Some years ago I read a rather brilliant book by an American author - I think her name was Natalie Goldberg - and it introduced me to the concept of Morning Pages. As Natalie quite rightly pointed out, no sports person will enter an event without some kind of warm-up because the consequences could be disasterous. Similarly, she cleverly pointed out, a writer should also warm up before getting on with their novel, poems, article or whatever writing project they are on. It doesn't matter what you write in your Morning Pages because the only person ever likely to see it is you. So I'd often spend a happy half hour or so just letting thoughts of all kind pour forth - the weather, the garden birds, what the cat had been up to, the mood I was in, whether or not I needed to go shopping, or do some housework. Morning Pages are different from a diary or journal because in a diary or journal, one tends to reflect on one's day. In Morning Pages, you can't reflect on what has already happened because nine times out of ten you are sitting up in bed writing them before your day has even begun. And you can't really speculate much either, unless you have plans in place already. So you just write.
It makes you feel great. It makes you believe you are that writer you tell everyone you are. Those moments are you and your pen's alone.
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