Spiritual Direction for Writers® FREE Co-Writing Sessions Are Back Beginning April 1 and Continuing Through August

If you're a writer who longs for a creative community that holds both your craft and your soul, the Spiritual Direction for Writers free co-writing sessions were made for you. These gatherings bring together writers, pastors, therapists, spiritual directors, professors, and anyone who cares about the intersection of art and and faith for a structured time of writing (if you want to write!) alongside one another.

Rooted in the practices explored in Charlotte Donlon's book Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life, each session offers a gentle rhythm of invitation, silence, and creative practice that helps you return to, or stay connected to, your creativity and soul. Whether you're working on a memoir, a sermon, a book proposal, or simply trying to find your way back to the page, these free co-writing sessions are a space to belong, create, and flourish anyway.

Here’s How SDW Co-Writing Works

All SDW Email Newsletter Subscribersare welcome to participate in this free offering for the SDW community.

We will gather on Zoom at the start time. Please subscribe to the SDW Email Newsletterto receive the Zoom link, notifications, and cancellations due to travel or illness,

We will use elements of SDW Daily Nourishment for our invocation and blessing/benediction. And I will share about a concept from the SDW book for 1-2 minutes related to that day’s SDW Daily Nourishment offering, a writerly current event or headline, or the creative process in general.

Everyone will have an opportunity share what they want to work on during the 40-45 minutes of writing time. Since All of Life Is the Writing Life® you can do whatever you want during the writing time. (But writing is always a great option!)

Everyone will have an opportunity to share how it went after the 40-45 minutes of writing time.

Here’s the SDW Co-Writing Schedule for April-August 2026

Please Note: I will need to cancel sessions here and there for travel, etc. The confirmed SDW Co-Writing Schedule for the upcoming week will be sent out every Sunday. The days/times below are the schedule we’re working with for April-August 2026

Also: If no one shows up to a session within six minutes of the start time, I will end the session. So you can be a few minutes late but don’t be more than six minutes late.

Generally, we will gather for SDW Co-Writing on:

• Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 7-8:15 a.m. CT.

• Mondays from noon-1:15 p.m. CT

• Wednesdays from 6-7:15 p.m. CT

• The First Saturday of the Month from 1-3 p.m. CT (Two rounds, come for one hour or for two. We start over at the top of the hour.)

Here Are More Details About the SDW Co-Writing Liturgy

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.

Prepare: Before 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.

Gather: Charlotte will invite each participant to introduce themselves and share their intention for the writing time.If you don’t want to chat, please keep your camera off. You can 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 usually shares a poem or meditation that’s appropriate for all faith backgrounds. She 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.

1-2 Minute Concept from the SDW Book: Charlotte will share about a concept from the SDW book for 1-2 minutes related to that day’s SDW Daily Nourishment offering, a writerly current event or headline, or the creative process in general.

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. Everyone is welcome to keep their camera on or off during this portion. Please make sure your mic is muted, though!

Take Notes: Charlotte hasn’t been incorporating the notes prompts much the past couple of years, but Notes Prompts are back, baby. About five minutes before the writing time is up, Charlotte will add the Notes Prompt that’s below to the chat. (Even if you didn’t write during the writing portion of the co-writing session, still take some notes!) 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. 

Notes Prompt: 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/Benediction: Charlotte will share a brief prayer, blessing, quote, or poem to close out the SDW Co-Writing Session.