Week 2-3: Creative Blocks & Manifesting for Writers
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Hello, my lovely MsBrowns family!
It’s NotesOnDawn here, and I am so happy to be back on our AllAboutBooks site, sharing another chapter from my personal journal. As you may know, I am currently on a deep and transformative journey with Julia Cameron’s "The Artist's Way". My last post was about Week 9, but I want to rewind a little and share my experiences from Weeks 2 and 3, because they truly laid the groundwork for everything that followed.
My recent vlog, which this post is based on, was a short and sweet look into this very pivotal time. The main themes are "Recovering a Sense of Identity" (Week 2) and "Recovering a Sense of Power" (Week 3).
And "power" is the operative word.
This period was all about digging into spirituality, exploring the idea of manifesting, and confronting the unexpected ways our own creative process can be blocked. For so long, I thought "writer's block" was just about not having ideas. Oh, how wrong I was. I’ve discovered that my biggest blocks aren't about a lack of ideas at all, but about a deep-seated fear of receiving.
It’s been a profound, and at times deeply uncomfortable, revelation. So, grab a cup of tea, and let’s get into it.
Amazon UK - The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
The Sacred, Safe Space: My Morning Pages Practise
The first and most non-negotiable tool in "The Artist's Way" is the Morning Pages. If you’re not familiar with them, the task is simple: three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing, done every single morning, ideally as soon as you wake up.
This is not 'writing' in the sense that we, as book lovers, think of it. It is not art. It is not even journaling. It is, quite simply, a "brain dump".
As you can see from my vlog, I’ve been taking this ritual everywhere—from my quiet balcony first thing in the morning [02:00] to a cosy café [10:00]. The location matters less than the consistency. And as I’ve shown (I’m very proud of how chunky my notebook is getting! [09:48]), the pages are adding up.
In the beginning, I was sceptical. Three pages every day? But I was shocked at "how easy writing three pages was going to be each morning" [07:48]. My pen just... goes.
Most of it is utter nonsense: "I'm tired. I need to buy bananas. I wonder what the weather will be like. I'm still thinking about that weird email..."
But then, magic happens.
Amidst the nonsense, you "dial into some good stuff" [07:48]. The pages become a truly safe space to 'figure stuff out'. For a writer, this tool is invaluable. It’s where I clear out the mental static that stops me from hearing my own creative voice. It’s where I complain about a character who won't behave, or untangle a plot knot that’s been bothering me for days.
More importantly, it’s a space with no internal critic. The rule is you just keep the pen moving. You are not allowed to judge what comes out. In a world (and a profession) obsessed with editing, polishing, and reviews, having a daily practise that is only for you, with no audience and no standard of "good," is a radical act of self-care. It is the first step in building trust with your creative self.
And trust me, it’s in that safe, messy, private space that the real blocks start to show themselves.
The Block I Never Saw Coming: A Fear of Asking
This leads me to the biggest revelation of Week 3. While diligently writing my Morning Pages, I "encountered like a sort of blockade in me that I didn't expect" [07:54].
The theme of the week was "power," and the book discusses spirituality, manifesting, and the concept that you "need to be... open to receiving energy as much as you are giving energy" [08:09].
Now, I’ve always been open to the idea of manifesting. I've had "things that have come through because of manifesting" [08:37], so I'm not a total sceptic. But I had a sudden, cold realisation. As I confessed in my video, "I've never manifested... actively manifested... what I want creatively" [08:29, 08:43].
I’ve never sat down and actually asked for the things my writer-heart desires. I've never written down or said aloud: "I want to get a publisher," "I want to be published," "I want to get an agent," or "I want to sell this amount of books" [08:43, 08:49].
How could this be? I've dedicated so much of my life to the craft of writing, but I’ve completely ignored the business of believing in it.
The Morning Pages, in their safe-space wisdom, showed me exactly why. It was a painful thing to write, but the truth finally came out: I was "not trusting the process enough and myself enough" [09:21].
My core fear, which I think so many of us as writers share, is this: "I want these so bad... but if I... ask and then I don't get it then I'm going to be worse off than if I just didn't ask" [09:31, 09:41].
