Catapult | Don't Write Alone

DON’T WRITE ALONE

At Catapult, we believe there’s a better—or at least less lonely—way to write. Here you’ll find writing resources, advice, job and fellowship opportunities, prompts and craft talk, and more.

Conversations

Don’t Write Alone | Interviews

Charlie Jane Anders Wants You to Know Daydreaming Is Important, Serious Work

In this interview, Ruth Joffre talks with Charlie Jane Anders about her craft book ‘Never Say You Can’t Survive,’ building writing communities, and queer joy.

Ruth Joffre

Jul 19, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Columns

How’s the Writing Going, Deesha Philyaw?

“For me, getting better as a writer is learning how to get to the essence of things and boil down all of that exposition and backstory.”

Sari Botton

Jul 26, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Interviews

Allegra Hyde Believes We Are a Product of the Stories We Tell Ourselves

Jean Marc Ah-Sen interviews Allegra Hyde about her novel ‘Eleutheria,’ the concept of climate fiction, and reckoning with the patterns of the past.

Jean Marc Ah-Sen

Aug 02, 2022

Try a Catapult Class

Online | Nonfiction | Workshop

6-Week Online Nonfiction Workshop: Book Reviewing Through a Social & Political Lens

Jenessa Abrams

Online | Publishing | Independent Study

Independent Study: The Book Deal Toolkit

Courtney Maum

Online | Nonfiction | Seminar

3-Week Nonfiction Seminar: Theory & Practices of Exploratory Writing

Rachel Kincaid

Online | Translation, Fiction | Reading Group

4-Week Translation Workshop: Intro to Japanese Literary Translation

Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda

Online | Fiction, Nonfiction | Independent Study

Independent Study: Outlines & Visual Aids to Generate or Revise Prose

Cinelle Barnes

Online | Nonfiction | Seminar

6-Week Online Nonfiction Seminar: Writing Nonfiction for Diverse, Online Audiences

Rachel Vorona Cote

Online | Open-Genre | Independent Study

Independent Study: Preparing Your MFA Application

Lillian-Yvonne Bertram

Online | Fiction | Intensive

12-Week Speculative Fiction Intensive: Revising Reality

Tara Campbell

Where We Write

Cover Photo: There is a color photograph from above of a beautiful messy desk. The desk is warm wood and covered with books, flowers in vases, petals, candles, notebooks, pens, perfume, matches, and a mug. At the center of the desk is a laptop.

Everything in Arm’s Reach

Gabrielle Bates

Cover Photo: This photograph shows the author's desk. It's long with a series of white drawers, with copies of brightly colored books stacked on its surface. Everything is clean and tidy.

Writing Is a Force

Emiko Jean

Cover Photo: This header image has three polaroids of the author's writing space laid out on a table. Above the photos, there is a ballpoint pen and underneath them we see a crumpled piece of notebook paper.

You Don’t Write Alone

Lynne Tillman

Writing Prompts

Cover Photo: This photograph is a close up of brightly colored bird feathers layered on top of one another--rich red, yellow, and blue, with hints of green.

Don’t Write Alone | Free Write

Sensory Detail and Setting Exercise

Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, this writing exercise from Aatif Rashid will help you write lyrical sentences rich with sensory detail.

Aatif Rashid

Jun 13, 2022

Cover Photo: This photograph shows someone standing against a bright blue sky with some light fluffy clouds. They are holding a mirror in front of their face and the mirror is reflecting the same bright blue sky back at the viewer

Don’t Write Alone | Free Write

Turning a Scene Around for a Different View

A story changes depending on who’s doing the telling. Try a different version of a scene in your short story or novel to learn about your characters.

Cari Luna

Aug 01, 2022

Cover Photo: This photograph is of the graffitied walls of a dark tunnel, illuminated by a camera flash. At the end of the tunnel, we see that a question mark has been traced in light and captured by the camera. Everything has a sort of red glow, which makes it feel a bit mysterious and creepy.

Don’t Write Alone | Free Write

The Power of “What If”

Speculative fiction is fueled by curiosity and questions. Try your hand at starting a new work (or building on something you’ve already started) with this exercise from classes instructor Tara Campbell.

Tara Campbell

Aug 08, 2022

Catapult Books

Catapult | fiction

Best Debut Short Stories 2021: The PEN America Dau Prize edited by Yuka Igarashi and Sarah Lyn Rogers

Catapult | nonfiction

Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses

Catapult | Creative Writing | Criticism | Reference

Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative by Jane Alison

Catapult | anthology

A Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home

Catapult | nonfiction

Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum

DON’T WRITE ALONE

Application Week

A Fully Funded MFA Doesn’t Mean Financial Security

So You Want to Apply for an MFA

How to Apply for Grants and Residencies

Pursue Your Writing Project with a Grant or Fellowship

A Person of Color’s Guide to Navigating Writing Residencies

For our Application Week series, Hannah Bae writes about applying to and attending writing residencies as a person of color—along with tips from about ten other writers who identify as BIPOC.

Get Thee to a Writing Residency

Residency programs offer dedicated time and space to help you level up your writing. Here’s how to apply.

Conversations

Charlie Jane Anders Wants You to Know Daydreaming Is Important, Serious Work

In this interview, Ruth Joffre talks with Charlie Jane Anders about her craft book ‘Never Say You Can’t Survive,’ building writing communities, and queer joy.

How’s the Writing Going, Deesha Philyaw?

“For me, getting better as a writer is learning how to get to the essence of things and boil down all of that exposition and backstory.”

Allegra Hyde Believes We Are a Product of the Stories We Tell Ourselves

Jean Marc Ah-Sen interviews Allegra Hyde about her novel ‘Eleutheria,’ the concept of climate fiction, and reckoning with the patterns of the past.

Recent Essays

Can I Be a Writer if I Can’t Speak English Idiomatically?

The Way Into the Poem Is the Decision to Write the Poem

Writing as a Person of the Ear

The Beautiful Ego Death of Having My Book Fact-Checked

On Writing with Chronic Migraines

Where We Write

Expand Your Artistic Endeavors with a Fellowship or Residency

Looking for some residencies and fellowships to apply to? Here are a few you might want to bookmark.

Writing Prompts

Sensory Detail and Setting Exercise

Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, this writing exercise from Aatif Rashid will help you write lyrical sentences rich with sensory detail.

Turning a Scene Around for a Different View

A story changes depending on who’s doing the telling. Try a different version of a scene in your short story or novel to learn about your characters.

The Power of “What If”

Speculative fiction is fueled by curiosity and questions. Try your hand at starting a new work (or building on something you’ve already started) with this exercise from classes instructor Tara Campbell.

Publishing Industry

How Libraries Can Help You Earn Out Your Book Advance

How Do Algorithms Help (and Hinder) Book Sales?

How Do You Design a Book Cover?

Publishing a Book Is Hard on Your Mental Health

How BookTok Is Changing Publishing