Woodlawn Blue by Joylene Bailey

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I've written in many places in my lifetime: at the island in the kitchen as dinner simmers on the stove, on my dining room table before the dishes have been cleared away, in coffee shops, on the front porch in the mornings, in a journal on a cruise ship, on my daughter's couch with a newborn grandbaby in one arm ... and the list goes on. I can write anywhere. But I would say my most creative work happens when and where I can be solitary and uninterrupted. That place is at my desk in the early mornings.

Jane Austen wrote several novels on a portable mahogany writing desk which she placed on a small twelve-sided tripod table. This was in the dining room of the home she shared with her mom and sister. In the movie, Miss Austen Regrets, there's a compelling scene that takes place in this room. I don't know how true it is to Jane's life, but it depicts everything I feel when I am deep into writing and an interruption occurs.

In the scene, Jane is writing at her little desk when sister Cassandra comes in to set the table. Cassandra is being as quiet as one can be with clinking silverware and porcelain plates, but Jane is distracted from her writing. She doesn't move, save for lifting her pen from the page and holding it there until Cassandra leaves the room. Then she begins to write again. It's the action of someone who doesn't want to lose the thought, so she freezes in time to hold onto it until the distraction is done. How I resonate with that! I need quiet, with no interruptions.

I'm pretty sure I'm writing all the time. I'm certainly observing with writing in mind, even when I don't realize I'm doing it.

The way the cashier tucks her hair behind her ear becomes the quirk of a secondary character. Questions my grandkids ask turn into what-ifs. How a certain word rolls off the tongue in the middle of a conversation with the piano tuner fills the blank in my manuscript. It's all fodder.

But the actual sit-down-work-at-my-computer writing happens at home in my favourite room. For years I'd dreamed of this space. It had to be big enough to embrace my quilting, my own library, and a spacious writing desk. This dream was finally realized four years ago when I entered my sixties.

The walls are painted Woodlawn Blue, with trim in Cloud White. Large windows on two walls face north and east, letting in golden sunrises and lots of light. Wafting breezes billow the lace curtains. If that sounds idyllic, it is, even when quilting projects clutter the sewing table and resource books crowd my desk. It's a place where I can close the door if I need to, when I don't want to be interrupted. My best work happens here. It's my sacred space.

I come here in the mornings, when the light shining through the windows sweeps the bookshelves with a golden pink glow and tiptoes across the floor into the living room beyond. The only distractions come from outside: birds chirping in season, our neighbour's rooster cock-a-doodling, the odd coyote howling in the distance. However, these are less distractions than they are reminders that God is over all. It's here, in this sacred space, where I feel His pleasure when I write.

Jane Austen might have wished for a more private place to write, at a proper desk with an ergonomic chair. But maybe not. After all, she managed to write seven novels that have remained popular for over two hundred years, mostly on a little twelve-sided table. Would she have considered that her sacred space?

I finished this post on my granddaughter's tenth birthday, in my daughter's bright living room. At times it was noisy and chaotic with excitement. So yes, I can write anywhere, but I do write best at home, in my sacred space of Woodlawn Blue.

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Feature Photo from Pixabay

Joy writes from her Woodlawn Blue writing space in lake country, Alberta, where she lives with The Cowboy and their livestock - a dog and two cats. As a gentle encourager, she writes short stories, articles, and poetry for adults, and stories for children. She is working on a longer work of fiction. Find more of her joy-infused writing at Scraps of Joy.

 

We Can Write In The Margins by Mary Folkerts

Life is a beautiful, breathtaking, awe-inspiring journey strewn with hard decisions, unexpected diagnoses, unfulfilled dreams, and broken promises. No one is exempt from hard things. The expectation of a pain-free life is unrealistic, but that doesn't mean it can’t still be a wonderful life!

What if there was a way to reclaim that brokenness and bring some purpose to the hurt we’ve experienced by leaving breadcrumbs of hope for others to follow? Bread crumbs that lead those who find themselves in similar circumstances to a place of understanding and maybe even peace?

When our daughter was born with Down syndrome, I found myself scouring the internet, looking for words of comfort. I wanted to know what others before us had experienced, how they dealt with the diagnosis, the best resources and therapies, and the possible outcomes. Would she reach the milestones, read books, or ride a bike? What potential did she have for a quality life? We were not the first to ask these difficult questions, and I was grateful to those who took the time to be vulnerable and share their stories.

