ask me.

I've been thinking about
Feature ideas and topics like
Church
Sabbath
Collaboration
Trust
Love
Finding other writers
Staff, faculty, students, alumni, and friends
Special review columns (on music, coffee places, etc)
Stories about people
Links to cool things
Starting to add blogs to follow
and more.

If you want to write, join me, be brave, and step up to the blog.

PS I think I recruited my first official writer, Sara Jantzen. First post on music you gotta give a listen to, coming soon! Sara, what's going to be your first deadline?