Unlock Your Creative Potential: A Transformative Journey Awaits in Spring 2025
Are you ready to take your writing to the next level? Did you know that many writers struggle to find their creative flow when working in isolation? The spiritual dimensions of writing can significantly influence your creative practice, and integrating them is key to unlocking your potential.
With this new opportunity from Spiritual Direction for Writers®— Don't Write Alone Spring 2025 Cohort—you will have a supportive community and other resources that will help you focus on integrating your creative and spiritual practices in ways that help you have more of the writing life you want. This three-month journey, running from April 1 to June 30, can help you deepen your writing practice, connect with like-minded individuals, and make tangible progress on your projects. That's right—the writing life doesn't have to be a solitary one.
Whether you're working on a book manuscript, developing a proposal, planning a launch, or simply seeking to establish a more sustainable writing rhythm, this cohort provides both structure and flexibility. You'll receive monthly one-on-one spiritual direction sessions, participate in group conversations and group spiritual direction, engage in contemplative practices tailored to writers, and have opportunities to receive feedback on your work.
The Importance of Community in the Writing Life
In today's fast-paced, digital world, many writers feel the pressure to push through their work alone. This isolation can stifle creativity and lead to burnout. Being a part of an intentional writing community provides essential support, encouragement, and perspective that enhance our creative endeavors.
Here are some key reasons why community is vital to the writing life:
Shared Experience: When you join a cohort of fellow writers, you are surrounded by individuals who understand the unique challenges that come with the writing process. Whether it's self-doubt, creative resistance, or the pressure of deadlines, having a sounding board can make all the difference.
Accountability: Committing to regular writing sessions and sharing your work with others fosters accountability. When you're part of a community, it's easier to stay on track and meet your goals. Knowing that your peers are counting on you to show up can be a powerful motivator.
Diverse Perspectives: Engaging with a variety of voices helps broaden your own understanding of writing and can provide new insights into your work. The diverse experiences and backgrounds in a cohort can introduce fresh ideas and encourage experimentation in your craft.
Support and Encouragement: Celebrating milestones and achievements with others can enhance your joy in the writing process. Whether it's finishing a chapter or refining a book proposal, the positive reinforcement from others can boost your confidence.
The Core Practices of Writing
As you may know from my writing and work, I believe that all of life is the writing life. I also believe our creative practice flourishes when we attend to the four core practices of belonging, becoming, beholding, and bestowing. This cohort is designed to help you integrate these ideas and practices while making tangible progress on your writing projects.
These concepts play a crucial role in the transformative journey you will experience during the spring cohort.
Belonging: Encourages you to establish connections within the group and foster genuine relationships, as well as deepen your belongings to yourself and your creative work. This practice helps ease feelings of isolation and creates a safe space where you can express yourself authentically. Participants will engage in exercises designed to build trust and camaraderie, allowing you to share your writing hopes and struggles without fear of judgment.
Becoming: Involves recognizing and nurturing your identity as a writer. During the cohort, you will reflect on your creative journey and clarify your goals. This may involve guided meditations, journaling prompts, or discussions that explore your strengths as a writer. By becoming more aware of your personal narrative and exploring your writerly desires, you will find ways to weave more of your full self into your writing practice and creative work.
Beholding: Encourages you to appreciate the beauty and good things around you, which can inspire your writing. Participants will engage in writing exercises that invite them to observe the world, various forms of art, and writing from your favorite writers for inspiration and nourishment. Whether it's nature, art, or the people around you, beholding helps you balance your inner thoughts with external influences.
Bestowing: Is about sharing your gifts and experiences with the world. This practice allows you to explore how your writing can impact others and serve a higher purpose. You will learn how to identify more of what you have to offer and the messages you want to communicate in your work. By nurturing a mindset focused on bestowing, you will find deeper fulfillment in your writing life.
Program Structure and Offerings
The Spiritual Direction for Writers® Don’t Write Alone Spring 2025 Cohort consists of various offerings to support you on your journey:
Two 60-minute group Zoom conversation sessions per month with the Spring 2025 Cohort on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month from 6-7 p.m. CT. Each cohort member will share their writerly hopes and struggles and provide updates along the way. We will discuss specific ways for each cohort member to have more of the writing life they want. We will incorporate various contemplative practices and writing exercises in ways that are actually helpful.
One 75-minute Group Spiritual Direction for Writers® session per month.
One 50-minute 1:1 Spiritual Direction for Writers® session per month.
Optional written feedback on up to 5000 words of writing/book proposals/project plans per month.
One 30-minute SDW Custom Solo Writing Retreats Planning Session
Early registration discount available if paid in full by April 1 ($200/month versus $225/month for monthly payments).
The Application Process
The application period for the Spring 2025 Cohort will run from March 14 to March 24 with Zoom conversations for applicants taking place March 25-28.
The application and conversation will help me understand your specific writerly hopes and struggles, ensuring that the cohort will be beneficial for your unique journey. The application and conversation will help us understand your specific writerly hopes and struggles, ensuring that the cohort will be beneficial for your unique journey. (Please note all SDW Insiders will have access to the application on March 13. Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis.)
Writers at all stages are welcome to apply, and people from all faith backgrounds (or none at all) will find a place here. The cohort is intentionally small to allow for meaningful connection and personalized attention.
The Transformative Potential of the Cohort
By participating in the Spiritual Direction for Writers® Spring 2025 Cohort, you will not only gain practical writing skills but also experience profound personal growth. Through community support and the four core focus areas, you will emerge as a more confident and capable writer. This program is a chance to honor your narrative and deepen your spiritual journey—all while advancing your craft.
As you prepare to embark on this transformative journey, consider how integrating creativity and spirituality can enhance your writing practice. The writing life is not just about putting words on a page; it's about connecting deeply with yourself and others. Together, we can nurture our creativity and share our stories with the world.
If you are ready to take the leap and deepen your writing practice, apply for the Spiritual Direction for Writers® Don’t Write Alone Spring 2025 Cohort!
To receive the application link on March 14, sign up for the Spiritual Direction for Writers® email updates here or use the form below. And email charlotte@charlottedonlon.com if you’d like to be an SDW Insider. SDW Insiders will receive the link a day early—on March 13. SDW Insiders receive behind-the-scenes details, updates, special offers, and more from Charlotte on a weekly(ish) basis.
Charlotte Donlon is a writer and spiritual director whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging through art and spirituality. Her approach resonates with individuals from diverse faith backgrounds, including those uncertain about their beliefs. She employs a universal framework of belonging and connection to foster meaningful, soulful conversations.
In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte's first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. Her second book, Spiritual Direction for Writers, is slated for release by Eerdmans in January 2026.
As the founder of several initiatives, including Belonging through Art™, Spiritual Direction for Writers®, Spiritual Direction for Belonging®, and Parenting with Art®, Charlotte has established herself as a thought leader in the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Her essays have been featured in prominent publications such as The Washington Post, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, and The Millions, among others.
Charlotte's academic background includes a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and a certificate in spiritual direction, equipping her with the skills to guide others in their creative and spiritual journeys.
Her nonjudgmental approach and inclusive language have made her work accessible and appealing to a broad audience, regardless of their faith tradition or spiritual inclinations. For those interested in staying updated on Charlotte's latest work, news, and insights, subscribe through her main charlottedonlon.com website here.