The Miracle of Morning Pages: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Most Important Artist's Way Tool

by Julia Cameron

In this invaluable companion to Julia Cameron’s seminal work on the creative process, The Artist’s Way, she provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about her most powerful tool for unblocking creative stores: Morning Pages. According to Cameron, keeping a Morning Pages Journal is essential to cultivating creativity and personal growth. These pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing will provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize, and synchronize the day at hand. The Miracle of the Morning Pages Journal clarifies and expands upon the ins and outs of the art of keeping a Morning Pages Journal.

Also included in this e-special is an excerpt from The Artist's Way for Parents, the most highly requested addition to Julia Cameron's canon of work

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Self Help, Journaling, Art, Productivity, Psychology

50 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Julia Cameron has been an active artist for more than thirty years, with fifteen books (including bestsellers The Artist's Way, Walking In This World and The Right to Write) and countless television, film, and theater scripts to her credit. Writing since the age of 18, Cameron has a long list of screenplay and teleplay credits to her name, including an episode of Miami Vice, and Elvis and the Beauty Queen, which starred Don Johnson. She was a writer on such movies as Taxi Driver, New York, New York, and The Last Waltz. She wrote, produced, and directed the award-winning independent feature film, God's Will, which premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival, and was selected by the London Film Festival, the Munich International Film Festival, and Women in Film Festival, among others. In addition to making film, Cameron has taught film at such diverse places as Chicago Filmmakers, Northwestern University, and Columbia College. Her profound teachings on unlocking creativity and living from the creative center have inspired countless artists to unleash their full potential.

Reviews

[David Sasaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim little book has changed my life.

We all strive to live more intentional lives. To have all the moments of each day add up to something more than just reaction to what circumstance puts in front of us. Especially in adulthood, when our lives become less dreamy and more confined than our younger selves ever anticipated, it feels like we merely abide by whatever our calendars, to-do list, email and vibrating phones tell us to do. How to reclaim the idealism and creativity of our youth and temper it with the experience and maturity of adulthood?

My first attempt was meditation. I tried to silence all the noisy, reactive thoughts bubbling around in my brain so that I could experience the reality around me with fresh eyes, with a "beginner's mind." It worked, to a degree. But something was missing. I was suppressing thoughts, aspirations and anxieties instead of processing them.

This very simple book has given me another step that has made all the difference: three little pages of journaling first thing in the morning to get it all out on paper first, and then meditate with a clear, rested mind.

Morning Pages are about action. Unlike conventional meditation, which may lull you out of taking action, the pages magnify our discontent, pointing out actions we could take. The pages tend to point out our many choice points. We are egged on to increased honesty and candor. Our life becomes our own. We no longer sell ourselves out, giving our time and energy to others’ agendas. We have a choice whether to invest in others or ourselves. Investing in ourselves is novel for many of us.

If you have a problem and you take it into Morning Pages, you will be given a sense of a possible next step. If you take the same problem into meditation, you may find yourself so spiritually “high” that no action seems necessary.

These three, daily "morning pages" amount to a conversation with ourselves. But that conversation is typically like a bunch of random text messages. This morning exercise helps us place them into a narrative and spot the patterns that emerge over time.

Day by day, pages tutor us. We learn to act in our own best interests. We stop being victims of circumstance. A choice at a time, we begin to craft a life that reflects our authentic values. Rather than sitting on the sidelines critiquing the game, we start to participate.

Maybe Morning Pages aren't for everyone. But if you're curious, it's worth at least giving it a shot.

[Van Hoang]

I do like the Artist's Way and the practicality of the Morning Pages (or as Chuck Wendig calls them, brain vomits), but I couldn't help reading this as a giant infomercial. BILLY MAYS HERE, WITH THE MORNING PAGES. PUT IT IN YOUR BRAIN, PUT IT ON PAPER, IT WILL CLEANSE YOUR SOUL AND SET THE GREAT CREATOR FREE. IT'S AN ORGANIC PROBLEM ERASER. HAVE CANCER? MORNING PAGES WILL STITCH THAT F*CKER RIGHT THE HELL UP. GOT CHILDREN? WHO GIVES A SHIT, YOUR WRITING COMES FIRST. CAN'T WRITE THAT NOVEL? MORNING PAGES WILL HAVE YOU CRAFTING PULITZERS IN NO TIME (JUST DON'T USE QUOTATION MARKS).

