Monday, July 27, 2015

Good Morning Sunshine by Kathy Halsey


Good morning Sunshine! Today we talk about my version of Morning Pages. I first heard this term about a year ago from writer friend, Pam Vaughan. Morning Pages is the brainchild of Julia Cameron from her seminal book THE ARTIST'S WAY. By ridding the mind of the mundane, the everyday practice on paper can help the writer stop thought loops from interfering with what is really important. Morning Pages (MP) can clear clutter from the mind and give us a fresh slate with which to begin our true work for the day.

Julia's advice is to write three longhand pages uncensored as a daily practice. It is a goal of mine that I dip in and out of  every few months. My discipline is not yet a habit, but for this go-round I am in a "pinky swear" with Pam to write MPs. We check in weekly and motivate each other.  No admonishments because writers are very good at piling on the blame.

My Version 
My version of MPs doesn't involve the first thing that pops into my head and the time suggestion has morphed from morning to afternoon on occasion, too. I do find a peace in my yellow legal pads waiting for me to start the day and the sound of a smooth pen gliding across the surface, a writer ice skating with words that flow. 

I don't just get out the mental detritus the has built up overnight, but, rather freely write on ideas that I've been massaging in my brain. I want to capture that first set of ideas and "can" the freshness of the moment I first write them down. I don't edit or revise, I just spill ink on a particular topic.Through writing I discover ideas and sometimes I like the shape they take and sometimes I don't. But, that's OK. Lately my ideas center around my parents and family times when I was young: listening to baseball games on a radio with my dad, a special weekend in Shaker Village with my mother, what the library felt like to me as child. I consider these "pre-writings" of stories that may bear fruit, but for that morning, it's enough to get them on paper. 

Candy's Crazy Pages
Candace Fleming (3rd from left) and several GROGers at WOW Retreat 2015
Candace Fleming's insightful morning session on the first day of Kristen Fulton's WOW Retreat 2015, gave my hybrid practice of MPs some validation. Candace bravely shared her "messy writing," her longhand pages on wide-lined paper and a Bic pen. This is her discovery process, random thoughts, her "crazy pages," as she calls them. In Candy's crazy pages, she 
writes about her story,  
writes around her story,
writes about not writing it.
She talks to herself on paper to discover the heart of the story.
This felt so organic and freeing for me, personally. I bet most, if not all, the conference attendees felt lighter and happier knowing that we were being given permission by Candace Fleming to mess around with our work. 

Other Ideas
Earlier this year, one of my favorite manuscript's defied me, and I couldn't begin it. I desperately wanted to write this picture book biography. Why was it being so stubborn? One critique partner suggested I write a letter to my main character. Another suggested I write diary entries in her first person voice. Finally, a critique partner suggested that I write about why I could not begin the story. 
I wrote six-some pages for two or three days. I purged the whys out of me in cathartic MPs sessions and found the heart of my story. I also found what drew me to my main character and how we were similar but different. Now, that manuscript is on submission because I overcame my writing block. 
I am a firm believer in creating your own version of Morning Pages, Crazy Pages, Afternoon Pages, whatever you choose to name the practice. Free yourself up, play, or purge on paper, so you can get to your true purpose and motivation. Good morning, sunshine, your words say "hello".

   








29 comments:

  1. Yes Kathy! Love this! Writing is the key. We are often our own worst enemy. MPs or crazy pages are so uniquely useful. Until you try you don't know the true benefit they'll have for you! Well done friend!

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  2. Thanks for the great post, Kathy! I'll be adopting this habit as of this morning. :) Seems like a wonderful way to clear the night's cobwebs and get creativity flowing. Best of luck on your submission!

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    1. Verbenabeth, thank you for reading this and your wish for my story. Hope you enjoy your own MPs.

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  3. Very interesting! Thanks for sharing, Kathy. Love the photo of the groggers!

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    1. Wish we could have had you with us, Tina.

