The Tyranny of Morning Pages

I failed The Artist's Way so many times

I finally quit The Artist’s Way.

I’ve lost count of my attempts to work my way through Julia Cameron’s 12-week program for creatives. The book’s promise and testimonials were alluring. After all, other artists and writers shared how the book help them prioritize their creative time and become unblocked.

Each time I began with good intentions to make it through the end.

I failed miserably at morning pages every time I tried to start or restart The Artist’s Way (affiliate link). For a week—sometimes two—I wrote morning pages as Cameron prescribed. Three handwritten pages of freewriting. Burping whatever was in my brain onto the page into neat lines of spilled ink. I didn’t even have to reread them, she proclaimed.

Max, my furry writing companion

When I was young mother taking care of two small children, spending time at my desk writing words that would never see the light of day felt like a waste of time. A luxury I couldn’t afford because I had to write to help pay the bills. I wrote all sorts of freelance articles and my own parenting and food blog. The time I spent on morning pages meant less time and creative energy on writing that paid me.

Once I decided to try my hand at writing romance novels, I tried morning pages and artists dates again. This time my kids were in school so much of my freelance writing was done during daylight hours. I’d gone down the rabbit hole of writing advice:

“Write everyday.” No, Stephen King, I want weekends off to spend time with my family.

“Try NaNoWriMo.” I received this advice from many writing friends. Write 50k words during the second busiest month of the year? My two failed attempts produced mostly garbage.

“Have you tried The Artist’s Way?” someone suggested. Multiple someones.

Behind my eyeroll was also the shame about my inability to write morning pages consistently.

You don’t have write every day (advice from me)

The thing about writing advice is that it doesn’t work for everyone. Our brains are different. What works for one person won’t work for another. Despite another failed attempt at Cameron’s program and its morning pages, I eventually learned to prioritize my writing time through trial and error.

It took me three years of not writing everyday, to finish my debut novel. Happy Endings published in 2021. My second novel Full Exposure was published in 2023 and Something Cheeky comes out in March 2025.

The day my debut novel released

That’s three novels. I’m proof that you don’t need to write every day in order to finish and publish books.

Learning what works best for you is one of the hardest things about being a writer.

Part of my learning process involved taking classes and coaching with Becca Syme and her Better Faster Academy. She’s a Gallup Strengths certified coach who helped me worth with my Strengths in order to prioritize my creative practice.

Part of the introductory class is taking the Gallup Strengths test. It’s like a personality test on steroids. While Gallup Strengths (formerly Clifton Strengths) were designed for corporate teams, Becca has done a magical job of translating them for creative folks.

If you’re familiar with Gallup Strengths, my top five are:

1. Strategic

2. Input

3. Deliberative

4. Relator

5. Learner

Thanks to Becca, I learned that I’m not wired to write words everyday. Especially when I write fiction. Because of my Strategic and Deliberative, I need to see a path for my scene or chapter before I can sit at my desk to put down the words.

Once I realized that writing isn’t just letting my thoughts flow from my fingers to the keyboard, I became a better writer. Not in a craft sense but in how I looked at myself as writer. I no longer beat myself up for being unable to sit down every morning to handwrite three stream-of-consciousness pages.

Something Cheeky is available for pre-order

Thinking about your story is part of the writing process.

This is my #2 advice to authors.

(My #1 advice is: If you write, you’re a writer.)

Thinking about your story is different than talking about writing or thinking about writing. It’s less My story will have all my favorite tropes and more of Where would the only one bed trope fit into my characters’ romantic arc?

No amount of morning pages would’ve helped me discover this about my brain. I never lacked the discipline to finish writing a novel. I had to understand my creative process and learn to listen to my intuition.

Calling morning pages tyrannical is hyperbolic, yes. But new writers or people who want to return to their writing practice are often told to try The Artist’s Way. If it doesn’t work them, they may tell themselves they’re not meant to be a writer.

I’m here to give you permission to free yourself from daily pages if they don’t work for you. Only you can decide if they’re helping or hindering your creative practice.

A couple of months ago, I rediscovered my copy of The Artist’s Way. And promptly set it in the donate pile without any guilt or shame.

Your turn. Are you a fan of morning pages?