How Morning Pages Helped Me Develop a Writing Habit

Summary

The author describes how practicing Morning Pages, a daily routine of writing three pages of longhand upon waking, helped establish a consistent writing habit, unlock creativity, and provide mental clarity.

Abstract

The article details the author's experience with Morning Pages, a concept popularized by Julia Cameron, which involves writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness text every morning. Despite initial skepticism due to time constraints, the author found the practice beneficial for accessing the subconscious, achieving a meditative state of mind, and enhancing focus. The process of writing without concern for grammar or spelling allowed for a free flow of ideas, which aided in overcoming writer's block and silencing the inner critic. The habit became a crucial part of the author's daily routine, leading to increased productivity and a more balanced perspective throughout the day.

Opinions

The author initially doubted the feasibility of Morning Pages due to a busy morning routine but became intrigued by its potential benefits.
Morning Pages were found to be a liberating exercise for the author as a writer, as it removed the pressure of editing.
The practice is likened to a "jam session" for writing, emphasizing the importance of unfiltered expression.
Waking up earlier to accommodate Morning Pages created a magical solo space that positively influenced the author's day.
The author believes that writing immediately after waking captures thoughts closer to the dream state, tapping into the subconscious.
Morning Pages are seen as a meditative process that helps to clear the mind and reduce anxiety, akin to the effects of meditation.
The act of writing longhand is considered to add time to the day by increasing focus and productivity, despite its time consumption.
The author discovered that the practice helped to unearth creative ideas and break through creative blocks.
Silencing the inner critic was another significant advantage experienced by the author through Morning Pages.
The habit of Morning Pages became enjoyable and painless, leading to a sustained writing practice.
The author emphasizes that Morning Pages should be private to avoid self-censorship and to fully realize the benefits of the practice.

And unlock my subconscious.

A while back, an author friend of mine told me about Morning Pages, the practice of writing out three pages of longhand upon waking.

My first thought was,

How do you have time to write three pages of longhand each morning and get the kids off to school and walk your dog? As I do each morning.

But as someone who has kept a journal most of my life, I was curious about the positive effects of her practice.

If you are a writer, you have probably heard of Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages. It is a relatively simple concept. Each morning, as close to waking as possible, you sit down and write out three pages, preferably handwritten.

The beautiful thing about Morning Pages is there is no wrong way to do them, and you don’t have to edit for grammar or spelling. You just write. Not having to worry about grammar and spelling is freeing for me as a writer.

In another online class I’m taking, the teacher, Joshua Millburn, of The Minimalists, calls this same practice “jam session writing.” It is a similar idea; you sit and write and get your thoughts out on the page. No editing allowed. I enjoy this because the most challenging part of writing, for me, is the rewrite and the editing process.

Each morning for three months, I practiced morning pages, and the results were compelling.

To create time, I woke a bit earlier to get it done. There is something magical about creating a little solo space for yourself. Pour yourself some coffee, crack open your notebook and enjoy the silence of the early morning while you write.

This is what Morning Pages did for me —

Helped me unlock my subconscious. Having permission to write freely without having to edit for grammar or spelling allowed me to write quickly without censorship. Writing as close to waking in the morning allowed me to write from as close to the dream state as possible and tap my subconscious for ideas.

Writing in a stream of consciousness style had a similarly relaxing effect on my thoughts as meditation does. Morning Pages is a meditative process. It makes sense the calming of the mind would be one benefit to come from this practice. It is a great way to rid your mind of anxiety-inducing thoughts like lists and what needs to be done for the day ahead of you. Even though it takes time to write out three pages longhand, it added time to my day because purging my worries and overwhelm made me more focused. I get more tasks accomplish with focused energy. When you are no longer in the prison of overthinking your mind is free to concentrate on the moment. It shifted my perspective. The energy of my day changed significantly from overthinking to balance and presence.

Helped me to discover my creativity. Writing freely generated ideas and broke through creative blocks. Stream of consciousness writing unearthed a nugget or two of interesting thoughts each morning which I could expand on in my writing as a way to generate ideas for blog posts.

It helped me to silence my inner critic. You know the one, the loud, obnoxious writer-critic in all of us, the one that sometimes creeps in with, “you aren’t’ good enough. So many writers are better than you. Hang I up, kid.”

Most importantly, it helped me create a regular writing habit that was painless and enjoyable, a writing habit I have stuck with through to the present.

When I skipped a day of Morning Pages, I felt off. Like something wasn’t quite right. I could handle less stress and was more anxious only to realize that it was the absence of my morning brain-dump — of all the responsibilities rattling around in my head– that was the cause of my feeling out of sorts.

On more critical thing about Morning Pages, don’t share. These are for your eyes only. If you are writing with sharing in mind, you may censor yourself. The point of Morning Pages is not to censor yourself and see what happens.

Jessica is a writer, an online entrepreneur, and a recovering Type A personality. She lives in Los Angeles with her extrovert daughter, two dogs, and two cats.