The experiences we have in life always change us. They can make us better or bitter. If we let them make us better and stronger, we have an excellent opportunity to share what we’ve learned with others and how it can, in turn, help them. Sharing our journey will be the continuation of our own healing process.

Inspiration strikes us wherever God is—which is everywhere and anywhere

To share your story doesn’t mean you must have a designated desk and chair at which you spend hours upon hours writing. It can mean writing it down in the margins of your day, before you begin your chores, or in the evenings as the day winds down. It can mean that when you find yourself alone, on the drive, in the garden or in the bathroom, that the words pour out and you grab your phone or paper to quickly record what God placed there.

Now, in saying that, when a deadline looms for a project, or I have dedicated work I need to get done, I find I like to go into my room and sit at my desk (or walk on my walking pad as I have a standing desk). When I turn on my lamp and set out my laptop, it triggers my brain that it’s time to get to work. I have been working on a poetry book—poetry for the anxious soul—slated for early fall publication, so this is where I will do this work.

Inspiration strikes us wherever God is—which is everywhere and anywhere. We need to be ready to capture those words before they are lost to the wind.

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a member of Proverbs 31 Ministries' COMPEL Writers Training, involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/ or connect on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/

Writing in the Sacred Space by Sharon Heagy

As I snuggled down among the bedclothes not quite ready to leave that sleepy half-awake state, a thought came to my brain. It's Mother's Day. The airwaves and social media had been bombarding our thoughts since Easter, spouting ideas and filling mothers' brains with visions of lovely Sunday brunches full of pastel colours, cloth napkins, real silverware and well dressed, perfectly behaved young children in glass walled restaurants where the sunlight beams in with heavenly rays, when what moms really want is a nap. I found out recently that many a mom would like to check into a hospital, just for a day or two, not to be sick but to have some rest and be served meals that someone else cooked. And even though that is not the reality of hospital life any more than a perfect Sunday Brunch, it gave me solace to know that I wasn't the only one who had that thought cross their mind when life with kids got crazy.

Mother's Day for many means choking down burnt toast and scrambled eggs, with a few crunchy shells thrown in for good measure, while wide eyed, expectant, flannel clad children look on as Mom, who may be riding post birth waves of hormonal instability, takes those first few bites of an almost inedible breakfast made with love. With a few gulps of coffee to wash it down and regain use of her vocal cords she announces, "It's wonderful. Thank you so much! I love it." The chubby cheeked cherubs break out in ear-to-ear smiles, relieved that Mom is loving their feast. Before she can clear her plate the kids are bringing out homemade artistic gifts from the cut and paste club, where more paint and glue stick to clothes and hair and hands than to paper. And the drawings! A wee bit Picasso and a wee bit 'what on earth is that' which, now that I think of it, is much like some Picassos. Mothers must develop an ability to discover the intention of their young artists without causing distress and unhappiness and ruining their, I mean her, day.

For many, this day of recognition is wonderful and welcome, for others it is a day to be endured and for some it is a day filled with sorrow. Yet, all these reactions come from a place of love. Whether it be a longing to share love, a love that has been lost or a love that stands beside the bed wide eyed. And all of it comes from God, who is Love.

When I popped awake that morning a few weeks ago, I realized that writing doesn't always need a specific place or time. In fact, I was amazed that my brain was firing at all in those early moments. The hamster that runs the wheel in my head hadn't even had breakfast and my desk in the basement was basking in a sunbeam dust dance.

Even as I write this post, I am not in the familiar surroundings of my own house or town but I am in the big city watching over my grandchildren. It had me a bit worried to be honest. The pressure of a deadline in the uncertainty of life on a different schedule had me slightly nervous. But what I am finding is, it is good to write in unfamiliar places with fresh perspectives. It is a good exercise, not to be feared but embraced!

The kids and I were walking home from the store and were taking a shortcut down the lane when we came across a pile of dirt and a ladder on the lane side of a fence. I asked them to make up a story about the ladder and the dirt, which both seemed to be in odd spots. Why was the dirt not closer to the gate? And why was the ladder there? It seemed to have no purpose whatsoever in the place it had been set. We could not see through the fence to see what was on the yard side that might explain this mystery. They came up with a few ideas as I encouraged them to go beyond the obvious and use their brilliant imaginations. While listening to them, my own mind was swirling with possibilities that would somehow connect to Jacob's ladder.

