In The Artist’s Way Julia Cameron advice her readers to start writing Morning Pages. Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning – every morning. Here is what Cameron says:
- There is no better way to open a writing voice than to write regularly & repetitively.
- The first page and a half is pretty easy. The second page and a half is more difficult, but it moves us into action. More than three pages invites self-obsession. It’s a little bit like when you go to see a therapist, and you say “when will I see you again?” You’re hoping they’ll say “every day,” but instead they say “how about in a week?”
- Three pages seems to be the ideal length.
- There is no better way to open a writing voice than to write regularly, repetitively, and from the gut. So write today.
- If you’ve done your Morning Pages–from the gut, you’ve started the excavation towards discovering your voice.
- If you didn’t… try tomorrow. You have a voice. And you are meant to use it.
Today I gave it a try, my first. I got out of bed at six and stumbled into the bathroom where the tiles on the floor are nice and warm. I sat down on my yoga bolster and started to write, my eyes more closed than open, a strange story, the hand-writing was mine, but the content?
I filled my three pages in 15 minutes. Then I took my two dogs for a walk, half past six, the world still dark and quiet. Wrapped in my big, soft coat I could feel the cold air only with the tip of my nose.
sub rosa 
Dear Sigrun, You have created an “ambiance”. This little post is very powerful.
Thank you and my best regards. I hope you’re well.
Micheline
Thank you so much Micheline!
Wish you a wonderful autumn week!
The same to you Sigrun.
Thanks for taking us into your morning, Sigrun; it is as if we were there with you. Simply lovely.
Karen
Thank you Karen!
You’re a part of my inner world now, so maybe you were there/here too?
🙂
Hi Sigrun — I read Cameron’s book a long while ago and tried her “morning pages” practice for several weeks. It didn’t really work for me, maybe because I was already a journaler and blogger and didn’t have trouble “making myself write” or having confidence in my voice. But I do think some sort of journal-like, meditative daily practice is helpful, because we often don’t know what’s really on our minds or what our authentic voice really wants to say. Whatever you find that works is the best practice for you!
Hi Beth!
I’m not sure it will work for me either, but I’ll give it a go. I’m in the mood for some experimentation – …
Lovely writing Sigrun. Although I am not a morning person, I felt warm and cozy reading this.
Thank you so much!
I believe I am a morning person. I like the feeling of having the world all to myself for a short while, I love a soft transition from dream to awakening, but I’m not at all sure whether I can produce anything worth listening to in this brief transitional phase.
But I’ll do it all the same, write my three pages – before the day begins.
🙂
I read Cameron’s book many years ago. I tired writing morning pages for a few months. The process definitely challenged my “I know what’s best for you ego.” I gave up the practice because I gave up writing altogether. I began writing again two years ago and immediately returned to “morning pages.” It has changed my life. I began writing poetry. Most of the first poems I wrote were birthed from those pages. It has been a wonderful experience.
How fascinating!
I’m not especially interested in this technique as a form of self-analysis, “jumping” into poetry seems like a great alternative.
I Practice Morning pages for several years now, besides opening up my creativity and stimulating it it also became a kind of life line, to write away the rough edged of living…..I love Morning papers.