privacy | Tuesdays with Laurie

UW Madison by Laurie Buchanan

For the last several days we’ve been talking about a few of the course offerings at the University of Life. This morning I head to the Writer’s Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I’ll spend the next four days polishing my craft, pitching my project, and promoting my manuscript.

Why is it, exactly, that writers write? There are as many reasons for writing as there are writers, but the common thread is instinct. Writer’s write because we must; we write because it’s who we are. The same force that moves a musician to set free an enchanting piece of music, or a painter to give birth to a captivating painting, is the one that moves us to unleash the ideas that are whispered in our ears.

The delicate task of selection and arrangement of words on a page—writing—is as vital to us as breathing. For most writers, this requires seclusion; we need our privacy. Like a surgeon with a scalpel, we carefully examine each word; first in the quietness of our mind and then aloud. After that they’re scrutinized again, rearranged once more, and then trimmed to the bone for effectiveness.

At this conference one of the things I’ll be learning is to wield my scalpel more effectively. This includes assignments that are time sensitive. As such, I’ll be offline until the 26th, focusing on the task at hand. When I return I’ll resume blogging on even days of the month.

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
~ Laurie Buchanan