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SunriseIn The Artist’s Way, author Julia Cameron suggests that people write morning pages to unblock creative flow. Morning pages are three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing. They are unplanned and uncensored meanderings designed to drain your brain of unnecessary chatter, and they are advised for all creative types, not just writers. You’re not supposed to focus on the writing or try to create a masterpiece. Instead, you may let your thoughts spill out on the page in fragments or one long run-on sentence. Punctuation, mechanics, and spelling don’t matter. Morning pages might result in negative, whiny, self-pitying tirades that bring to mind the verse: Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep; if I should die before I wake, throw my journal in the lake. But that’s good. Don’t let the negative censor inside you influence what you write. Go beyond your conscious thought. Eventually, when you begin to write in the morning, you might ask yourself a question about a problem or concern and see if an answer or insight spills out. Please look to Julia Cameron’s books for more information and guidance.

I’ve used morning pages many times throughout the years to unblock creative flow, wake myself up to what’s bothering me, or release negativity. If you’re feeling stuck on a project or in life, you might want to give them a try. Do them as soon as you awaken and write as fast as possible. Don’t even think about what you’re going to write. Just sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and write!

Please join me here for notes on life, writing, and the writing life.

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