S12 E52: I Love to Write Day with John Riddle

A diner outside Richmond. A napkin. And a flash of inspiration that turned into a global invitation to write. We sit down with author and ghostwriter John Riddle to unpack how I Love to Write Day began, why it stuck, and what keeps it thriving twenty-plus years later. From a long drive to a Writers Digest interview to an unexpected USA Today spotlight, John walks us through the turning points that helped a simple idea become a movement.

We explore why writing matters for everyone, not just “writers.” John breaks down how putting words on the page sharpens critical thinking, opens unexpected doors, and supports mental health. He shares stories that show the day’s reach: students securing a governor’s proclamation, teens helping seniors capture their life stories, schools blanketing hallways with positive messages, and nonprofits using journaling to process trauma. These moments reveal a core truth—writing builds community while giving individuals a way to find and share their voice.

You’ll also get practical tools to start or restart your practice. John’s go-to exercise for beating creative block takes minutes and resets your momentum. His three habits—make time, build confidence, and keep it fun—offer a durable framework for both novices and pros. We talk about balancing business and joy, from ghostwriting deadlines to co-authoring a humor book with his grandsons. Looking ahead, John teases the 25th anniversary plans, including an updated creative journal and a push to bring I Love to Write Day to the UK, Spain, and Australia.

Ready to write a paragraph, a poem, or the first page of your book? Hit play, then join us on November 15 and share what you create. If this conversation sparked an idea, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it to a friend who needs a nudge to start. Your words matter—let’s get them on the page.

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The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Learn more at Arts.Delaware.Gov.

Delaware State of the Arts is a weekly podcast that presents interviews with arts organizations and leaders who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of communities throughout Delaware. Delaware State of the Arts is provided as a service of the Division of the Arts, in partnership with NEWSRADIO 1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:19):
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guest today is John Riddle.
John has been working as afull-time freelance writer,
author, and ghostwriter from hishome office in Delaware since
1996, all while delighting inthe title of Donut Eater.
In 2002, he founded thegrassroots writing campaign, I

(00:40):
Love to Write Day, held everyNovember 15th, to encourage
people of all ages to spend timecreating written work and
exploring their voice.
He has authored dozens of booksand contributed to hundreds of
websites, building along-standing creative career
anchored in both craft andcommunity.
Today we'll talk with John aboutthe upcoming I Love to Write Day

(01:03):
on Saturday, November 15th.
John, as we kick off, tell me alittle bit about how you founded
I Love to Write Day back in2002.
And what was that light bulbmoment that made you decide
November 15th ought to be I Loveto Write Day?

SPEAKER_01 (01:19):
Well, it was actually in uh mid-May of 2002.
I was uh driving from Delawareto Asheville, North Carolina.
I was scheduled to speak at theBlue Ridge Mountain Christian
Writers Conference, teaching afew workshops.
My daughter Bonnie, who was acollege student at the
University of Delaware at thetime and also a published
writer, a couple local articles,was with me because she knew the

(01:41):
value of taking workshops fromnot only me, but from other
faculty members.
So it's about a 10-hour drive.
So just we just got outside ofRichmond and it was a little
diner.
I said, let's break for lunch.
And what was on my mind wasafter the conference, I was
going to be interviewed byWriters Digest magazine for all
the success I've had in sellingthe ebook long before Amazon

(02:02):
ever had ebooks available.
So I knew that, well, I probablyneeded a website, but
Johnriddle.com sounded boring.
Plus, it was a real estate agentin Iowa that had it.
And I thought, well, I neededsomething exciting.
So I thought, well, I love towrite.
And before I became a full-timewriter, I worked as a
development director for a fewlocal nonprofits and tried to

(02:25):
set the Guinness Book of WorldRecords by having the largest
group of people dance and twistas a fundraiser.
We even got Chubby Chef involvedto do some public service
announcements.
So I thought, well, I I love towrite and I love parties.
And I thought, I love to writeday.
So I grabbed a napkin and Iwrote the words, I love to write
day.
And I still don't know why.
I just picked out of the out ofthe blue November 15th and said

(02:47):
the middle of the month.
And I told Bonnie, remember thisday because this is the
beginning of I Love to WriteDay.
And ever since then, um November15th has been celebrated all
around the world, uh, mostly inthe United States.
There's a campaign to have it inthe UK, Spain, and Australia.
We'll talk about that a littlebit.