Rest in peace, Billy Mays.

[Holli Keel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like The Artist’s Way, and I like the morning pages, but there was something unlikable about this book. Cameron answers questions about the morning pages, and some of it is very helpful. But a lot of it seems like she believes there’s only one way to do it (her way), and any deviation at all won’t work. I’m a “do what works for me and toss the rest” kind of person, so her rigid decrees of how to do the morning pages sound self-absorbed and annoying. Your mileage may vary.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this book through a list of non-exercise things one can do for self-care, intrigued by the idea of 750words.com. In some ways a little too sentimental for my taste (and probably too much to do each day to be realistic for me), it offers a compelling case for spending more time confronting one's thoughts on the page every day.

[Courtney Cahoon White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably could have been a long essay; I was convinced within 20 pages.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hyped me up on the practice without having read the artist’s way

[Dex Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insanely short book but the message is solid. The goal is to write morning pages and the practice of doing so is outlined in a very short format. Feels like it could’ve been a pamphlet.

I will rerate and review the book again when I have done what the book suggests and see how it goes. A lot of famous, professional, high performance folks swear bu this book.

It gets a little preachy and spiritual in the middle, but the practice isn’t effected by it.

[Barbara Storey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little companion to The Artist's Way - gives some insights into the meaning of Morning Pages and how to do them, but even more, WHY to do them. I recommend it as a useful tool if you're working your way through The Artist's Way.

[Montana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and concise

This is a fantastic quick read packed with how to do an amazingly simple practice that can change your life. I have started writing my daily morning pages and am eager to see what develops.

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good stuff. Some wacky fluff. All in all worth a good skim.

[Eliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to Morning Pages first by Amy Landino (author of the book Good Morning, Good Life) Amy mentions about this practice in her book, her YouTube channel, and then her podcast Detail Therapy.
I didn’t find this practice appealing until Amy Landino’s podcast about Morning Pages that was done with so much detail about Morning Pages that I decided to give this practice a try the next day. The clarity I’ve been able to have in my mind has been amazing thanks to the fact that I empty my brain on those pages every morning. I was so fascinated by the results that I decided to search a book that explains more about Morning pages. I didn’t want to read the book “the artist’s way” where Julia Cameron talks about Morning pages. I wanted a book that was focused on Morning pages. Some book that explained the benefits of practicing Morning pages, that had other people’s experiences in it. I came across this book. “The Miracle of Morning pages” by Julia Cameron.
The practice of Morning Pages and the impact for the better in my life deserve a 5 stars review -I’d actually give the practice a thousand stars- I am a firm believer now that Morning Pages can have the power to improve your life.
I loved this book and I’d recommend it for sure. The only reason why I can’t give it a five star is because I feel the first portion of the book was just amazing. I think I highlighted every single sentence in the first portion of the book. The second portion felt like a waste and not focusing at all on the practice of Morning Pages. It was an encouragement to allow our children find their artist side. It’s a great advice, but not for this book. I would have been able to give it a five star had she focused the entire book to the practice and explanation of Morning pages. I wonder how the book would have been for me personally if the second portion would have focused on the experiences many people have had with Morning pages. Julia mentions only a few in the book and very vaguely. It would be empowering to read different people’s experiences with Morning pages in a book that explains what Morning Pages are.

Anyways, I’m so glad I found the practice of Morning Pages. A very powerful practice. Because of the practice itself I have to put this book on my top ten books I’d recommend even when I’m giving it a four stars and not five but simply because of the power of the practice.

I hope I made sense.

