My Autobiography as a Writer

By Pamela den Ouden

Writing is part of my everyday life. Not a day goes by that I don’t pick up a pencil, pen, felt marker, crayon, or coloured pencil to write something. Daily, I use my computer to write various things: e-mails, blogs, status updates on Facebook, and chat online with friends. Not only has writing always been an important part of my life, it is also one of my favourite things to do.

I have always enjoyed keeping a diary. Before the days of computers, I wrote by hand in books made especially for journaling. I have many of these in a box in my closet. Most of them start well, often on New Year’s Day. The problem with keeping a diary is that it is supposed to be written in every day. January—a new start! By the end of the month, however, days are missing, and then I might leave some blank pages, thinking that I’d fill them in later. That “later” never happened, so the book was abandoned. Once friends and family knew that I was a diary writer, they always gave me very beautiful journals for my birthday or Christmas. Now, however, I try to discourage this because I use Word documents to write my journal. This is more convenient and faster for me, and I can write more by typing than by handwriting.

Another kind of writing that has been important to me is letter writing. Although e-mail is very quick to write and send, I think it is wonderful to receive a letter by Canada Post. I have a sister who lives on the other side of Canada and several friends who have moved away from Fort St. John who regularly write me handwritten letters and postcards. Nothing brightens my day like recognizing their handwriting on an envelope in my mailbox. I think they are also cheered when they see my handwriting on an envelope in their mailbox. I have many letters that I have kept over the years. My letters to my friends are, in a sense, a journal of my life.

Finally, believe it or not, I have also enjoyed doing school assignments and essays. This kind of writing takes time, thought, and patience, Each sentence has to be carefully written and proofread. I have written many essays on lots of different topics. The most difficult writing for me was my Master’s thesis, but the sense of accomplishment when it was finished was very good.

When we write, we let a little bit of ourselves out into the universe. We send a bit of our soul to another person. It is a great way to share our thoughts, feelings, and day-to-day life.