How This Works: Most weekdays I’ll pull together an Almost Daily Digest for Creative Souls because I am enjoying holding space for ALL of my writing and work and art encounters after the book tour and first couple of months of Spiritual Direction for Writers book launch intensity. And this feels better than sharing incessantly on various social media platforms. I’ll still share on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Substack Notes but most of what I share will be pulled from the Almost Daily Digest. And the Almost Daily Digest will be the best way to know all the things.
An Almost Daily Digest for Creative Souls will be sent to all subscribers on Tuesday or Wednesday of most weeks moving forward.
Thanks for being here. Let’s dive in.
A Morning Ritual for Creative Souls
This section will always appear at the top of each Almost Daily Digest. You are invited to use this ritual, too, as a way to honor the beginning of a new day, as a way to begin again.
Light a candle.
Take three deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale.
Read a poem, quote, prayer, or religious text of your choice.
Sit in silence for a minute.
Write down three things that you want to give your attention to today.
Read a poem, quote, prayer, or religious text of your choice. You can use the same one as before or a different one.
Blow out the candle.
Do the next thing.
This week I’m beholding one of my favorite poems — “Perhaps the World Ends Here” by Joy Harjo — during the opening of my morning ritual.
Here’s more on the poem, how I lingered over it for a while yesterday, and an excerpt from Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life in which it appear.
This week I’m using this Collect for Grace from the Book of Common Prayer for the end of my morning ritual:
A Collect for Grace:
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
My three main things for today are in line with my lower expectations for myself because life:
1. Go to the gym.
2. Keep recovering from a rough-ish week due to a crisis that’s fine now but it’s exhausting navigating crises.
3. Send this Almost Daily Digest out.
Flourish Anyway® Today Reflection
Stay tuned for these almost daily reflections about flourishing anyway that are coming soon.
Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls Checkup
Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment Offering
November 13: Doses of Art for Nourishment and Inspiration
Take More Retreats
Here’s a great retreat flow for anyone in or traveling through Tupelo, Mississippi and anyone else who wants to give their attention to this place. (Swipe through all of the images in that post for the details!)
A Daily Dose of Art
A Daily Dose of Art for November 13: Art by Lisa Bradley
The Great Belonging Project
The Great Belonging Project Day 13: Be a Fan of Democracy
Announcements, Resources, & Recommendations
Join me and others from the Alma College MFA in Creative Writing on November 19 for a Zoom gathering for those interested in their new Spiritual Writing Pathway. I’m so excited to be a new member of their faculty!
Learn more about their new pathways and faculty here.
All paid subscribers here at Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls have access to Co-Working + Co-Writing for Creative Souls at least six times most weeks.
Our next Co-Working + Co-Writing for Creative Souls Session:
Sunday, November 15: 6-7:15 p.m. CT
The schedule for this week will be sent out to all paid subscribers soon!
More legit announcements, resources, and recommendations coming soon. For now, if you’re a writer with a soul, please buy my book. I think you’ll like it if you want to have more of the writing life you want.
Charlotte Donlon is a writer, spiritual director, creativity coach, and faculty member for Alma College MFA’s spiritual writing pathway. Her writing and work have 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), a certificate in spiritual direction (2018-2020), and a life coach certification (2026), Charlotte guides writers and other creative souls in developing sustainable and nourishing practices so they can make their art, do their work, and love their people.
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. Here Below Books published Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life in 2026. Some volumes of Charlotte’s “Guidebooks for the Soul”—Take More Retreats, The Great Belonging Project, and Belonging Through Art —will also be published in the coming months.
As the founder of several initiatives—including Spiritual Direction for Writers®, Parenting with Art®, Belonging Through Art™, and Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls™—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, Writer’s Digest, Literary Hub, and The Millions, among others. A new essay about art conservation, Joan Mitchell, and mystery is forthcoming with Image journal.
For those interested in staying updated on Charlotte’s latest work, news, and insights, subscribe to her Substack Weekly Roundup Series and visit Flourish Anyway®, Charlotte’s online hub for all of her writing, spiritual direction, small press, gatherings, and other offerings.
Here’s a full list of Charlotte’s email offerings: