It’s Time to Write
I’m heading to my co-working space in a few minutes to hunker down and revise the chapters I want to use for the nonfiction workshop I’m attending in New York.
And, for your reading pleasure, here’s an excerpt from an entry dated February 11, 1928, from Virginia Woolf’s A Writer’s Diary:
“I am so cold I can hardly hold the pen. The futility of it all—.so I broke off; and have indeed been feeling that rather persistently, or perhaps I should have written here. Hardy and Meredith together sent me torpid to bed with headache. I know the feeling now, when I can’t spin a sentence and sit mumbling and turning; and nothing flits by my brain, which is as a blank window. So I shut my studio door and go to bed, stuffing my ears with rubber; and there I lie a day or two. And what leagues I travel in, the time! Such ‘sensations’ spread over my spine and head directly I give them the chance; such an exaggerated tiredness; such anguishes and despairs; and heavenly relief and rest; and then misery again. Never was anyone so tossed up and down by the body as I am, I think. But it is over; and put away …
For some reason, I am hacking rather listlessly at the last chapter of Orlando, which was to have been the best. Always, always the last chapter slips out of my hands. One gets bored. One whips oneself up. I still hope for a fresh wind, and don’t very much bother, except that I miss the fun, which was so tremendously lively all October, November and December. I have my doubts if it is not empty; and too fantastic to write at such length.” - Virginia Woolf
Charlotte Donlon is a writer, spiritual director, and gatherer whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging through art, 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 fostering sanctuaries of acceptance and connection—her approach warmly welcomes people from all backgrounds, regardless of faith tradition or spiritual inclinations.
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 that’s welcoming to all and fosters meaningful, soulful conversations.
In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte's first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. Her book, Spiritual Direction for Writers, is slated for release by Eerdmans in September 2026.
As the founder of several initiatives, including Flourish Anyway™, Thoughtful Books Etc.™, Belonging through Art™, Spiritual Direction for Writers®, Spiritual Direction for Belonging®, and Parenting with Art®, 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 prominent 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.
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