[Donatella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short book, which is great, I'd like all self-help books to be this short, so I would actually read them instead of breezing through the table of contents. Self-help and improvement are a trap idea anyway.
What I like about this Morning Pages routine is the fixed format of compulsory three pages (21x27 cm) every day, because probably the most interesting stuff comes out when you have nothing much to say. I've been journaling a lot in the past, and I'd journal only when I had something specific to rant or speculate about, which was all the time at the beginning and then less and less frequently as the inner ferret wore out.
So after quickly reading the book, I have decided to give it a go - I'll have to wake up a bit earlier, which is hard to live with, hope it's worth it.
One note, I personally don't agree with what she says about meditation and how the MP differ from it. I think she's a bit weird around the idea of action, or maybe I am, as I think people already act 'too much' and are so hard on themselves, I wish we would all relax and see how wonderful we already are, no need to be given another stupid reason to try to change or to think that others should. That's my opinion. I'd see the value of writing things down residing more in the connection with yourself and in finding what new surprising stuff your mind can concoct once it's emptied the bag of the usual grievances.
Anyway all and all the idea seems interesting and the book is a very quick read, no big commitment required. It doesn't actually say much, haha! I mean, other than oh do do the MP, it's awesome! she may over-promise, like another reviewer remarked, no she's definitely over-promising. So it has its limitations, but I'll know if these MP are worth it in a while, and if they are then who cares if she's selling it a bit and has nothing much to say, totally ok by me.

[P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise. Easy. Dogma.

I like this book bcz it was short and to the point. It didn't rattle on. It is my belief that the computer-age has caused shorter attention spans. Me included. Therefore, I need quick and easy reads. In this way, I can get more read too. This, of course, calls upon authors, to shorten up their sentences, nice and tidy. Make way for clear, fast plots. This book did nicely with that. I especially like the fact that the author included questions. These were questions anybody would likely ask. And again, her answers were non-wordy. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore personal writing styles, as a means to chronicle life, or thoughts. What I did not like about this book was that it was far too dogmatic. It left no room at all, for writing past the morning hours. C'mon, really? We are talking about the brain, here. It does, in fact, have the ability to journal the exact same things in the afternoon as it would in the morning. However, sadly, the author was downright fist-pounding strict that the writing needs to occur in the morning only. I completely disagreed with this staunchness. I do not care that the author has had her own personal experience with morning writing. I do not believe this idea should be forced upon readers. The strictness was scary. It reminded me of people in my background that shamed me with strictness, saying, "it's either my way or the highway!" So the overall message was good. The presentation, not so much. Ultimately, I ended up developing a new realm of personal writing that was "right for me." I did it by using this book as an outline. So it worked out well.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down. This was a quick overview of the value of morning pages, her top tool for everyone (not just artists and writers) in which you write long hand stream-of-consciousness style for three pages first thing in the morning. The book made me interested to try it - she certainly promises miracles from the practice. I’ve seen in my own life the value of getting out of my own head; putting things on paper, in the light of day, can certainly be illuminating. (It’s kind of crazy some of the things that seem true in my head but are complete nonsense! Am I the only one?) I highlighted a lot in this short book, where she talks about learning to see our inner critic for the pessimistic fool they are (she calls her inner critic Nigel, a British gay man with impossibly high standards, which is hilarious) and boldly asking for solutions for problems that seem impossible. I’m definitely intrigued but skeptical I can work this practice into a fully loaded morning routine!

[Soquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some good ideas to be incorporated into my morning routine. I learned about morning pages at a writing conference years ago but didn't really try it until this year. It was sort of like my old writing-warm-up blog but with a more free-flowing stream of consciousness. This book was helpful in explaining why the page size, the amount written by hand, and other things are necessary to get the expected outcome. I especially liked this quote in the section on being perfect-enough. "The path to mastery is a long one, no matter the natural talent." The idea that I can try, fail, experiment and find a creative wellspring in my morning pages is awesome. I recommend checking this book out. It's a quick read and has some great insights.

