Morning Pages - does anyone do them?

I am a week or so in, and plan to keep going. I'm veering towards free writing, rather than true Morning Pages, but am sticking to the 'first thing in the morning' thing, and writing about three pages.

The book was very useful for self development. Morning pages are just really writing thoughts,as they come into your head.

I didn't realise that Julia Cameron was married to Martin Scorsese, Calli. You live and learn on Gransnet

'The Google thing' will have told you that Julia Cameron has written forty books, fiction and nonfiction, including her bestselling works on the creative process: The Artist's Way, Walking in This World and Finding Water. Her work has been translated into more than thirty-five languages and has sold more than four million copies worldwide. Also a novelist, playwright, songwriter and poet, she has multiple credits in theatre, film and television. Not just psychobabble, but AFAIK has never claimed that 'it suits everyone', or that 'it always serves any useful purpose'. It is useful to creative people who connect with the practice as an aid to their creativity - maybe less so to others, and no use at all to the closed minded who write it off before trying.

Does anything 'always suit everyone'? Clearly there are people on this thread who find 'it' useful, and writing for one's own benefit or pleasure is never going to harm anyone else. It's not putting others down or dismissing what they enjoy, and will take up half an hour a day of their own time. Does it matter if someone else can't see a useful purpose?

"Morning Pages"?? And WHO is "Julia Cameron"?
Married to Martin Scorsese apparently.

and they are for your eyes only
She needs to keep her Morning Pages under lock and key then, or else he'll be making a film based on them.

"Morning Pages"?? And WHO is "Julia Cameron"?

OK, I did the Google thing, and it said this >>> Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. *There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages*– they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page...and then do three more pages tomorrow. >>>>

From which I deduce that JC (like several American personalities) has made money from psycho-babble.

OK, I'll allow that a similar concept might help a few people. Doesn't mean it suits everyone, or always serves any useful purpose.

I started doing this at the start of the pandemic over four years ago. It was the idea of our local museum but I don’t know anyone else who did it though a lot have said they wished they had kept a day to day record. It was, and continues to be, a good outlet, cathartic almost. There’s now very little about covid, of course ( which was the original point of it) but I always find something to write about, sometimes a news story, sometimes just our day.

I do it. Not in bed, but first thing every day. Either two or three pages, depending on the size of the notebook. I never look at it again. Hugely helpful

I don’t do this every day, but a lovely friend who leads a mindful writing group often uses this technique with us:
Write a short/long list of words
Write a paragraph or more using these words.

It’s a great way of getting the ideas flowing!

When my head meets the lovely pillow I reflect on my day and consider best and worst events. Never thought to write them down. Will do from now onwards. Thanks for the prompt.

Jess20

I used to write every morning but then I got a dog 😂

My dog sees paper as a challenge to be shredded. I keep my notebook out of reach!

Write about the dog?

I used to write every morning but then I got a dog 😂

There are lots of videos about it on YouTube. Put Julia Cameron into the search to get the original concept, then you can amend it as much as you like. It's not quite the same as free writing, which has a starting point, such as a sentence like the ones in my post above. As nadaturbe says, Morning Pages are from The Artists Way, which is about writing, and is followed by a lot of people as a sort of therapeutic 'brain dump'. You don't need to read it again, though - it's not to be analysed.

I think I will switch to free writing, as I find that a lot easier.

flappergirl

I've never heard of Morning Pages but I assume this is "free association writing" whereby you write whatever comes in to your head. It's not supposed to be a diary or day planner or even a story. It should be whatever comes into your head. I do think three pages is a bit much though.

Yes, it's similar to freewriting. It's not meant to be a diary or planner, but I'm finding it quite difficult not to look back to yesterday or forward to the day ahead.

I think the three pages thing is so that you get over the 'blah blah I slept badly because X was snoring and there was a blackbird on the tree by the window at the crack of dawn' stage and into a more creative one. That's less likely after half a page or five minutes.

I did this as part of The Artists Way in 1997 after my marriage broke up. I found it useful. Had to set the alarm half an hour earlier.

I've never heard of Morning Pages but I assume this is "free association writing" whereby you write whatever comes in to your head. It's not supposed to be a diary or day planner or even a story. It should be whatever comes into your head. I do think three pages is a bit much though.

Germanshepherdsmum

When I wake up I have to get up and get going.. I can’t imagine sitting in bed in the morning writing anything, let alone three pages! I don’t keep a diary either, except to record birthdays etc.

Julia Cameron suggests that busy people set their alarm half an hour earlier, and go to bed half an hour earlier if they need to.

Obviously it's not for everyone, but those who do it seem to get a lot out of it.

No I have never tried Morning Pages, I need my coffee first, but I do write a diary every day, including health issues.

When I wake up I have to get up and get going.. I can’t imagine sitting in bed in the morning writing anything, let alone three pages! I don’t keep a diary either, except to record birthdays etc.

Taichinan

Depends a bit on the size of the pages 😉.
It's just to be a written sort of consciousness. Sometimes I wake up and feel a bit down and bleak - perhaps just writing that down would prompt my brain to remember that days are never as bad as we first think and would prompt my brain to think of happier things. I'll give it a try - with small pages and big handwriting 😂

Sorry, I missed your post Taichinan. I think it might help - it can't do any harm, anyway. You can write what (and as much as) you like - the suggestion of 3 pages and not a journal is just a suggestion. I think that so long as you write and don't stop - cross out if you like, but then keep going, thoughts will come along.

Freewriting is slightly different, but would work just as well. Try writing a sentence at the top of the page the night before and continuing it as soon as you wake, without stopping. It could be something from a book you're reading, or that you've seen on TV, or that you wish you'd said to someone, or overheard in Tesco. Or you can just make something up.

Here are some off the top of my head that might work until you get into the swing of making up your own:

Walking along the road, she saw. . .
The noise got louder and louder until. . .
How could it have got up there?
She really couldn't remember how she found out. . .
Oh, not again.

Also ' doing or thinking'. Note to self - check before posting.

An online diary. My phone outwits me!

When I was doing my PhD I kept a online diary of what I was finding out, doing it thinking. Just a brain dump. Rereading it after a while it was really interesting to see how the whole project shaped up and altered over time. It was a great way to jot down ideas as they struck me. Completely unstructured.
I always meant to start one for everyday life but never got round to it.
I'm a keen consumer of caramel wafers though, always two, if that counts for anything.

Taichinan I know exactly how you feel. It’s a relatively new (a few months) feeling for me, just feeling a bit ‘pointless’ or ‘directionless’.
It’s not nice, but if I get up the minute I realise that’s how I’m feeling and get going (anything including something simple like a shower), it goes away. I may not be kicking my height😊, but the unpleasant feeling goes.