Years ago when I first published a book and broke the news to my family that their child was –gasp!- a writer my father asked if I did morning pages. If you have followed my family’s shenanigans online you know this is 100% a normal response to finding out your child has decided to avoid things like normal jobs, gainful employment, or steady paychecks in favor of embracing creativity.
Whatever faults my parents might have they were always good about encouraging their kids to be creative. <3
When my dad mentioned morning pages I’m fairly certain I stared at him blankly for a few minutes, shook my head, and changed the topic. The word MORNING is a little scary for me. I don’t like mornings. I am not a morning person. I don’t want to be out of bed while the sun is in the eastern sky.
Fast forward to this summer. I have deadlines on three novels, editing for several projects, and I have four kids at home who need attention and chauffeur. Suddenly afternoons and evenings are really, really full and I really, really need to get words in every day.
My solution was those dreaded morning pages. I wake up, grab the folding keyboard from beside my bed (not an affiliate link but you seriously need one of these in your life), turn on my phone’s bluetooth, and write a chapter. Before breakfast I have at least 500 words – half my daily word count – some mornings I have more.
Are the scenes perfect? NOPE.
But they don’t need to be. All of these things can be fixed in edits. And, for me, it’s hard to be creative and not edit when I’m at my desk. The desk is a work space. It’s a place where I pay the bills, make the phone calls, and work. So maybe the benefit of the morning pages isn’t the time of day, but finding the time and place to be creative and free.
Whether that means being a Weekend Warrior who only writes two days a week, or a NaNo Enthusiast who write once a year, or a Slow-n-Steady Synonym Spinner who tries to write every day… that’s up to you. The important thing is that you are still chasing your dreams, and I’m still chasing mine.