Sweetheart, I see you. You want to write, you want to live a full, fresh, wild soul kind of life.
You want a clear channel for your wisdom to express itself. Yet there is always so much out there and you are tired. Life is spinning. You want a place where you can relax, feel renewed, and create in small steps that don’t drain you. Even in ways that enliven and unleash you.
This is Creative Bath Writing Circles for Women – a place where you can always show up just as you are, where nothing is required other than settling into the warm waters and listening. From there, you create.
What’s essential is that we are not squeezing the words from a parched place, but they are flowing from the abundance of a well-watered creative soul. This isn’t about perfection, it’s about putting the Creator first so the words more easily emerge.
This happens through a mix of spacious writing retreat time, compassionate listening, writing invitations and “fun-sized” artist dates (that can happen in as little as 5 minutes, even at home). From there, motivation and energy soars, words flow, fresh ideas spark…
So how does it work?
Each month we connect weekly through mini-retreats and circles on Zoom and a private online forum.
Dip In: Clarify and Motivate Mini-Retreat
Our first gathering will focus on getting to know each other, uncovering what you really want to write, customizing a creative self-care plan to support you, and setting our intentions for the upcoming three months.
Creative Openings Sessions
These 2-hour monthly gatherings shake loose any stuck places and keep motivation and inspiration percolating. It includes (optional) artist date check-ins, back into flow coaching, and creative/writing discussions.
Creative Bath Mini-Writing Retreats
Every other week we gather for a 2-hour mini-writing retreat. This includes calming/centering exercises, guided journaling, creativity sparking writing suggestions (if you don't bring your own project), solo retreat time (perhaps on your front porch, or in a recliner with a cup of tea?), optional reading in small groups and compassionate, doable intention setting for the upcoming week.
Weekly Online Creative Well-Checks
These aren’t your “did you write?” whip and guilt scenarios. This is a place for compassionate check-ins on our private forum. It’s a judgment free zone meant to keep inner listening (the precursor to writing with more pleasure and intention) and self-care going. Options include use of a check-in template or answering creative questions that invite reflection and celebration.
Private Writer’s Forum
This is where we share our weekly creative check-ins, support each other, ask questions, share writing, celebrate wins…
Writing Circle Buddies
This is available for those who want the added benefit of a “buddy” to share writing and celebrations between gatherings.
Feeling inspired to go beyond my self-imposed limits
Connecting with Carolyn’s writing group is the sparkle of my week. It’s a safe space for risk-taking and I always leave our sessions feeling inspired to go beyond my self-imposed limits. Through Carolyn’s compassionate coaching, I have found my voice, become a daily journaler, learned to appreciate my gifts, and composed poetry and prose which will be sent to publishers in the next few months. This positive experience has been life changing for me. Thank you again for never letting me give up the Dream.
She has led me to the well of self-compassion
Carolyn has an intuitive gene that’s hard to come by. Add to that her laser focus and laser coaching and you have a winning combination. But the key element of her teaching/coaching abilities is the compassionate way in which she helps you move forward. She has led me to the well of self-compassion, creating a much better space for me in which to write. In addition, within 6 months of joining her writing circle, I finished a memoir I had been working on for 12 years and struggling to complete. She is genuine. She is knowledgeable. She is authentic. What more could you want?
A few more things you may be wondering…
This isn’t your “write a book in a weekend” formula. This is a bigger shift in how you show up with your writing and your creative life. The focus isn’t just on words, but it’s a more whole person approach (every bit of you is welcome here!) based on listening and responding to your personal and creative needs. From there, creating happens in a way that feels more aligned and pleasurable.
Yes. To both. The focus here isn’t on the quality of your writing or even the genre. If you are a seasoned writer who needs to shake off some blahs to get back to fresh and joyful creating, this is for you. If you are new to writing and need a safe space to create at your own pace, this is for you. And for any of us who desire to write, but find life getting in the way, well this is for us, too…
As little or as much as you want. Since we put the Creator (you!) first, you are encouraged to check-in with your energy. Some weeks you may feel inspired to write a lot and try the "fun-sized" artist dates. Other weeks, not so much. As I always say, options abound, but not directives.
Women here are knee-deep in memoirs, playing with poetry, sparking different types of writing to see what sticks, cooking up blogs, writing books, and some even come to have creative self-care time using writing as a tool for exploration. Since this is a deeper exploration than a typical writing circle, we attract conscious creatives and wise women who are often in the second half of life.
As for facilitation, Carolyn creates calming, safe spaces for even those sensitive souls among us, and she does it with a mix of spiritual depth, years of experience leading creative retreats and circles, and a healthy dose of irreverent humor!
“Discipline is remembering what you want.” That’s how it works here. Through re-remembering over and over what lights you up, what matters, how awesome creating feels… you naturally want to do it. We don’t move forward from out-of-alignment push, but listen in to the next step that feels good, and the one after that, and after that…
Put on those comfy sweats, brew up a cup of tea, and join us on Zoom. I will hold the sacred space for all of us to meet in a way that feels intimate and calming. There's no need to sit and smile at the camera for two hours – this is the compassionate version of online gathering! That means be yourself, even if you have to turn the camera off at intervals. Also there is retreat time where you can leave your computer altogether and sit outside and write, or lie on the floor, or whatever lights you up. We will also have breakout sessions with partners. Basically, I'll do all I can to keep things moving and make them interesting to keep your body and spirit feeling good.
Creative self just overflowing
Thank you, thank you, thank you! The retreat was even more wonderful than I ever imagined it to be. I came away from it with my creative self just overflowing. When I went to bed that night, I experienced my mind and heart creating haiku’s!! It was so fun that I had to get up and start writing them down! So thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to release my muse and embrace my creativity again.
I was in need of compassionate accountability
When I started Carolyn’s Writing Circles, I wasn’t in need of a critique group. I was, however, in need of compassionate accountability. Carolyn’s knowledgeable guidance has not only bound me to five intelligent, capable, and creative women, but with the support of this group I recently finished a novel I began 12 years ago. This group has helped me set needed boundaries around my creative time. How can I not endorse the leadership and support that has brought that enrichment?
About Carolyn
Carolyn founded and hosts the Creative Soul Community, where women in the second half of life gather to create lives of greater purpose, vitality and creative expression. She is an award-winning author, coach and mentor. Her style is intuitive, lighthearted and nurturing as she leads popular writing retreats, writing circles, and private coaching. She is the author of Backyard Pearls: Cultivating Wisdom and Joy in Everyday Life, has worked with national and international magazines and has studied various creative/spiritual practices for more than 30 years. Among the places she has presented are Story Circle Women’s Writing Conference, International Coach Federation, Esalen, Seton Cove, Eremos, Unity Church and the National Speaker’s Association.