A couple of years after beginning my writing career, I started a writer’s group and found it very beneficial to my writing. I learned to write on a given topic every week, bringing it back to the group for critique for the following week’s meeting. My writing improved a great deal over the time I met with this group. It was one of the members of this group who introduced me to Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way, and I began to journal for the first time. Through The Artist’s Way, I was introduced to journaling in the form of three pages of long-hand each morning; and over ten years later I continue to do this. That is not to say that I have not lapsed from this daily morning ritual for periods of time—sometimes for long periods of time—but whenever I find that my writing is languishing I take up the discipline with renewed vigour and my writing flow returns.
Most of my published writing had its beginning in these morning pages and my current writing, mostly for my website and this blog, starts with a planted seed in my journal where it roots, grows, buds, flowers and matures into its final fruit. I write these morning pages as a written prayer to God, asking the Holy Spirit to guide me and give me the words that I should say.
It was in my morning pages that I wrote my prayer/poem, which I prayed daily during the writing of my first published book: Prayer Companion: A Treasury of Personal Meditation.
The prayer/poem that I used daily is:
My Inspiration
I open myself to You, O Holy Spirit
From whom comes my inspiration.
I will listen to Your word, O Jesus the Son
And write it as You tell it to me.
May the words go into the world
O Father, to glorify Your name,
And let the blessings of thanksgiving
Return to Your throne,
And join with the voices of angels
To praise and glorify the Triune God.
Blessed be the Holy Trinity.
Whenever I find my writing is beginning to bog down, I usually realise that I have been remiss in doing my morning pages; and when I get back in the groove of writing three pages of long-hand in my journal, my writing life picks up momentum once again. I recommend Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way, to anyone who is starting a writing career.
© Judith Lawrence
Author of Glorious Autumn Days: Meditations for the Wisdom Years; and Grapes From The Vine, Book of Mystical Poetry. Both available at www.lulu.com
Author of Prayer Companion: A Treasury of Personal Meditation, available at Chapters and www.pathbooks.com
Web Site: www.judithlawrence.ca
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