Hi there. I’m Christine Wolf, and I’m so glad you’re here.

FAQ

How will I benefit from reading Writers’ Haven?

If you’re here, you already know that writing saves lives. Upon opening Writers’ Haven by Christine Wolf, I’m offering you an array of authentic writing, shared through essays, interviews, Q&A’s, a podcast, and writing-related links. We may even expand to videos and more. I hope writers of all levels will find inspiration, motivation, and encouragement. This newsletter is designed for everyone who enjoys and appreciates meaningful writing and its power to make sense of this big ole world.

What makes this newsletter different from any other?

This is a newsletter designed for writers and readers alike since these two groups can’t exist without each other.

Through our words, we’ll share the high points of our writing journeys, and we’ll give language to our challenges as writers. At Writers’ Haven, we embrace and encourage — rather than bury — the hard stuff. We challenge the notion that writing about difficult topics is merely *dwelling* in sadness and despair. We celebrate authentic writing, and we honor those willing to give language to ALL the events and experiences that shape us.

We’re a passionate and empowered writing community, willing and able to explore our vulnerabilities. At Writers’ Haven, we share the ways we endure, survive, and even thrive despite periods of difficulty and disruption. It’s here that we come together, not only to help ourselves stay connected and motivated but also to be in service of others who may have just begun to explore the amazing calling of being a writer.

Writers’ Haven is for you if you’ve ever…

…felt compelled to write, to document your experiences, or to process life through writing.

…wondered if your writing was “good enough”.

…doubted your personal story was worth sharing.

…hoped to become a stronger, clearer, more confident writer.

…faced hardship.

…struggled internally.

…felt alone.

…grieved.

…lost love.

… lost hope.

… lost yourself.

…broken down.

…felt the urge to write about a topic listed above but wondered how on earth to take the first step.

Why Should I Subscribe?

You’ll receive semi-regular posts about the writing life, and not just mine. I’ll also share interviews with and essays from colleagues, clients, mentors, and literary heroes. We’ll talk about what we write, how we write, and most of all, how writing saves us every single day.

You’ll also receive a link to my Monthly Ask Me Anything Q&A About Writing, in which we can interact directly and with a community of those passionate about the craft. When I don’t have the answer you’re looking for, I’ll try to guide you toward someone who does.

Finally, you’ll have access to my invitation-only Writers’ Haven Salon, where we gather online for writing sprints, writing prompts, and a burgeoning writing community.

What benefits do I get from a PAID subscription?

In addition to the above, you’ll ALSO receive:

• Exclusive access to my long-form interviews with writing professionals, passages and behind-the-scenes details from my work-in-progress memoir, and other cool stuff I haven’t even dreamed up yet.

• Full access to the newsletter’s complete archives (hundreds of posts, and counting).

• Your name featured on a “Supporters Page” in my first memoir once it’s published.

• Videos from me with tips on memoir writing and the publishing industry

• Every single post (not just the free ones)

• Access to my Writers On Writing series, including exclusive interviews with writers from all genres and levels of experience (this is currently free but will go to paid subscribers only in 2023

• That good feeling that comes from supporting someone who’s rebuilt her life through writing

• Bonus content that I’m still developing with input from paid subscribers

You get to choose your subscription amount, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

The creators of Substack say: “Paid subscriptions support writers in doing the work they care about and give readers a direct relationship with the writers and ideas they find most meaningful. And because there are no packaging or supply chain slow-downs involved, subscriptions make an ideal last-minute gift. Find out more about how to give a gift subscription here.”

What if a subscription isn’t in my budget?

I never want price to be a barrier to entry, so I offer complimentary paid subscriptions to anyone who needs one. If this applies to you, simply let me know (by subscribing for free and hitting reply on any message, or reaching out to me at christinewolf.com/contact). Just request a free Substack subscription; no further explanation is necessary.

If you’d like to underwrite one of those subscriptions, you can donate one here.

How did Writers’ Haven get started?

In 2014, I first launched Writers’ Haven as a physical space for writers to gather and delve into the real and messy bits of the writing life. Six years later, in 2020, I opened a second physical location of Writers’ Haven near Chicago. And then, in January 2021, during the pandemic, I launched the Writers’ Haven by Christine Wolf newsletter to better connect with fellow writers, readers, and clients.

Who is Christine Wolf?

In 2014, after years as a blogger and newspaper opinion columnist (Patch, Pioneer Press, Chicago Sun-Times, and Tribune Media), I was at work on my first novel, longing for a community with other writers. It was then I opened my summer home in Michigan as a space for writers of all levels to work comfortably among kindred spirits while nurturing our craft. I called it Writers’ Haven. I’d learned firsthand that, although we writers tend to be solitary creatures, we deeply benefit from human connections as well as opportunities to share stories, writing experiences, and, perhaps most importantly, goals. Writers’ Haven welcomed esteemed writers from across the Midwest, including, among others, Deborah Siegel, Debi Lewis, and New York Times bestselling author Samantha Irby.

Then, in 2020, while finishing my first biography, I opened a second location of Writers’ Haven, near Chicago. Soon thereafter, though, the pandemic hit, and I was forced to close Writers’ Haven’s doors. It was then that I, like so many, retreated into the emptiness of a scary and uncertain future.

But in that pandemic solitude, I updated my website to offer writing consults for anyone who’d like them. I’d never consulted before, and I never imagined anyone would take me up on a writing consult (hello, imposter syndrome!), but I was willing and eager to do anything to connect with others who loved to write. I figured, If someone asks me to help them with something I’m not qualified for, I’ll introduce them to someone who is.

And that’s when something incredible happened.

As COVID-19 cases surged, I applied for unemployment while training to become a Contact Tracer to make ends meet. During the height of the winter surge of 2020/2021, I was Contact Tracing by day, counseling individuals and families — many who were critically ill or whose loved ones were sick and/or had died. At this same time, my email inbox kept filling up with requests for writing consults. Not surprisingly, the pandemic inspired many people to face their mortality and to take, long, hard looks at their lives; as a result, lots of people began seeking help writing their memoirs.

By March of 2021, I had more writing clients than I could reasonably manage while holding down a full-time job, so I resigned from Contact Tracing to focus full-time as a Writing and Memoir Coach.

I’ve been asked, more than once, if I’ll write my memoir, and the answer is an enthusiastic yes. I plan to complete it in 2023, and, I plan to share passages with paid subscribers of this newsletter.

For now, I’m watching the spread of the COVID-19 closely, slowly reopening Writers’ Haven to small groups of writers of all levels of skill and experience who enjoy plenty of cozy, comfortable spaces, gathering in a variety of private and communal areas.

And, I’m focused on 3 things:
1. Ongoing consulting with the amazing roster of Writers’ Haven memoir clients
2. The release of my forthcoming biography about two former members of the United States Congress
3. Building this newsletter for writers, readers, and clients

My goal for Writers’ Haven, The Newsletter, is to keep writers connected in ways that are inspired, uplifting, and valuable to all. It’s my way of building and encouraging community, one authentic writer at a time.

Tell me once more: Why should I subscribe?

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