SPEAKER_00 (03:05):
Before the holiday existed, talk to us about what
your own writing journey waslike, what brought you into the
craft of writing and to foundingthis international observance?

SPEAKER_01 (03:16):
Well, I had always, even in high school, I had
always wanted to be a writer.
In fact, I had written anepisode of the Flying Nun TV
show, showed it to my Englishteacher, and he wasn't very
supportive.
He said it was the worst pieceof writing he'd ever seen, and I
should rethink my career path,but I didn't let that uh deter
me.
Uh after high school, I joinedthe Navy and discovered Writer's

(03:38):
Digest magazine, which there wasa magazine that told you how to
get published.
Unfortunately, it took me threeyears of collecting rejection
slips before I first saw myfirst article in a local
newspaper.
And at the end of the article,it said, John Riddles is a
freelance writer.
I had arrived.
And it didn't matter if I waswriting books, articles,
greeting cards, ad copy on theback of cereal boxes.

(04:00):
To me, writing, well, it may bean assignment and maybe a way to
make money, it's always joy andit's always fun for me.

SPEAKER_00 (04:07):
You mentioned that while driving to the conference,
you announced the day to yourdaughter.
How much of that origin storywas spontaneous versus planned
as you were having that kind ofmoment together?

SPEAKER_01 (04:19):
Well, I I guess I said I I knew I the interview
with Writers Digest magazine wason my mind a week after the
conference.
So that part was that was in theplanning.
But honestly, just having when Istarted thinking about the the
largest group of people dancingthe twist and parties and
writers, we all love to party.
That was I would say that wasspontaneous.

(04:39):
And that's grabbed that knackand I have I love to write day
written on it.

SPEAKER_00 (04:43):
What were some of your early challenges you faced
when launching a day like this?
Was it getting schools andlibraries engaged, or was it
just kind of spreadingawareness?

SPEAKER_01 (04:53):
It it was a combination of both because I
again my website, it was just abasic website, and um I I just
started emailing schools,bookstores, libraries, writing
groups, uh media people.
If I saw your email addressonline, you probably got an
invite to participate in I Loveto Write Day.
Um I was fortunate enough on thefirst I Love to Write Day, USA

(05:15):
Today did a feature about us.
And that that actually put us onthe map because I I literally
lost track of how many emailsand messages I got after that
because people said I read aboutin USA Today.
And ever since then, each yearwe've been building on the
success.
So uh it was a little slow goingout, but I thank very thankful
that USA Today said, Hey, we canput you on the map.

SPEAKER_00 (05:36):
The goal sounds pretty simple, right?
To encourage people of all agesto write something, be it a
poem, a letter, an essay, anovel.
How has that goal evolved overthe years?

SPEAKER_01 (05:48):
Well, that goal has stayed the same because it
doesn't matter if I'm speakingat a school, a bookstore, or
library with a writing group, uhdoing a lot of Zoom workshops
and presentations about writing.
Uh I just tell people, just findsomething that you're interested
in, whether it's a poem, if youwant to write greeting cards, if
you want to write an essay,start that novel, finish that

(06:10):
novel.
And over the years, that's beenjust the same bit of advice that
seems to work for everybody.

SPEAKER_00 (06:15):
Why do you believe that writing is so important in
today's world, especially fornon-writers or just everyday
folks?

SPEAKER_01 (06:23):
Well, there's a few reasons why writing is
important.
Uh number one, uh writing helpsdevelop critical thinking
skills.
Thinking before writing isessential for crafting quality
pieces of writing.
It forces you to considerdetails, analyze information,
and make connections betweendifferent pieces of data.
Writing can also open up newopportunities.

