Celebrating One Year of ‘Don’t Write Alone’

A letter from Stella Cabot Wilson, ‘Don’t Write Alone’ editor.

Dear readers,

When Andy Hunter, Catapult’s cofounder and former publisher, approached me in 2019 to ask if I’d want to help launch a page on the Catapult website dedicated to writing resources, I was flattered and a bit intimidated. At the time, I was working for our classes department while editing more and more frequently for the magazine. I was beginning to understand how much I loved that work: sitting with a piece; learning from it; helping the writer to bring it into its final, fully realized form. Catapult had already built a rich community for its book authors, its magazine contributors and readers, and its writing program alumni. But we felt there was an opportunity to offer something new—and I was eager to bring my editing into service, sharing resources with other writers to help build their own skillsets.

While we had originally wanted to launch the page in 2020, the pandemic forced us to slow down and consider how our mission might be most helpful to writers working in this new reality. After months of consideration, we landed on the name Don’t Write Alone, which came from the writing program’s summer retreat by the same name, created by Julie Buntin in 2017. The retreat itself had been conceived of with the feeling that there is a better—or at least a less lonely—way to write, and it felt important for this new venture to serve that same goal. In times such as these, where in-person community is less accessible, how can we share our experiences, democratize knowledge, and find connection?

Today marks one year since Don’t Write Alone launched on April 5, 2021, and more than anything else, I’d describe it as a year full of growth and celebration. Although I still feel we have much more to do—many more resources to add, many more writers to learn from—I think of Don’t Write Alone as a project whose main purpose is to demystify the publishing industry. I believe that greater transparency is an essential component of making the publishing process more equitable, and I’m thrilled to work for a company and as a part of a team that’s as passionate about that mission as I am. I’m incredibly grateful for all of that support, as well as to all of the writers who have so far contributed. I’d also like to give a special shoutout to our editorial assistant Eliza Harris, my number one right-hand human, who helps me get all the day-to-day stuff done with flair and fun.

If you’re new to the page, I hope you’ll stick around. And if you’ve been with us since day one, I hope Don’t Write Alone has become a key gadget in your writing toolbox. In this next year, we’re particularly focused on adding more resources for every kind of writer, whether you write romance, literary fiction, poetry, personal essays, or anything in between—no matter whether writing is your full-time gig, your dream lifestyle, or a beloved hobby.

For those of you interested in writing for the page, we have a guide to pitching Don’t Write Alone coming soon. And if any of you have been searching for a particular resource you haven’t been able to find elsewhere, consider submitting your suggestions to this Google form.

With gratitude,

Stella Cabot Wilson
Associate Editor for Don’t Write Alone and Catapult magazine

5 April 2022