
Got that morning feeling?
It’s dawn 6am and you’ve risen early just to get those ‘morning pages’ done. And you’re staring at a blank sheet. Writer, you need warm up.
Just as many painters will apply a beige wash to a blank canvas to stop it looking so virgin – you’ll need to put something down on the page – “hggahgoidihgogha” will do, just get something down, break that white, crack that ice. Next, do a non-dominant hand exercise. If you are right-handed, then pick up a pen and start to write with your left. If you’re on a laptop, then type “The quick brown fox…” with your left hand alone. If you’re left-handed, apply vice vearsa.
Enjoy the sensation of the pen flowing over your paper or the tap of your finger tips on the keyboard and don’t think too hard about what you’re writing. Let it flow. When you’ve written out the fox/dog sentence a few times, continue on with the story. Where does the fox go next? Why is the dog feeling lazy? Where are they? What does the air smell like? What sounds can you/they hear? Is it hot or cold? Wet or dry? How does the dog feel when the fox jumps over him? Does he plan revenge? Once you’ve done a paragraph or two, you’ll probably find that the creative juices are flowing enough for you to turn your attention to that story you were working on before – or read over your freewrite, there might be the kernel of something worth working on.
Now, I’m off to take my own advice…
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About suehealy
From Ireland, Sue Healy is Literary Manager at the Finborough Theatre, London, a full-time Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Lincoln. Her book on theatre literary management is published by Routledge, December 2022.
Sue is an award-winning writer for stage, TV, and prose writer.
TV
Her current project, a 6x60minute TV series, is under option. She is under commission with Lone Wolf Media, producers behind PBS’ “Mercy Street”, to co-write the pilot and treatment for a six-part TV series.
Stage
Her most recent stage-play, Imaginationship (2018), enjoyed a sold out, extended run at the Finborough and later showed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Her previous stage productions include Cow (Etcetera Theatre, 2017) and Brazen (King’s Head Theatre, 2016), funded by Arts Council England. Sue’s short plays have been performed at the Criterion (Criterion New Writing Showcase), Arcola (The Miniaturists) and Hackney Attic (Fizzy Sherbet Shorts).
Radio
Her radio work includes nine plays broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (Opening Lines winner), WLRfm and KCLR96fm.
Prose
Sue has won The Molly Keane Award, HISSAC Prize, Escalator Award, Meridian Prize and has been published in nine literary journals and anthologies including: The Moth, Flight, Tainted Innocence, New Writer, Duality, HISSAC, New European Writers. She has been writer-in-residence on Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, and at the Heinrich Boll Cottage on Achill Island. She has also benefitted from annual artist residencies at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, and at Ginestrelle, Assisi in Italy.
An academic with a PhD in modern theatre history, specifically the Royal Court Theatre, Sue has presented her research internationally. She spent eleven years in Budapest, editing Hungary A.M. She has a PhD in modern theatre history (Royal Court Theatre) and is a UEA Creative Writing MA alumnus.
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October 8th, 2011 at 12:14
Nice advice! I like it, though I’m already up and running on edits for my WIP. Such tedious work, but so necessary.
October 8th, 2011 at 12:21
Great advice, get going in the morning. Unfortunately, my morning starts at 2:45am each day. Ugh! No amount of coffee will help that. lol
October 8th, 2011 at 15:08
Good idea – I’ll try it. Thanks for the tip.
October 10th, 2011 at 08:44
Hi Sue,
I need to contact you regarding a contribution (article) for my free online magazine http://www.liveencounters.net
My email is : markulyseas@liveencounters.net and ulyseas@gmail.com
Looking forward to hearing from you
bestest regards
Mark Ulyseas
http://www.marculyseas.wordpress.com
October 10th, 2011 at 17:22
Intriguing…
October 13th, 2011 at 16:14
I tried morning pages once upon a time. I hated it because it took so much time out of my productive life. Now I blog first thing in my writing day–killing two birds with one stone, if you will.
Regardless, the end result is the same. My creativity gets a jump start and I’ve established a writing routine.
Thanks for the reminder of how important this is.
May 31st, 2013 at 13:38
Good post. I learn something totally new and
challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day. It’s always interesting to read through content from other authors and practice a little something from other web sites.