(06:44):
Being able to write well canlead to some exciting
opportunities like getting yourwork published or even landing a
job in the publishing industry.
Uh writing can also be used toinspire others and make a
difference in the world aroundyou.
And finally, writing is good foryour mental health.
Research has shown that writingcan help reduce stress and
improve overall well-being.

(07:04):
It's a great way to expressyourself and get your thoughts
down on paper.
And plus, it's fun.

SPEAKER_00 (07:09):
Can you share with us one or two stories of
participants of any age or anyexperience that really touched
you or made you realize kind ofthe the widespread significance
of I Love to Write Day?

SPEAKER_01 (07:24):
Yes, it was, I think it was the third or fourth year
that uh there was a group ofstudents at the St.
Mary Magdalene uh RegionalSchool in Millville decided to
write a letter to the governorat that time and asked the
governor to declare November15th as I Love to Write Day in
the Garden State.
The governor was touched and hesent his representative out to

(07:45):
the school with a proclamation,and the kids were all cited, and
so much so that even theCumberland Mall decided to hold
a special I Love to Write Daycelebration that year, not only
in the bookstore, but differentdifferent stores and everything.
And it's just amazing that overthe years that uh things have
evolved.
And then uh I think it was thesecond I Love to Write Day.
Uh, there was a group ofstudents from the Hilton Head

(08:07):
Senior High School in SouthCarolina.
They went to a local retirementcommunity to encourage the
residents to start writing theirlife stories.
Uh, and it was supposed to be aone-time thing.
Students had a great time, theresidents had a great time, and
for the next six weeks, studentscontinued to go.
And some of the uh residentswere so excited they even
published a few of theirmemoirs.

(08:28):
And then finally, I got an emailfrom uh a teacher this past I
Love to Write Day.
She said her daughter, when shewas in first grade, celebrated I
Left to Write Day faithfullyevery year.
A few months last year, afterlast year, she published her
first novel, and her secondnovel is coming out in 2026.
So that was an example of a kidwho really said, you know what,

(08:48):
I love to write, and I'm gonnado this every year, and look
what happened.

SPEAKER_00 (08:51):
That's really so awesome to hear, uh, especially
as you hear someone that'sparticipated year over year, and
now you hear them making it inthe professional world.
So, as we think about what ittakes to put on an event like
this, not only for you, but sayfor those that are doing it at
their local school or library,what do you gauge to be are some

(09:12):
of the most effective ways thatpeople can celebrate I Love to
Write Day in their owncommunity?

SPEAKER_01 (09:18):
Well, I unbeknownst to me, I guess for about five or
six years, the NationalCoalition Against Domestic
Violence was using the I Love toWrite Day program as a way to
help the women and children thatdeal with the trauma.
And a few years later, theyinvited me to their uh
conference in Washington, D.C.
And I held a special workshopfor some of the kids and
everything.

(09:38):
And that was real very touchingbecause it was an example of an
organization that was had takenthe basic I Love to Write Day
idea and just ran with it anddid stuff on their own.
Students at Glasgow High Schoolduring the first year, uh I
believe there were 1,400students, they all wrote
positive messages to each otheror to famous people, and they

(09:59):
just they were they hung themdown the hallways and
everything, and for I Left toWrite Day, that was an exciting
thing that was happening there.
Uh the International CommunitySchool in Georgia partnered with
uh Sleep Pea Angel LiteracyFoundation and created a uh
series of poetry books that hadpoems from the fifth and sixth
grade students.

(10:20):
And it's it's really interestingbecause even if it's I'm gonna
show you a visual, but obviouslyit was interesting.
Um First and Second Gradestudents who are just learning
to write, sometimes they'll justwrite a couple of lines and then
they'll they'll illustrate it aswell.
So uh one student wrote, Mybiggest dream is doing math, my
biggest dream is to be thesmartest girl.

