Morning Pages
This began as a draft while waiting for a friend outside the park at 9am, and was completed that evening in the back of a Holborn live lounge, watching my parents' band do soundcheck for their gig...
I read a quote the other day from the Barnes and Noble Press Blog that has unintentionally become the driving force behind my writing for a few days, or at least my newfound creative flow.
I’ve been presented with a lot of change in different areas of my life recently. With this, alongside the recent moody weather, l'd been losing a lot of incentive...
A cite from Jodi Picoult (below) was one of 50 in this article a friend sent to me.
“You may not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page."
At the risk of being too far fetched, to me this extends to more than just writing. Obviously we can’t ’edit’ our day… Once it’s done, our decisions and actions are permanent. Taking Picoult’s words out of the context of writing, I take it to mean that every movement causes progression. Whether in the wrong or right direction, if there is such thing, you’ve learnt a lesson either way.
Along with myself, I’ve spoken to a handful of people in the past few weeks who have felt very off, like something is in the air. Entering a new season comes with its challenges… The warmth and sun disappear - in its place are looming clouds; we go back to work or school. Summer feels so much shorter now that I’m an adult; too hard to savour the family vacations, thirty degree weather and pressure-free days driven by spontaneity. Once I’ve had a taste of it again, I feel a childish inclination to spend long periods like this; having boundless fun with family and friends. But eventually the summer comes to a close, and we have to settle back down.
Picoult’s quote above perfectly embodies this time of transition. As creatives especially, we may not be able to jump back into a schedule when the summer is over, but we can make little efforts day by day before something bigger comes along. I’m ready for something bigger now. Not a blank page, not a few sentences - a whole story.
In terms of my actual writing though, that could always do with some editing…
Exhibit A - a song in the making with lots of scribbles. Keep creating, keep writing, keep changing your mind.
Hope everyone is having a beautiful weekend,
