Bactine for Writer’s Burnout Part 4 (Morning Pages) + Google Plus / IWSG

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NOTE: At the ER. I’ll do my duties as co-host when I can.

Update: I was released from the ER on Wednesday with the diagnosis of a mass on my right ovary. I am much better now. The pain and tenderness had gone away. I am in the process of finding a specialist because everyone recommends I have it removed asap. Thank you for your love and prayers.

IWSG BOOK CLUB:

For December and January we will be reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Discussion day will be January 23, 2019. JOIN US!

GOOGLE PLUS:

With Google+ being taken down come the New Year, Google+ profiles and groups will disappear, and bloggers using Google+ for comments and/or profiles will need to make changes. 

NOTE: Google accounts will not be impacted.

Blogger: If you’re using Google+ for comments, in Blogger, go to "settings," click "posts, comments, and sharing," and scroll down to "Google Plus Comments" and mark it as "No" for "Use Google+ comments on this blog." Which means people will then be commenting directly on your blog. Unfortunately, Google+ comments may disappear from your posts. So sorry!

If you’re using Google+ as your profile, in Blogger, go to "user settings" under "settings" and change the profile from Google+ to Blogger, so when people click on your name/avatar, they'll go directly to your Blogger profile (this is what mine does). You can update your profile by viewing your blog and clicking "View your complete profile" (if the profile gadget was added to the layout) and then "edit profile" at the top of the new page. This is where you can add a profile/avatar image if you don't already have one uploaded.

For Blogger, if it says "(Google)" next to your name in comment boxes, you're good. That means you're logged into your Google account, which will not go away.

Wordpress: You can remove the “share to Google+ button” by going to your Wordpress dashboard, “sharing,” “sharing buttons,” and “edit sharing buttons.” You can also disconnect from sharing to Google+ under “connections.” As far as commenting on Blogger accounts, try changing the “comment as” from “Google” to "Name/URL." That way people aren’t brought to your Google+ profile, which probably won't exist. They'll go straight to your blog/site, instead. The only thing is, you won’t have an image/avatar that way.

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More Tips to Help You START Reversing Writer’s Burnout:

To read my story and the tips I previously shared check out:

Bactine for Writer’s Burnout Part 1 (Speak) Tips 1 - 3

Bactine for Writer’s Burnout Part 2 (Write YOU) Tips 4 - 8
Bactine for Writer's Burnout Part 3 (Writers Meetings) Tips 9 - 11

Bactine #12: Morning Pages

Morning Pages are a tool in The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I talked about her book and this technique last year. See the post here.

What Are Morning Pages?

The idea is to write 3 hand-written pages as soon as you wake up, every day. Even before coffee. (Okay, so maybe while your coffee is brewing or while sipping coffee is okay.) You can write about how much you need coffee or just write “Today will be a good day” over and over again.

These pages are for you only and can be stupid, silly, or messy. You’re not supposed to be striving to write excellent prose here. So crossing things out is a no-no. Don’t worry about making these pages perfect. The point is to write.

Why Morning Pages?

1. You start the day writing, which is huge for someone going through burnout or block.

2. Beginning the day with a pen or pencil in your hand may prompt you to write more.

3. If you don’t manage to write anything else, at least you wrote your morning pages, which totally counts when you’re burned out.

So, I gave morning pages a try for the first time. I liked to write these pages while sitting up in bed, after first waking up, and Julia Cameron says to write before you do anything, but you can do whatever you feel is best, just as long as it’s soon after waking up. A sleepy brain is fine. Actually, when I’m sleepy, I get the best ideas, and maybe that’s the point.

The first day, I wrote about my previous day.

The second day, I wrote about how much I’m NOT a morning person.

The third day, I didn’t know what to write and rambled on about my to-do list.

But on that morning, I got an idea…

BACTINE #13: Prompts

If I can’t write about my previous day because nothing really happened, I want something to be on those pages than a whole lot of nothing. That’s how I thought of Morning Pages prompts, which I actually did not invent. lol

Why prompts?

1. They're a starting point to get your brain going, which is perfect for a writer hoping to spark an idea or looking for motivation to continue writing.

2. You're putting something on the pages, whether good or bad, that’s not a waste of space. They’re your thoughts/dreams, etc. on a specific topic.

3. You don’t have to worry about what to fill those 3 pages with, which could lead many writers to give up on morning pages. Just randomly pick a prompt or go down your list in order and let that prompt prod words out of your tired brain.

Prompts:

- When I wake up I see…

- This month/week/today I am looking forward to... (this one can be repeated)

- I promise myself I will/won’t…

- When I was little I wanted to be…

- My earliest memory is…

- What makes me happy? (list)

Another Bactine post for Writer’s Burnout coming soon!

QUESTION: Have you ever tried Morning Pages?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!