Evening Pages

How can you turn the principles of Introspective Writing into a daily practice? My favorite way to do this is what I call Evening Pages.

For me, this practice is a go-to whenever I am going through difficulties. If I feel stressed, overwhelmed or otherwise not at my best, this is what I do. Without fail, after a few days of Evening Pages, I feel lighter, clearer and better able to take on whatever challenge I’m facing.

Setting & Ritual

You could just plop down and write for a few minutes in the evening, following the principles you’ve learned so far. However, I recommend that you deliberately create the setting and ritual for your evening writing. I’ve found that small details can make a big difference:

• Write before bed, with nothing else scheduled after your writing session.
• Write in a darkened room with dim, warm lights.
• Write alone, with no interruptions or distractions.
• Write either in silence or with low, ambient music that gets you into a good flow state.
• Make a ritual out of lighting a candle, lighting some incense or anything else that feels good to you.

All of this helps you “drop in” and access deeper layers of your psyche in your writing session.