[Jan Huang · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful little book that highlights and gives examples of the usefulness of journaling. Acting more like an F.A.Q. about the journaling method highlighted in The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. The book clarifies some points and gives some tips about journaling better.

My biggest takeaways are to be more specific about what you are writing and ask harder and more uncomfortable questions which can lead to clearer decion making.

[Vikk Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caution: this is a very short book, about 50+ pages. It's even less if you are only wanting to read about morning pages and are not interested in the accompanying essay. That said, it worked for me.

Julia Cameron's The Artist Way is very familiar to me as I read it close to the time it was first published and also facilitated a couple of Artist Way groups for six years. When I ran across this book, I wanted to hear again how Cameron viewed Morning Pages.

If your interest is only in learning about Morning Pages, you'll find your answers. If you want to understand more fully the accompanying The Artist Way path, then choose that book, instead.

[Marc Ortega Jaraute · Rating 2 out of 5]

El libro da respuestas a algunas de las principales preguntas que the pueden surgir sobre el hábito de escribir las “morning pages” o páginas matutinas. Aunque si ya has leído el libro “El Camino del Artista” o has investigado un poco por internet, no vas a encontrar nada nuevo.

La segunda parte del libro recoge algunos extractos de su otro libro “The Artist's Way for Parents” que, aunque interesante, ni siquiera tiene nada que ver con las “morning pages”.

En resumen, un libro absolutamente prescindible.

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but it's a lot of repetition about why the morning pages are most important. I don't do it bc how many things can I do in the morning? I seriously need 5 hours before work if I want to do all of my creative, ayurvedic, spiritual, and athletic morning routines, so I can't do this one. I don't buy all of her reasoning, but I know many value and appreciate it. Will do the pages at another time but still a valuable tool and book.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

More thoughts later but my initial impression is one of skepticism and annoyance when someone suggests that “(1) my method will help you lose weight, find love, choose paint for your bedroom, write bestselling novels, become a musician, et cetera AND (2) you must employ *exactly* my prescribed method or the magic WILL NOT HAPPEN.” (Not a direct quote, obvs.)

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed the reminders and inspiration contained in this special little edition of everything I always wanted to know about morning pages. I have started writing my own morning pages again, and finding I missed the habit, even though I haven't written them in years.

[Kim Bracknell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful

This was a quick read. I found this short book answered my questions about "Morning Pages". I would recommend this book to anyone who is reading The Artist's Way and needs a little clarification. I look forward to my daily pages.

[Ted Ziegenbusch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teaser for the Real Thing

This appears to be more of a "teaser" for those considering Artists Way, rather than a follow-up. However, it should give you an idea of the many benefits of completing Artists Way.

[Kruimel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aan the Artist's way zal ik me voorlopig niet wagen, maar de morning pages vond ik altijd al interessant als idee. Dit korte boekje trok me over de streep om er mee te beginnen. Een goede leestip van Kelly Deriemaecker.

[Maureen Penton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It all makes sense!

This is very inspirational. Julia Cameron has come up with a unique, worthwhile journaling technique which is super insightful. Simple yet sophisticated enough to help a person progress in which ever creative endeavour they choose. Thank you Julia Cameron.

[Franklyn Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book as an introduction to writing. This book has encouraged me to write every single morning.... it's been a year and a half writing every morning and I'm happy that it has provided the kind of awareness I have always wanted in my life.

[Tina Thevarge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the first reading...

I read this before, the first time I tried Morning Pages. Recently decided to take them up again, so read through this short book again to refresh my memory. Happy I did.

[Yi Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is not as specific as i have thought. The only thing that I found useful is that Julia mentioned the right size for morning pages: 8.5” x 11” for 3 pages. The other things I find repetitive as the Artist’s Way.

[Radhika (rads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good concept and as I start to write, dustily, I begin to see value in it. Morning pages is essentially a great writing practice for many writers or for folks interested in tapping into their sub conscious.

I felt that it could have been shorter. But all good. Everyone should read it.

[Athenenike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Good but super short. Cameron answers some popular questions about the Morning Pages and reinforces how they should be done.