
lit match collective
Fire up your writing
Group Writing Sessions!
Coaching and Workshops!
Inspiration and Growth!
Community and Craft Chats!
support your writing goals
Let’s face it: writing is hard work. And it’s freaking lonely. So we talk you through the process and offer support, companionship, and guidance—plus a safe, friendly space to find kindred readers and writers.
Hello! We’re Autumn and Steve: writers turned editors who’ve spent a lot of time on both sides of Submittable. One thing we’ve noticed? What writers think they need and what actually moves their work forward are often pretty different things. We kept wondering: why aren’t there more communities that support both?
So... we created Lit Match Collective.
who and why
LMC offers support and coaching through all phases of the creative process. From drafting and development, revision and more revision, to polish and submission: we're here to help. We host group writing sessions to get you working 💪, live process chats to set intentions and stay on track 🎯, member readings to build confidence 🔥, and community spaces to discuss craft, publishing, and writing life ✨ ...plus a whole lot more! (including corny jokes)
Almost ready to publish? Premium members can also share drafts with our team of awesome lit mag editors for positive feedback, drop-in coaching, or hand-picked lists of magazines and contests that best suit their work and needs.
what we do

All it takes is the first step.
Are you ready?
member benefits
The hardest part of writing is sitting down to do it. So write together online with an accountability group! Set intentions and goals, then lock in. No excuses. No distractions. Just your butt in the chair. 🪑🍑 ✍️😤
Sassy

Never read your work in public before? Bolster your courage and stagecraft in the safe, supportive space of our Firelight Readarounds.
Pop in our "office hours" for a live video chat or phone call to discuss progress, solve a knotty problem, and clarify your vision on the page. We're here to mentor you through your journey.
Basic

Fancy


the focus you want. . .
the company you need
Hunker down or find your people—we got you!
SASSY
$100
per month
★ All the benefits in Basic PLUS:
✔ Process Groups
✔ Firelight Readarounds
✔ Craft Chat & AMA
Only 20 spots!


If our membership rates are a financial burden, let us know and we can work with you. We also offer scholarships to writers from marginalized communities.
more ways to grow
Scared of commitment but still want support?
You scoundrel! (Just kidding...)
Check out our a la carte offerings. No membership required.
For those ready to get serious about revisions, we offer small, MFA-style writing workshops in a warm, intimate community led by an experienced writing mentor. Enrollment is capped at 8 members, and workshops meet every four weeks on a rolling basis for intensive feedback.
Need one-on-one editorial attention? Our Flexible Feedback service lets you choose how much, what kind, and how rigorous of feedback you'd like on your piece. A handy slider makes it all easy-peasy and transparent. Plus feedback comes with 5 lit mags to submit the work to when you're ready.
about us

Autumn Watts was fiction editor for Guernica Magazine (2014-2024). Editing is her heartwork, but her writing has also found homes in The Craft of Editing, Words Without Borders, AGNI, Indiana Review, and Guernica, among others, mentions in Best American Essays, Wigleaf Best of the Net, and Best New Poets, and support from Bread Loaf and the Community of Writers.

Steve Chang is a Taiwanese writer and MacDowell Fellow from the San Gabriel Valley. His work has appeared in Guernica, Grist, North American Review, etc. and been supported by Loghaven and MASS MoCA and a bunch of other things that would hook you up too if you'd apply. Want tips on how? We chat about that kind of stuff around here. He's fiction editor at Okay Donkey.
testimonials
I recently began trying to write, and am so far out of my comfort zone that I can't even see it in the rearview mirror . . . your encouraging remarks just launched me into Turbo Writing Effort and Submission mode.
J. Dorn
I just want to say a big THANK YOU to this team who I’ve gotten to know over these past couple of months. They’ve lovingly held my poems and stories and introduced me to literary magazines I’ve never heard of before. It puts joy in my heart knowing work of mine is out there and “in progress” on my Submittable account. Thanks for making this process a little more fun and a lot less lonely!
Erin Pesut
Working with Steve was the best editorial experience I have had as a writer. Not only did he understand the heart of my work, but he could see directions and alternate possibilities that carried more weight and more joy and better brought out that emotional core. Plus, our conversations were fun, and even though I loved the final product (which would have never been possible without Steve), the process of creating it was worthwhile in and of itself. The more writers that get the opportunity to work with Steve and Lit Match Collective, the better!
Brett Biebel, Gridlock
I've worked with editors before and Autumn is excellent, if not the best: perceptive, clear, honest and intelligent. She's completely committed to helping to clarify my vision and strengthen my book, not prescribe some anodyne or standardized version of "good writing" that may or may not fit. I genuinely enjoy working with Autumn and hope to continue our sessions and editing.
Gregg Williard
Working with Steve Chang was a deeply affirming experience. His thoughtful reading of my work...helped me see new dimensions in the narrative I hadn’t fully articulated to myself. I felt seen as a writer—like Steve was truly inside the emotional architecture of the piece. An editor like this—curious, intuitive, and emotionally attuned—is rare. His feedback didn’t just improve the work; it inspired me to keep going.
Brittany Ackerman, The Brittanys
Autumn Watts is the tops! She's the best reader and editor, and has helped me with everything, from short stories to novels to essays . . . She has an uncanny ability to get to the heart of a thing, and real versatility when it comes to style and form—she's always going to find a way to help you achieve your vision, not her own or anyone else's, which is truly a rare gift. She's also wise, funny, and kind, and an absolute genius at what she does.
Cathy Chung, The Tenth Muse
I’ve been lucky to have Steve as both a developmental reader and editor over the past several years. He's both enthusiastic and challenging—deeply and specifically insightful about what is on the page and what isn't yet on the page. Every story he's worked with me on has become the best possible version of itself.
Rob Roensch, In the Morning, the City is the Prairie
Fucking good. Like really good.
Anonymous