(10:42):
And another another studentwrote, uh, My biggest dream is
helping animals because I loveanimals.
I want to be an animal rescuer.
So you each year I get I get uhcards, letters, uh I never know
what's going to come in themail.
So that's it's always excitingto see what's happening uh all
around the country and now evenall around the world.

SPEAKER_00 (11:01):
John, what are you gonna write on I Love to Write
Day this year?

SPEAKER_01 (11:06):
Well, I'm actually gonna be at the Duck Creek
Library in Smyrna, Delaware.
They're holding a special I Loveto Write Day event.
Uh they have uh 15 local authorswith tables showing their books.
Uh we're having a couple ofwriting contests.
People of all ages can come inand write just a short essay why
they love to write.
I'll even be holding a free90-minute workshop on how to

(11:26):
make money as a freelancewriter.
So I'll be uh writing along witheveryone there.
And uh again, my my email boxwill be bombarded with uh people
who want to want to sign up atthe last minute and be sharing
what they did on I Love to WriteDay.
So there's never a dull moment.

SPEAKER_00 (11:43):
Understanding, right, that success for this day
isn't really evaluated by anykind of uh concrete metrics,
right?
Like you're not writing grantssaying we're going to to reach
this many people.
But as the founder and assomeone that has seen this
program year over year, how doyou measure or evaluate the

(12:04):
success or the reach of this dayeach year?
And which ones matter most toyou as the founder?

SPEAKER_01 (12:10):
To me, it's always the variety.
Again, I never know how manybookstores, libraries, writing
groups, community centers, Ieven had churches involved, and
you name it.
Uh plus there's the individualpeople who learn about it
through the local media orwebsite or press release.
And uh I was a little latecoming to the hashtag table.
I didn't quite understand thevalue of hashtag.

(12:31):
So uh once once we finally gothashtag iLiveToWrite Day out
there, uh see that we're we'retrending on I Love to Write Day,
just seeing what's happening.
And and again, to me, it's justa variety.
Uh, there's no real metric as tohey, this was success because we
had X number of schools, but uhalways inviting new schools and
you know teachers rotate out andeverything.

(12:52):
And as I guess I said, I uh Iget uh cards from writing groups
that have been celebratingfaithfully for 20 years.

SPEAKER_00 (12:59):
So you've been doing this for uh the better part of a
number of years.
How do you keep the momentumgoing?
You know, what kinds ofpartnerships or outreach
strategies have you found themost valuable as you seek just
to keep this day top of mindwith those that participate?

SPEAKER_01 (13:15):
Well, sometimes it starts probably in late August,
early September.
I just start doing a bunch of uhonline articles, uh sending out
press releases, networking withschools that have been involved
previous years.
And there's always somebody whoknows somebody that can say,
hey, let's let's invite thisgroup or let's tell this school
about it.
And uh so doing that, reachingout to the media.

(13:38):
I mean, reporters are alwayschanging jobs and everything.
There's always someone else incharge of a news organization.
So uh whereas one newspapermight ignore me for five years,
all of a sudden, and now I'm onthe front page, and that's
great.
So it's just again, it's it's tome, it's like, we'll wait and
see what happens this year, andand I know it'll be great
because it'll be fun.

SPEAKER_00 (13:57):
As you kind of alluded to earlier, in the age
of social media, I'm sure I loveto write day has been able to
reach more and more people.
Talk to us maybe about the mostsurprising thing that has helped
or hindered the mission of yourday and encouraged more people
to participate.

SPEAKER_01 (14:15):
Well, more people are writing, and it I mean, it
might when you talk about hey,hey guys, you need to write, uh
people are like, oh no, I don'tlove to write.
But then they'll go and they'llwrite blogs and newsletters and
online articles.
So more people are writing, uh,wish they paid a little more
attention to the spelling andgrammar, but uh more people are
writing and and that's a goodthing.
And that as new venues open uponline where people can publish

(14:39):
their works, it's just uhwriting and writing and writing.
It's fun.

SPEAKER_00 (14:44):
For someone who maybe hasn't written in years or
maybe feels they're experiencingwriters' block, what's one
simple exercise you'd suggest toget started, either right before
or on November 15th?