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  4. LOVE this Kathy! I have a PB bio that is giving me my own struggles - I'm dying to write her story, but it is just not coming out, thus, I keep putting it off. I may have to try your process! And I love the idea of MP, but, hmmm, fear I would not actually do it. Worth a try, though!

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    1. Debra, try writing about it, not writing IT. Why are you writing it???

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  5. This was one of the many favorites that I took away from Candy's session. Guess it's time to bite the bullet and go write my first set of crazy morning pages! Thanks, Kathy, for giving me the push that I needed.

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  6. This was one of the many favorites that I took away from Candy's session. Guess it's time to bite the bullet and go write my first set of crazy morning pages! Thanks, Kathy, for giving me the push that I needed.

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    1. Kristi, you can pinky swear w/us. Go to it, girl.

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  7. Thanks Kathy for the great post. I woke up wanting to write about anything other than my WIP. I've been stuck in the revision process and I'm planning to try some of the suggestions that you listed.

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  8. Kathy, this is just what I was looking for today- I love the Artist's Way, and lean on the MPs. But when time is short, I also have my own version- 3 lines if there is limited time. I write an "I wonder..."A conversation I heard..." and "An impression..." of the day. Three sentences (ok, maybe a few more spill onto the page) but it's just enough to feel like I've met my goal.

    I also appreciated the info on the Pb biography- I'm stuck right now. The tools you provided are perfect- can't wait to try them out today! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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    1. Andrea, I love your short get 'er done version of MPs. I will use that when i am short for time. We help each other - I love that about the kidlit community. Good luck on that bio. They are HARD to write.

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  9. eeww- the formatting changed- the 3 sentence starters I use:

    "I wonder..."

    "A conversation I heard today..."

    "An impression..."


    I hope this works...

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  10. I enjoyed reading about your process, and Candace's also. Now I'm even more excited to see her at the NF 4 NF Nonfiction Writing Conference in September. Sounds like you learned a lot, and even better, had your practice validated.

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    1. Maybe next year I'll get to your retreat, Pat.

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  11. Candace put herself out there and I was happy to see the way she uses paper to project her thoughts for her story. I do this and have pages of info about my characters. I don't have a set schedule, but this exercise helps me find the important things to bring my MC alive. I thank you and all my critique partners at WOW 2015 for the inspiration and comments which you shared with me. Moving forward!

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    1. Charlotte you are so devoted to your craft, something for me to strive for. Would love to see revised mss one day.

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  12. Love this post Kathy! Thank you for reminding me of how to get out of a jam.

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    1. Love you, Darshana. I am behind and am getting to your crit tomorrow.

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  13. Thanks, Kathy. Write, write, write. Up, down, and inside out until we hear the "heart"beat!!!

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  14. great post, Kathy! I've been doing morning pages regularly since... well, a buncha years ago. But I really wanted to make them more useful with my writing - and Candace really showed me a way to do that at the WOW workshop. Like you, my morning pages sometimes evolve into "elevenses" or "good grief it's 3-o-clock" pages.

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    1. Sue, as long as they work for us and do the job, they can occur, to my mind whenever.

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  15. Appreciations, Kathy! I think Julia Cameron's eyedears are inspiring, as is this article.
    Glad you adapted her suggestions to suit your pace. I would love to see your library and Shaker Village memories become poems or stories some day, I've heard of Shaker Village but have never visited. It must feel like a calm & welcoming place.
    I hope you stick with that biography.
    What a great smiling group you all are at Unicoi State Park for the WOW event with Candace Fleming. She is one of my favorites, ever since I read WHERE ONCE THERE WAS A WOOD, by her.

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  16. I have no longer can make excuses for not trying to write on paper with a Bic pen, of course. I was just under the impression that I can type faster on a keyboard than write with paper and pen. Time for my gel pen to glide across the paper for a *messy bessy* copy. Thank you, Kathy.

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