There it is. The heart of the block. It’s not a lack of ideas. It's not a lack of skill. It’s the crippling, pre-emptive fear of rejection. We are so terrified of hearing "no" from the world that we don't even allow ourselves to form the "yes" in our own hearts. We protect ourselves by never truly wanting it.
My "stupid brain," as I so lovingly called it [09:41], was trying to keep me safe. But "safe" is also where 'stuck' lives. Recovering my "sense of power" meant I had to first identify this profound lack of it.
Recovering Power Through Play: The Artist Date
So, how do you fix a block that big? You can't just 'push through' it. The Artist's Way answer is to play.
This is the second core tool: The Artist Date. It's a once-weekly, solo "date" with your inner artist (or inner child). It’s about "filling the well." As I’ve learned, it’s also a direct antidote to that fear of receiving. It’s the practise of receiving joy, inspiration, and fun, purely for its own sake.
This is where I've been finding my flow. I've been taking myself to botanical gardens [00:15], cosy cafes, and even the aquarium [10:00]. As writers, our job is to observe the world. You cannot 'output' a novel if you have no 'input'. These dates are my 'input'. They are my time to just absorb, to be curious, and to let my mind wander without a goal.
But my favourite Artist Date by far has been pottery.
I went to my class [04:47] and had a profound realisation about my own creative process. As I mentioned in the vlog, it's my "last session... doing glazing" [05:31], and I’ve learned so much.
Specifically, I realised "I prefer the hand stuff over the wheel stuff" [05:39].
This became the perfect metaphor for my writing life.
The Potter's Wheel: This, to me, is like rigid, high-pressure outlining. As I put it, "on the wheel you have to control every aspect to make sure that it works" [05:53]. One wobble, one slip of control, and the whole thing can collapse. It’s stressful. It feels like you are forcing the clay into submission. This is what my writing feels like when I am trying to control the outcome, forcing the plot, and terrified of 'getting it wrong'.
Hand-building: This is where I found the magic. With hand-building, "you have a bit more control... and you're not being controlling" [05:46]. It’s a paradox, isn't it? You have the freedom [05:57] to shape the clay, to feel its texture, to respond to it. It’s a partnership. You have an idea of what you want to make, but you let the process guide you. You are present, tactile, and flexible.
This is the kind of writer I want to be. I want to trust the process [09:21]. I want to have a gentle, guiding hand on my story, not a white-knuckled grip of control. Pottery has been a structured, physical, and deeply healing way to practise "letting go." It's taught me that a 'mistake' is just a new direction, and the joy is in the making, not just the finished product.
The 'How': From 'Stupid Brain' to Powerful Affirmations
So, I’ve used the Morning Pages to identify the block (my fear of asking/receiving). I’ve used the Artist Date to practise a new way of being (trusting the process, like with pottery).
The final piece of the puzzle for Weeks 2-3 is Affirmations and Positive Self-Talk.
Now that I know my block, I have to actively re-write the narrative. I have to create "affirmations or manifestations... around creativity" [09:13], the very thing I've been avoiding.
This isn't just "woo-woo" fluff. It is targeted, practical brain re-training. It's about taking that "stupid brain" [09:41] and giving it a new, more powerful script.
Instead of the subconscious fear: "If I ask and don't get it, I'll be worse off..."
I am now actively practising new thoughts. Affirmations like:
"I am a clear and open channel for creativity."
"My writing has value and deserves to be seen."
"I am open to receiving the perfect agent and publisher for my work."
"I trust the process, and I trust my own timeline."
"It is safe for me to want what I want."
This is the work. It feels vulnerable. It feels a bit silly at first. But it is the key to unlocking that "Sense of Power" that Week 3 is all about. It’s about giving yourself permission to want things, to ask for them, and to believe, fundamentally, that you are worthy of receiving them.
This journey is teaching me that the writing process is not just about grammar and plot. It’s a holistic practise. It’s about healing our old wounds, filling our creative well, and being brave enough to ask the universe for what we want.
Thank you for being here with me as I figure it all out.
With so much warmth,
NotesOnDawn