The Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Sessions Method, Writing Liturgy, and September 2022 FREE Sessions List
A Note from Charlotte: For every Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Session, I am allowing 15 minutes in addition to the timed writing session. So, the 30-minute co-writing sessions will include 15 minutes of writing. The 45-minute sessions will include 30 minutes of writing. And the hour session will include 45 minutes of writing. I will guide all participants through The Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Session Method described below. The full list of September 2022 sessions and registration links are at the bottom of this post.
*All participants are off camera and muted during the entire co-writing session, but there are opportunities to share comments in the chat if participants wish to do so.
The Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Sessions Method
Think of the Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Session Method as a liturgy. Or a collection of rituals. If you like, add your own ritual(s) or practice(s) before the co-writing session begins or after it ends.
Gather in Silence
When you log in and join the Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Session, take a few minutes to think about your intention for this co-writing session.
What do you hope to write about or explore during this session? Since all of life is the writing life, you are welcome to do whatever you like during this time. You can clean out your email inbox or write a letter to a friend or journal. You can also work on a new poem or revise an essay or start a short story.
Take a few minutes in silence to consider how you’d like to use this time. Do you even need to write right now? Maybe you need to sit in silence or read or take a nap. Please feel free to use this time how you want to use it.
Write down your intention for yourself and this time.
(All participants will be off camera and muted for the entire co-writing session.)
Introduce Yourself and Share Your Intention
If you’d like to introduce yourself to others when you arrive, please type your name (and state? or country?) in the chat box during the first few minutes of silence while we gather. You can also add your intention to the chat box, if you’d like to share.
Breathe
Charlotte will ask you to take six deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale. She has her reasons! Learn why during the first five or so minutes of this IG Live from 2021.
Invocation
Charlotte will share a brief prayer, blessing, quote, or poem. Charlotte is a Christian and sometimes shares prayers rooted in the Christian tradition. If you have different beliefs, feel free to mute this portion of the co-writing session if you like.
Write (Or do something else you need or want to do!)
Charlotte will start the timer for the writing portion of the co-writing session. She will stay on camera but will mute her mic to make sure she doesn’t disturb anyone’s writing practice.
Share Your Progress
After the time is up, you are invited to add a sentence to the chat box describing how your writing (or other activity!) went during this co-writing session.
Take Notes
This step is really important, and Charlotte encourages everyone to do it. Even if you didn’t write during the writing portion of the co-writing session, still take some notes!
Charlotte will set the timer for three minutes. Write down as many notes as you can about how you used your time during this co-writing session, any new ideas that came to mind, frustrations, new writing goals, etc.
Go Forth
Respond to the following statements while you’re taking notes or immediately after the co-writing session.
Based on everything you’ve experienced during this Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Session, write down:
—One thing you want to do TODAY that will help you move toward (or maintain) the writing life you want, the life you want.
—One thing you want to do TOMORROW that will help you move toward (or maintain) the writing life you want, the life you want.
—One thing you want to do THIS WEEK that will help you move toward (or maintain) the writing life you want, the life you want.
—One thing you want to do THIS MONTH that will help you move toward (or maintain) the writing life you want, the life you want.
Blessing
Charlotte will share a brief prayer, blessing, quote, or poem. Charlotte is a Christian and sometimes shares prayers rooted in the Christian tradition. If you have different beliefs, feel free to mute this portion of the co-writing session if you prefer.
Thanks so much for participating!
Please Note: The Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Sessions Method is covered under the Spiritual Direction for Writers™ trademark. Please don’t share the Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Sessions Method without Charlotte Donlon’s written permission. Please help Charlotte protect her intellectual property, her creative process, and her work as a spiritual director for writers.
You are welcome to use the Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Sessions Method for your own personal writing practice or as inspiration for your own co-writing gatherings. Please mention Spiritual Direction for Writers and add the link to spiritualdirectionforwriters.com if you use or share a modified version of this method.
Happy writing!
Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Sessions
FREE During September 2022
A Note from Charlotte: All Spiritual Direction for Writers™ Co-Writing Sessions are subject to cancellation because life happens, but I’m going to try really hard to keep this schedule! Registration for all 15 sessions is currently open.
#1 Thursday, September 1, 2022
7-7:30 a.m. CT (with 15 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#2 Friday, September 2, 2022
3-3:45 p.m. CT (with 30 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#3 Sunday, September 4, 2022
4-5 p.m. CT (with 45 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#4 Tuesday, September 6, 2022
8-8:45 p.m. CT (with 30 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#5 Thursday, September 8, 2022
8-9 a.m. CT (with 45 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#6 Saturday, September 10, 2022
10-11 a.m. CT (with 45 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#7 Monday, September 12, 2022
8-8:30 p.m. CT (with 15 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#8 Wednesday, September 14, 2022
9-10 a.m. CT (with 45 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#9 Thursday, September 15, 2022
8-8:45 a.m. CT (with 30 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#10 Sunday, September 18, 2022
7-7:30 a.m. CT (with 15 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#11 Tuesday, September 20, 2022
8-9 p.m. CT (with 45 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#12 Wednesday, September 21, 2022
7-7:30 a.m. CT (with 15 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#13 Sunday, September 25, 2022
3-4 p.m. CT (with 45 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#14 Tuesday, September 27, 2022
8-8:45 p.m. CT (with 30 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
#15 Friday, September 30, 2022
10-11 a.m. CT (with 45 minutes of writing time)
REGISTER
Charlotte Donlon helps her readers and clients notice how they belong to themselves, others, God, and the world. Charlotte is a writer, a spiritual director for writers, and the founder of Spiritual Direction for Writers™ and Parenting with Art™. She is also the founder and host of the Our Faith in Writing podcast and website. Her essays have appeared in The Washington Post, The Curator, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, The Millions, Mockingbird, and elsewhere. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Seattle Pacific University where she studied creative nonfiction with Paula Huston and Lauren F. Winner. She holds a certificate in spiritual direction from Selah Center for Spiritual Formation. Her first book is The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. To receive the latest Spiritual Direction for Writers updates, subscribe below.