You Don't Have to Write Alone
Today I spent four hours on Zoom with a group of writers, and I have to tell you—it was fantastic.
We gathered for the Spiritual Direction for Writers® Four-Hour Group Retreat, and what struck me most wasn't the teaching or the prompts (though I hope those were helpful). It was the simple, profound relief of being in a room—even a virtual one—with other people who understand what the writing life actually feels like.
The writing life can be lonely. You hang out alone with your words, your doubts, your half-finished drafts, and your big hopes for what your work might become. And because writing often happens in private, it can start to feel like you're the only one struggling and that everyone else has figured something out that you haven't yet.
You haven't been left behind. You're just in the middle of it. We all are.
One of the things I love most about gathering writers together in a group retreat format is watching something shift in the room when people realize they're not alone. They aren’t alone in the slow seasons or in the fear that the words won't come back. They aren’t alone in their opinions about the poem I read several times for some lectio divina exercises. They aren’t alone in wanting to receive good things from their writing and offer good things to themselves and others with their writing.
Today we moved through four hours of contemplative practice, solo retreat rhythms, and what it means to Write to Behold and Write to Bestow—two orientations toward the page that I believe can change how you relate to your work.
We closed with a co-writing session using the SDW Co-Writing Liturgy, which is one of my very favorite ways to end a retreat. There's something sacred about writing in the same space as other people, even through a screen.
Writing shouldn't deplete you. It should nurture you. And one of the most nourishing things you can do for your writing life is let other writers witness it—even briefly and imperfectly.
If you've been writing in isolation and wondering why it feels harder than it should, I'd gently invite you to consider: What might change if you didn't always go it alone?
I'm so grateful for everyone who showed up today. What a gift. What a grace.
Much love to the creative souls. May we flourish anyway today and all days.
💚Charlotte
P.S.
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Charlotte Donlon is a writer, spiritual director, and gatherer whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging, artful encounters, spiritual growth, and how to Flourish Anyway®, even when life is full, busy, or chaotic. Her work has woven together themes of belonging, art, and soul exploration for more than 25 years. With a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing (2015-2018) and a certificate in spiritual direction (2018-2020), Charlotte guides writers and other creative souls in developing sanctuaries of acceptance and connection.
A Christian in the Episcopal church who believes the tenets of the Nicene Creed, Charlotte employs a universal framework of belonging and connection in her spiritual direction work. She fosters meaningful, soulful conversations and gatherings that are welcoming to all—regardless of faith tradition or spiritual inclinations.
In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte's first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other.Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life is slated for release by Here Below Books in September 2026. Three volumes of Charlotte's "Guidebooks for the Soul"—Take More Retreats, The Great Belonging Project, and Belonging Through Art—will also be published in 2026.
As the founder of several initiatives, Charlotte has established herself as a thought leader and an authentic presence at the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Her essays have been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, and The Millions, among others. A new essay about art conservation, Joan Mitchell, and mystery is forthcoming with Image journal.
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Flourish Anyway® is Charlotte’s online hub for all of her writing, spiritual direction, small press, gatherings, and other offerings.