ON HIATUS: Statement on the future of The Unwritten

Updated 28/08/23: Please note, we are on hiatus and emails will not be checked. Our Twitter is also not monitored so please follow editor Rachel on Twitter if you want to keep in touch.

I wanted to update you all on the future of The Unwritten. As you all know I started The Unwritten to give disabled people the space to tell our own authentic stories in a way mainstream media just wasn’t allowing. And though it’s only been a short time, I truly believe we’ve made waves.

However, as my career grows and my conditions worsen, I’ve had to make an incredibly hard decision.

From August, The Unwritten will be on a 6 months hiatus, during which time I will be assessing its and my own direction. 

In the meantime, we have a raft of content still to get out and will be publishing everything we’ve commissioned between now and June. To allow this to happen, we will not be accepting any more pitches. 

We will also still ensure that we pay all writers what they deserve. With this in mind, I’d love it if supporters still did so until July, to ensure all invoices can be paid asap. I want to stress that this decision wasn’t made because of a lack of funding, but because I need to listen to my own body. 

I’m so proud of the voices we’ve elevated and the content we’ve published. Since our launch in December 2020, we’ve published over 200 pieces on so many different aspects of disabled life, paying nearly 100 disabled writers over £3,000. 

The Unwritten from its inception has been a crowdfunded publication and while we’re so grateful for everything donated, this has meant I’ve never been able to pay editors, though I’m very lucky and thankful that Cath, Caroline and Hannah have donated their time. 

This has however meant the majority of running the site has been down to me – with the amazing Laura as inbox gremlin these last couple of months.

While I try to publish as much as I can, I am just one person and a disabled one at that. This is why, for the sake of my mental and physical health, I’ve made the decision to pause The Unwritten. This hasn’t been a decision I’ve made lightly, and I feel tremendously guilty about doing so, but I think now is the right time.

Thank you so much to all of our writers, supporters and readers who have always been there. This isn’t goodbye, it’s see you in a little while.

Rachel Charlton-Dailey

Founder and Editor-in-Chief