Devotional Writing

with Kat Mills

Here are some guidelines for your month-long writing practice:

• I encourage you to write by hand, if possible. In a world of faster and more, let’s move slower and simpler. Writing by hand is a lost art form, and engaging with it will not only shift what you write, but how you connect to it.

• Set a timer for 10 minutes and write the entire time. If you only have 5 minutes, do 5. The practice is simply to engage with the work within the given time. You don’t have to like what you wrote or read it ever again (unless you want to, of course!).

• No editing. Allow yourself to be in the practice of writing. Be bold, be messy, be bad, be spontaneous. Creating and editing are different processes, so save the editing for later.

• Write steadily, without stopping—this doesn’t mean you have to write quickly. The prompts are there to help you. If you feel stuck (and you will), write the prompt over and over, adding just a word or two. Wait until something shifts. If you’re patient, it always does.

• There will be gentle invitations to share your work. Ask a trusted friend to receive it without giving any feedback—just listening. This is a powerful part of the practice.

Writing as a devotional practice means that we are bowing to the mystery of creation and accepting that something unknown will emerge.

A simple act, such as lighting a candle or incense, calling in your artistic ancestors, or setting up a small altar next to your writing space, might feel supportive.