Heading home after walking the youngest to school, I was forced from the sidewalk by a bike gang and was almost attacked by some of the wildlife in this city! Ok, really there was just one kid on a bike and I stepped out of his way and the wildlife was a single rabbit. But the ideas were there.

The ideas will come wherever your brain goes. Recall all the places Paul wrote. He wrote while travelling, while ministering, and while in prison. The nudges and notions will come wherever Love lives, which is everywhere. He who is not bound by time or space can take whatever we encounter and turn it into a piece for His purposes. Though I know this, it still comes as a revelation after being told to set up a specific space for my creative juices to flow. It seems to me now that both are true and if both these things are possible, how many more wonderful pieces will be added to the puzzle of writing as God leads.

I still prefer to write in the sacred basement space, but I am coming to realize wherever I am is sacred because He is there. Thanks be to God.

 

Sharon Heagy writes from the wonderful town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan, where she lives with her husband, a big dog and furry cats. She writes to bring hope and humour to a world that needs both. She can be reached at sharonheagy@gmail.com


Thanks for taking the time to visit today. God bless.

Welcome to My Office by Dana-Lyn Phillips

 

I consider myself lucky in a lot of ways. My home office comes with its own coffee machine, refrigerator, stove and sink. Not only does this make endless cups of coffee convenient, but it also ensures that I can have a hot lunch each day if I want.

If you’re confused, thinking that it sounds like more of a kitchen than an office…you’re right.

We live in a 950 square foot bungalow with only a partially finished basement.  With a husband, two kids, and a dog, there's honestly no where to go...ever.  So, that's why the kitchen table has become my desk.

Is it ideal? Of course not, but I work with what I have.

When I first started writing daily, and setting up a space on Substack, I was spending 12+ hours a day at the table with a small laptop. It wasn’t long, before this ergonomical nightmare created problems so deep within my body, that it took multiple osteopathic treatments to recover.

That prompted the purchase of a very expensive, memory foam seat cushion, which has brought my tushy, and back, much relief. Honestly, it was worth every penny.

My laptop sits on a shoebox that is layered with books, in an effort to raise the screen to the optimal height. A quick trip, to the electronic graveyard in our basement, provided me with an old keyboard that enabled me to type at a more appropriate level.

I’m not going to lie, it’s not pretty, and it’s definitely not professional, but it gets the job done. That’s all that matters…right?

Before any writing takes place, my mornings begin with God. Since my writing (mostly) focuses on encouraging others in their faith, I would never be equipped, if I was not feeding myself spiritually first. I generally rely on the Holy Spirit’s leading for topics, and references, so this is the most important part of my day—vital to my own spiritual growth, but also for the success of my writing.

Next, is a hot cup of coffee and a quick call with mom. Yes, we talk every morning. Since my father’s passing, two decades ago, this has become a daily routine. Not only is it a good check-in, to make sure she is alive and well, but it’s also a time of encouragement. My mom is one of my biggest supporters when it comes to my writing.

By 9:30 a.m. the work begins. Everyone has finally left home for work or school. The dog has been out at least three times (insert eyeroll here), so he’s finally ready to settle in next to me for the long haul.

My mornings are generally super productive. If I am on a roll, I will often write until 1 p.m. at which point my stomach reminds me that I missed lunch. A quick bite to eat, and a loop around the block with the pooch, enable me to return to the kitchen chair for another couple of hours.

I’m not often distracted, but when I am, it is usually because it's a really nice day out and I find myself staring out the window. Since the eye doctor once told me it’s good to take breaks during the day to stare into the distance and reset my eyes, I feel these breaks are not only justified but mandated.

I’m still pretty new to this world of writing, so I haven’t dealt with writer's block often, but when I do, it’s pretty scary…especially when I have a deadline to meet. The best antidote, I have found, is prayer, and playing some Christian music way too loud. On days when I am really stumped, there may be some dancing, but I will deny it if anyone asks.

Maybe one day the kids will move out and I’ll have an office of my own. One with corner windows, a new computer, an ergonomical chair, and a built in speaker system necessary for those rare days when writer’s block hits and nothing will suffice but a dance party.

It’s good to have dreams right?

 

Dana-Lyn is a wife, and mother to teenage boys as well as a 14-year-old cava-poo named Hockley. She is passionate about encouraging Christian women in their faith and is stepping into her mid-life "calling" as a writer. Her happy place consists of a comfy chair, a great book, a hot cup of coffee and a chocolate…or three! You can read more of her work at https://plansfargreater.substack.com