Basic tools modified: the morning pages

I have no earlier resource, but the earliest book I heard that talked about the practice of morning pages is Dorothea Brande's Becoming A Writer, published in the 1930s. Brande's instructions are simply to wake up and write on one impulse: no going to the bathroom, no checking cellphones (well, cellphones weren't invented then yet), and simply to write stream-of-consciousness until you write yourself empty.

Brande further instructs that if you finish about two pages today, then try to extend the next day's morning's pages to two pages and a half, and so on. Keep writing until you run out of things to say or wake up on the page. Hopefully, you keep writing at a steady output, and never less than yesterday's number of pages.

The first time I heard of this practice, though, was at a writing workshop. It was only mentioned in passing, and quoted from Ricky Lee's Trip to Quiapo. The instructions were similar. Write first thing in the morning. I don't have a copy of Mr. Lee's seminal scriptwriting manual so I don't know how he explained the practice.

It was, of course, Julia Cameron who popularized this practice for modern artists when The Artist's Way came out in the 90s. She also adapted the journaling instructions she received from Al-Anon and imposed a three-page limit to the stream-of-consciousness writing, and this is the form of morning pages we know today and most artists practice.

It's 2021. We are allowed to modify guidelines not to be rebels, but because we have followed the guidelines closely for a long while and know the spirit behind the letter of the law. I have been doing morning pages close to seventeen years. I have filled up hundreds of notebooks by hand. Here are some modifications I suggest for the 21st century artist:

1. We have to admit that the first thing we reached out for when we wake up is not our pen and paper which we prepared beforehand for our morning pages practice. Instead, we reach out for our cellphones. Neither Brande, Lee, nor Cameron could have predicted this technological predicament we would face nowadays. My suggestion is for you to put your phone on airplane mode before going to sleep. That way, there won't be any notifications to check in the morning. Only connect to WiFi after you've done your pages.
2. Download a binaural app. Choose a delta wavelength, about > 5.0 Hz, plug in your earphones, and write with this background noise. This extends the groggy, just woke up feeling and helps you keep writing from the voice of your subconscious, instead of your more wakeful, critical mind. Hitching your writing hand to your subconscious is the goal of morning pages anyway.
3. Play relaxing music. Either pre-download instrumental, relaxing music using your favorite music app (I am partial to Deezer and its hi-fi sound quality), or put on soothing music from YouTube. I like Yellow Brick Cinema channel. Just resist the temptation to check your social media notifications. If the urge to check notifs is too strong, just write, "I want to check on Replies to my Instagram post from yesterday," then keep writing. You can go on IG after you've done your pages.
4. If after three pages you still don't feel clear, connected, or awake, then keep writing until you do. The whole point is to break through during the writing, until you feel your heart chakra warm up, or your crown chakra open, for example. 
5. Most important of all, keep at it. Stick with the practice. Do further modifications if you need to. The only non-negotiables, I think, are: write as soon as you open your eyes or your alarm goes off. Write until you feel connected.

Tomorrow, I'll write about modifications I made on the artist date exercise. Keep tuned, stay safe, and happy creating!