mind, pen and paper

When I did morning pages for the first time over a decade ago, I did them on the heels of reading Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones. She promotes a method called "writing practice." When I write morning pages, I follow Julia Cameron's guidelines with the influence of Natalie Goldeberg's.

One of the early chapters in Goldberg's book is called "Beginner's Mind, Pen and Paper." She says: "...consider the pen you write with. It should always be a fast-writing pen because your thoughts are always faster than your hand...Think, too, about your notebook...sometimes people buy expensive hardcover journals. They are bulky and heavy, and because they are fancy, you are compelled to write something good...A cheap spiral notebook lets you feel that you can fill it quickly and afford another...The size of your notebook matters, too. A small notebook can be kept in your pocket, but then you have small thoughts...Sometimes...you might want to directly type out your thoughts. Writing is physical and is affected by the equipment you use. In typing, your fingers hit keys and the result is block, black letters: a different aspect of yourself may come out. I have found that when I am writing something emotional, I must write it the first time directly with hand on paper. Handwriting is more connected to the movement of the heart."

At the root of Goldberg's writing practice is the timed exercise. These are her rules for writing one of those. I share them not because morning pages are timed, but because they give me additional freedom when I write morning pages:

1. Keep your hand moving. (Don't pause to reread the line you have just written. That's stalling and trying to get control of what you're saying.)
2. Don't cross out. (That is editing as you write. Even if you write something you didn't mean to write, leave it.)
3. Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar. (Don't even care about staying within the margins and lines on the page.)
4. Lose control.
5. Don't think. Don't get logical.
6. Go for the jugular. (If something comes up in your writing that is scary or naked, dive right into it. It probably has lots of energy.)

Goldberg also talks about first thoughts:

"...the aim is to burn through to first thoughts, to the place where energy is unobstructed by social politeness or the internal censor, to the place where you are writing what your mind actually sees and feels, not what it thinks it should see or feel. It's a great opportunity to capture the oddities of your mind. Explore the rugged edge of thought...First thoughts have tremendous energy...First thoughts are also unencumbered by ego...You must be a great warrior when you contact first thoughts and write from them. Especially at the beginning you may feel great emotions and energy that will sweep you away, but you don't stop writing. You continue to use your pen and record the details of your life and penetrate into the heart of them."

If you saw my morning pages, you might think a crazy lady had written them. I use the cheapest spiral notebook I can find and I fill every inch of the page, typically in a scrawl that's so illegible that I can barely read it later when I've gone back to them. I've tried different journaling methods over the years, but Goldberg's work best for me so I use them when I write morning pages. I do so knowing full well that anything might come up. I might be fearful about confronting some of what comes up, but I just keep going because the results can be so very rewarding.

As we prepare to begin Week 1 tomorrow, I say to all of you: let's be warriors together on this AW journey. Let's dig deep and see where Blogging the Artist's Way will take us. I'm no less excited by preparing to begin this process with all of you than if we were sitting on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Let's go beyond our limits and boundaries and see where this AW exploration might take us!