Morning Pages or Mourning Pages? by Brenda J Wood

 

Morning pages or mourning pages? Only you can decide.

Morning pages are Julia Cameron's claim to fame. Her first book, The Artist's Way has been a bestseller for years and gradually she's added others, like The Writer's Diet to the mix.

Here is the basic premise to morning pages. Wake up. Make a quick coffee if you must. Write! Yes, hand write three 8.5 x 11 pages without thinking. Don't correct spelling or a thought. Just write. Don't think, edit, or correct. Just write.

For the first 45 minutes of awake time, the brain has no protective mode and what you write is what you are really thinking deep down in your being. Things you might not even dare to dream or think or realize or even act on, hit the page. During this time, your stream of consciousness explodes with brilliance across the page with thoughts you never knew that you had. Your ability to accomplish widens. For instance, I've written a book a year for the last 50 years or so, but last year I produced four new titles.

I began to use my time more wisely, think more clearly, edit more quickly. While struggling for a cover for my 366-page devotional Heart to Heart my morning pages produced the clear thought of a white background with single stem of a Bleeding Heart flower. I actually wrote this column one very early morning. It popped up on my morning pages.

I talk to God in my pages and am never disappointed. My struggles and solutions appear on the page. And all I do is wake up, pick up pen in my hand, and start to write till I fill those three pages.

I dare you to take this challenge. Let me know how it works for you. Like anything else, it will work for you if you work for it. The Artist's Way, including other books by Julia Cameron, are likely available in your local library, but I recommend that you buy it so that you can scribble in it and do the exercises in it.

Sincerely, Brenda J Wood, Morning Pages Convert!

Top Photo credit: Image by Engin_Akyurt from Pixabay

Brenda J Wood has authored more than fifty books. She is a seasoned motivational speaker, who declares the Word of God with wisdom, humour, and common sense.

The Artist's Date - Loretta Bouillon

The Artist’s Date -  by Loretta Bouillon

It is an interesting concept; the “Artist’s Date”. I have been reading Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way and she suggests a weekly date, about two hours a week, to stimulate our senses and feed the artist in us. My initial thought was this….how can I do this in a town of 1000 people, without a theatre, coffee shop, or in a nutshell, anything that I could possible use for an artist’s date? It is good in theory but not very easy to do in this town. This, combined with the fact that it is winter and we live in the north, has been my excuse.

I have come up with more excuses than possibilities for “dates”. Besides having nowhere to go, I have no time. What busy mom has two hours of time a week to spend on something so unnecessary? Or is it necessary?

As I write this, I have taken an unexpected trip to Vancouver. I am happily overloading on hours of artist dates for a week. Can it work that way? Artistic gluttony! I am artistically and culturally starving and it feels fabulous to fuel up. Walking around Vancouver alone is feeding my muse. I am typing on my laptop as I write in a lovely coffee shop, sipping an Americano. Beside me is another writer furiously typing away on her laptop. The two men beside me are discussing a theatre production they are directing.

So far this week, I have wandered through small art galleries, handcrafted jewelry shops, a specialty handmade broom store, a glass blowing shop, a pottery shop, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. I have taken walks with my laptop in tow and sat writing on the seawall, on a ferry, and at a couple of markets listening to buskers. It’s so easy here. I love it and thrive on this energy. But, I don’t live in it. Maybe I should l look at this as an artistic retreat?

 As challenging as it is, after brainstorming, I have made a list of creative artist’s dates that I could have in my little town.

o   Attending any plays or musical nights that come through our town (once in awhile this happens)

o   Visit our little museum (for the twentieth time but take my time and go through it slowly)

o   Take a winter walk and look at the nature around me through artist eyes and appreciate God’s creation

o   Plan my garden with a drawing (even though I don’t draw)

o   Plant something exotic in my greenhouse/garden this Spring

o   Paint something abstract with watercolours (I say abstract because I don’t draw!)

o   Paint something abstract with acrylic

o   Draw something from my kids’ beginner drawing books (I seriously don’t draw!)

o   Watch those artist’s videos that I made my kids watch for our art course years ago

o   Watch some Jane Austen movies

o   Read a Shakespeare play

o   Read a biography about a writer or poet

So as I write this, I realize that the possibilities are endless. I just need to be creative about being creative! Here I go! 

Reflecting back / Looking ahead by Loretta Bouillon

In the spring of 2014, I joined Inscribe Christian Writer’s Fellowship. This group opened up a whole new level of writing for me as well as many exciting opportunities. I have tried my hand at contests, devotions, magazine articles, query letters, guest blogging as well as being asked to be a regular contributor to this blog.  I have also learned so much being a part of the chat group with Inscribe. I do not always participate in all the conversations but I read them and glean. The group has been wonderful answering any questions that I have had so far. I have met new writer friends (although not face to face…but I am hoping to next fall conference!) If you are a writer, published or not, I would highly recommend joining this group.

I attended Surrey International Writer’s Conference with my daughter (article featured on my own blog as well as in the February issue of Fellowscript magazine).  The networking experience as well as the information that we took away from the conference was invaluable.

2014 was a year of input overload and a very fast learning curve. Now that I have a little more understanding of the writing and publishing industry, I feel God slowing me down and realigning my focus. I don’t have to enter every contest that comes my way! Write that novel. Work on one project at a time. Develop my writing skills. Read that book and apply it to my daily life. Polish my skills. Practice, practice, practice. So this is what I will do.

Two resources that have come my way are ‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron and  ‘The Writer’s Book of Days’ by Judy Reeves. I have begun reading both of them and this is what I am applying so far:

Morning Pages – You write three pages about anything you like. It is not to be edited (unless you want to later). Basically, you write to unclutter your mind so you clear the brain drain, to unblock and recover the artist in you. The pages are to be written longhand and not to be an artisitic attempt or written about anything in particular. Get all your worries and mind clutter onto the page. I realize that what I do with my journaling is much like this, only now I write without a “censor”; the critical part in me that is afraid someone might read it someday. I am quite enjoying the freedom of this process.

Artist’s Date – This is a two hour date with myself per week for twelve weeks to do something artistic/creative to develop my creative side. I have to say that I am not as successful with this task quite yet. I am working on it, though, and will save this experience for a future blogpost.

As I move forward into the New Year, I am doing so with a commitment to grow in my writing technically as well as really trying to hear God’s direction as to where it will take me. One day at a time. Like anything in my life, it is about trusting God. My “wake up prayer” every morning is this: “God, I give you my day. Please guide me and help me to be the best I can be at all You are asking me to do. Amen.”

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 (NKJV)

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