In her wonderful book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron gives parameters for the best writing practice I have ever found. She calls it, “Morning Pages.” You do three pages of handwriting every day, brain drain, as she calls them. We’ve heard of Stream of Consciousness writing? This it is. Go.
Our pastor, Peter Lord suggested something similar many years ago. He called it the 2959 plan. That’s for twenty-nine minutes and fifty- nine seconds of writing letters to God. He published a form journal where you prayed your prayers, jotted down notes and scriptures and described daily miracles as they happened. Since I started doing that, I’ve read many books on journaling and I’ve come to see it as essential to my life.
I have so much to tell you about this practice. It’s wonderful, but I’ll try to control myself. Maybe you already know a lot about journaling, tell me, tell me, I can’t get enough of that wonderful stuff.
This morning I started writing about something that is happening in an organization we belong to. I wrote what she said, what he said, and several times I got that Eureka feeling of seeing something I haven’t understood before. Those insights are priceless. I would not find them any other way. During morning pages, I can work out things about my writing too. Characterization, plot, scheduling, and organization. Here’s a poem that evolved from my journal today:
Keeping Track
The government may shut down.
No new mall will come to town.
But I can write and I can paint,
Sometimes husband is a saint.
Something good may soon be sold
It seems life is stuck on hold.
But my home is safe and cool
I’ve got it good. I’m no fool.
Things are changing, there’s no doubt,
God prevails, don’t leave him out.