Monday morning I celebrated an anniversary.
On Monday the 26th of August 2006 I started writing Morning Pages, basically two or three pages of whatever came into my mind, every morning except Sunday. And one year on I am still writing my Morning Pages. I am quite proud of this because as an inveterate procrastinator it is an achievement for me to stick to something for so long.
I came across the idea of these pages via Fiona Robyn's Creative Living blog www.creative-living.blogspot.com although I think it is recommended by several writers. The idea is just to help the creative juices to flow by sitting down every day and writing two or three pages of whatever comes into your head. And to make a habit of it so that it becomes second nature to you. And that's what I have been doing for the past year.
I have to say that what goes on the page is quite often of very little consequence, in fact it's very often complete drivel but it's words and it's a good habit. I also use them to set myself targets each week in an attempt to keep the PROCRASTINATOR in me at bay. It works sometimes, not always of course, but sometimes is better than not at all!!!!
So I'm back from my holiday and ready, more or less, to get back to work. I have set myself some new targets which I shall rely on my fellow www.novelracers.blogspot.com to help me achieve.
Target 1: 1st draft of Novel [90,000 words] to be finished by the end of November. That is basically 5,000 words a week.
Target 2: Blogging back on track, aim for two posts a week.
There I've said them out loud and I am hoping that the act of committing my desires to the page will help my motivation. Feel free to berate me if I appear to be failing, but be gentle as I am hard enough with myself.
"Goals are simply dreams with a deadline" www.nancymorris.com So I have set my dreams a deadline.
8 comments:
I like the two or three pages idea. I just wish I could think of enough things to fill them.
Congrats at sticking at 'morning pages' for so long. That's quite an achievement. I started that exercise when I read Julia Cameron's book 'The Sound of Paper' last year. I lasted about a week. You've inspired me to try again.
Sheep farming in the Charente! Now that really is a story.
Lane :))
I'm inspired to start up the morning pages too - like Lane, it was the Julia Cameron book that got me going on them. They do tend to end up rather like a teenage angst-filled diary but hey ho.
Committing your dreams to paper/screen does help, doesn't it? Makes it more concrete somehow.
Nice to have you back in the fold :)
X
dreams with a deadline - I like it! Just joined Novel racers - good to meet you!
Hi Sheepish
Good to see you back. I am really impressed with a year of morning pages. Wow, I lasted two days, I think after I tried it.
JJx
So happy to see you back here.
You sound so enthused.
Go girlie go go go.
*waves pompoms*
x
Welcome back. You can do it :-)
Hi to everyone thanks for all your encouraging comments, it really helps to know that I'm not alone. Special hello to lane and flowerpot who have just joined the refugees[novel racers].
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