What are morning pages? They’re basically a tool in the Artist’s Way program. If you’re not familiar, check out the link. The idea is to write three pages every morning to help with your creative process. I’ve been doing them, on and off for decades. I put them down again a couple of years ago and about a month ago, I decided to bring them back and see how they fit into my creative practice.

Long Hand?

If you’re familiar with Julia Cameron, you’ll know that she insists they be done long hand. For many years, I agreed. But I do think, in the end, that is what causes me to put them down. I have arthritis. It’s not crippling, and I can still play my piano and type without much trouble, but holding a pen or pencil for that length of time is problematic. My hands ache and I don’t finish what I started, because it hurts too much, plain and simple.

There’s a website called 750 words and they offer a way to do your morning pages online. It has a word count feature and a very compelling reasoning that 750 is three pages. I used them for a while, but then I decided to just use Pages. If you’re not on a mac, you could use Word or Google Docs. They all have word counting capabilities and I find that it’s sufficient for my needs. Also, they’re stored where I want them stored. I don’t have to export them to save them in my files.

The beauty of morning pages is that the first few paragraphs are usually gripes. Yesterday’s gripes, things I’m worried about etc. tend to get listed first. After that, there’s usually a pause and sometimes I’ll just start filling the page with “I have nothing to say” stuff. That’s ok, just keep writing. Eventually I get to the main course, which is where I start talking about the things I’m working on. This is where the important stuff is. I’ve had more creative ideas doing this than anywhere else. I write about an idea, a goal, a project I’m working, a problem I’m having, and thoughts just come. I like to think of it as giving the muse a place to express themself.

Morning Pages Practice

So, if this is so helpful, why do I keep dropping it? Well, first of all I have to make the time for them. I tend to have coffee in the morning, watch the news and that’s not really conducive to writing. I find that after my shower and before I get dressed is the best time to them. It’s not really first thing in the morning, but it’s before I really get into the obligations of the day. Some people do that at the end of the day, but I find that doesn’t really work for me, because I tend to just rehash my day. I do journal my day at night, but that’s not the same, for me, as morning pages.

So What about you?

Are you a morning pages person? Have you never tried them? Are you interested in exploring them further? Tap here to download your own Morning Pages Template for free!