Willie Fitzgerald – Editor

Editor with an MFA from the Michener Center specializing in literary fiction, commercial fiction and short stories.

Overview

I'm a fiction writer, playwright and editor looking to help you write your best book. I am a recent Fiction Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, have an MFA from the Michener Center for Writers, and have published a number of short stories at places like Prairie Schooner, Joyland Magazine, and Boulevard, where my story was a finalist for the 2023 Best American Short Stories.

I've had the pleasure of doing developmental edits on books like Kristen Arnett's best-selling debut Mostly Dead Things (Tin House) and Isle McElroy's The Atmospherians (Atria). I think and edit like a writer, paying particular attention to where the piece wants to go, and then working with you to meet it there.

Services

Developmental Editing

Fiction

Contemporary Fiction Humor & Comedy LGBTQ Fiction Literary Fiction Plays & Screenplays Short Story

Languages

English (US)

Awards

Fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown

Work experience

Senior Editor

Heidi Pitlor Editorial

Jan, 2024 — Present

I offer developmental editing, line-editing, and coaching for writers of literary, commercial and historical fiction, along with short story collections, personal essays, and memoir.

Senior Editor

American Short Fiction

Jun, 2022 — Present

As a senior editor, I help select stories for publication, edit those stories at the structural and line level, and seek out and solicit promising new writers.

Mari Sabusawa Editorial Fellow

American Short Fiction

Sep, 2021 — May, 2022 (9 months)

As the inaugural Mari Sabusawa Fellow, I helped American Short Fiction publish three issues of the magazine, served as lead editor on three stories, and helped develop programming and logistics for our first-ever Summer Writing Workshop.

Fiction Fellow

Michener Center for Writers

Sep, 2018 — May, 2021 (over 2 years)

The Michener Center for Writers at UT–Austin is one of the nation's most prestigious MFA programs. I studied with writers like Elizabeth McCracken, Laura Van Den Berg, Edward P. Jones, Claire Vaye Watkins, Bret Anthony Johnston and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. In addition to working on my own writing, I also developed an editorial practice by reading works-in-progress of my classmates, many of whom went on to publish debut novels during or shortly after graduation. Along with fiction, I studied screenwriting, playwriting, and poetry.