Why Words Carry Weight

Last night, my wife and I started the film Bonhoeffer. I’d first seen it back in the fall with some friends, and it made a definite impact on me. Bonhoeffer’s Letters and Papers from Prison remains my favorite work of his, with The Cost of Discipleship a very close contender. If you couldn’t tell already, those are recommendations, but that’s beyond the scope of what we’re talking about here. 

On my second viewing of the film, I noticed the significance of Bonhoeffer’s journal—one he’s not supposed to have. What kind of world does a man live in when a pen and paper become so important? Maybe more important than even food or water? Sit with that for a moment. What if documenting your words was that important to you? We wouldn’t have had Bonhoeffer’s Letters and Papers from Prison if not for that journal (and the German corporal who smuggled it out).

“But Grant,” you object. “This isn’t WWII. We’re not in prison. Our words aren’t that important.” A fair objection. Some music industry publications estimate that as many as 120,000 songs are uploaded to Spotify every day. In Q1 2024, Netflix alone debuted 92 original seasons. What do music and TV shows need? Words. Words to create them and words to tell other people about them. With so many words about us, one might think that the value of a single word would decline. 

But what if your own handwritten words were all you had? Writing by hand involves your motor skills in a way that typing does not. Handwriting demands that your brain translate an idea into a word and then that word into letters. Your brain recalls the shape of each letter and monitors the force your fingers exert on your pen (or pencil). If you were to write the letter “A” five times, you’d notice subtle differences in each one. You’d likely notice more if you (gasp!) wrote it in cursive. 

This is the Murdy No. 2 classic cut (5” x 8.25”) refillable leather journal cover. It comes in 3 colors: americano (the one I have), bourbon, and onyx. Murdy offers you the option to engrave text on the bottom right corner, spine, or center. Need to customize yours further? You can add logo engraving, too! 

Each cover comes with an insert of your choosing. Your options are: 

• Standard
• Lined
• Graph
• Dot
• Blank

I don’t know about you, but I have to have lines. Blank pages just won’t cut it for me. Without a lined journal, my scrawling would be all over the page (at God knows what angles). The ruled pages give my eyes something to focus on while I write. 

And speaking of writing, let’s talk about this pen. Each Murdy No. 2 comes with a Parker Jotter. It’s made of stainless steel. You might think that’d make it heavy, but it’s surprisingly light. It glides across the page with ease and doesn’t require you to bare down or retrace. The ink flows just like it should, and I haven’t had any issues with blotting. 

This journal was a gift from some friends. It wasn’t something I’d ever have purchased for myself. In my mind, I said that the price was too high. “I can’t afford it,” I told myself. Financial wisdom is important, sure. But in reality, I didn’t think my words were valuable enough to warrant a leather journal cover—especially not one with this kind of quality. 

As a kid, I heard a lot about “following my dreams” and “pursuing my passion.” I’ve gotta tell you, folks. Writing fiction isn’t what I thought it would be. Providing for your family with your words alone—it’s not easy. And at times, I wanted to abandon it and give up. But this Murdy journal is part of what changed that. 

I’m not Dietrich Bonhoeffer. But I don’t have to be, and neither do you. My Murdy No. 2 helped me rediscover the value of my own words in concrete form. Even if their value isn’t monetary, they’re certainly worth more on the page than they are swishing about in my mind. Ink serves no purpose if it remains in its container. It’s designed to give shape to words and images. Our imaginations are no different.

To find out more about Murdy and their products, head to their website here. Let’s talk more about your writing needs and how I might help you. Give your words more weight.