You already know you want to write.
Most writers know how to have one good writing day. The harder problem is having another one tomorrow.
Throughline isn't concerned with how many pages you can generate in a short, intense burst of inspiration. We already trust you can do that. We're interested in helping you develop a practice that gets you down to work on an ordinary Wednesday three months from now — after the high of the retreat has faded and the same obstacles that usually get in your way are back in place.
What you'll come here to work on
We don't believe there's one correct writing routine. We think there's a set of honest questions worth testing against your own behavior — rather than against your best intentions. Over the week, you'll run experiments in the direction of surfacing:
- Which conditions reliably make you write?
- What causes you to stop?
- How small can a viable writing practice become without disappearing?
- How do you return after missing a day, a week, or a month?
- How do you tell discipline apart from self-coercion?
- How do you structure your life so writing doesn't keep losing out to everything more urgent?
A Daily Rhythm
One week at Nameless Mountain in Boulder, Colorado — Saturday, January 16 through Friday, January 22, 2027 — built around a mix of the following:
- Protected writing blocks
- Workshops on designing a sustainable writing practice
- Structured experiments with different working conditions and routines
- Small-group discussion and reflection
- Communal meals and conversation
- Time on the mountain, and time in Boulder
Who it's for
Throughline is for writers at any stage of the creative process who are ready to sit with the question "how is my writing practice actually working for me?"
The group is small by design — a curated, intimate cohort of writers who enjoy thinking seriously about the creative process, both in solitude and in intelligent company, and who are willing to experiment with how they work.
Boulder sits at altitude, in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Days include long, contemplative walks and optional group hikes, alongside the writing blocks and workshops.
Rooms are shared between three and four participants, and the group as a whole stays small and intimate. Early-bird tuition is $1,250 USD through November 20, 2026, and includes shared lodging and all meals.
Getting here: fly into Denver International (DEN). Buses run directly to Boulder, then it's a short rideshare to Nameless Mountain.
Photo: Braden Collum
Hosts
Heidi is the author of four books, including This Is Me Letting You Go, and more than 300 published essays. She is also the sole writer behind over 300 videos on her psychology YouTube channel, which has grown to half a million subscribers. For several years she was one of the lead ghostwriters at ICON Media, writing on behalf of high-profile clients. Across all of it, she's come to believe that creativity is a practice to be met with joy, not a battle to be won through force.
Gabe is the founder of Nameless Mountain, a contemplative center in Boulder, and writes about psychology and spirituality as Vivid Void, including The Mystic's Almanac on Substack. He studied literary theory as an undergraduate and went on to graduate work in rhetoric and composition. As a coach and counselor, his work centers on the rituals, routines, and discipline that make a practice last.
Application
Throughline is application-based. We'll ask about where you live, what you write, what tends to interrupt your practice, and what you'd like your writing life to look like in six months. We'll also ask for a short writing sample.
Accepted applicants receive full booking and refund terms before any deposit is due. Questions? Include them in your application and we'll answer when we reply.
The goal is not to write a huge amount over one week.
The goal is to still be writing six months later.