SPEAKER_01 (14:57):
Well, take a blank piece of paper.
Don't be afraid, or sit at thekeyboard, whatever your your uh
favorite way to write is, andmake a list of five things that
are important to you.
And of those five things, pickyour top two favorite and just
write a short paragraph, a shortessay as to why why are you
excited about this topic or whyare you passionate about that

(15:17):
cause?
And next thing you know, you'vewritten something that you're
proud of, and it's really great.

SPEAKER_00 (15:22):
What are some common writing fears that you encounter
when you talk with students oradults, and how do you counsel
them through the fears thatthey've identified?

SPEAKER_01 (15:33):
Well, again, I've been on the road for 25 years
now, different differentorganizations and venues, and it
doesn't matter if it's a smallgroup, a large group, a big
school, a small school, onecommon denominator is the fear
factor.
Okay, people are afraid.
They're afraid to start, they'reafraid to fail.
So if you can overcome thatobstacle, gain the confidence to

(15:58):
try your writing.
Because yes, it's gonna be alittle rough at first, but you
know what?
You'll breathe that sigh ofrelief when you're done that
first paragraph or first page.
So getting over the fear factorand having confidence are the
two main things.

SPEAKER_00 (16:11):
John, you've authored and or ghostwritten
hundreds of pieces.
What are three habits that youbelieve every writer, novice or
experienced, should cultivate intheir writing craft?

SPEAKER_01 (16:24):
Well, first and most important is don't say uh you
have to find time to write.
You have to make the time towrite.
If anything in life is importantto you, especially writing,
you'll make the time.
And it doesn't, you don't haveto say, well, from five to six
at night, I'm going to sit atthe keyboard.
If it might only be a fewminutes here and there, but uh

(16:44):
make the time to write, have theconfidence in what you're
writing, and above all, havefun.

SPEAKER_00 (16:50):
Talk to us about how you balance the craft of writing
and the joy of writing, right?
To your point, you have to maketime to write, not just write on
a whim.
Uh so how do you balance kind ofthat back and forth, especially
when writing becomes part of abusiness, or in this case, part
of a larger outreach of aprogram?

SPEAKER_01 (17:11):
Well, again, in my early years, yes, writing,
writing for, writing for moneywas paramount because you got to
pay the bills and everything.
But you know, now I'm thinkingit's so much easier to get
published.
And uh my 40th book just cameout, and I I wrote it with two
of my grandsons who were 14 and11, and it's called uh Cat's
Guide to Surviving the Holidays.

(17:31):
It's a laugh out loud book.
Uh it's written with their cat,Mr.
Dill Pickles.
So that that's a labor of love.
And that project I can do, uh,even though I'm also working on
a ghostwriting project at thetime.
And again, to me, it doesn'tmatter if I'm writing a book, an
article, ad copy on the back ofa cereal box or or whatever.
Uh, I make the time and I havefun with it, and I just keep

(17:53):
looking forward to the nextproject.

SPEAKER_00 (17:56):
What's next for I Love to Write Day?
Do you have any new initiatives,expansion plans, new resources,
or outreach that you'reparticularly excited about?

SPEAKER_01 (18:06):
Well, we did to celebrate the 20th anniversary,
uh, I published the I Love toWrite Day creative writing
journal on Amazon, stillavailable.
Uh, it contains 30 creativechallenges and tips from 87
experts from all around theworld on how to be more
creative.
So for the 25th anniversary,which isn't only a couple years
away, we'll be updating that andpublishing a whole new new

(18:28):
version.
Um, as I mentioned earlier, theUnited Kingdom, Australia,
Spain, and a few other foreigncountries have asked me to make
this an international event andnot just a USA one.
So we're we're we'rebrainstorming ways to on the
25th anniversary that we can gointernational and we'll we'll
see what happens and going fromthere.
Again, we want to make writingfun, get everybody involved.

(18:50):
It's it's a it's a good day thatspend a few minutes or spend a
long time.
And again, if you're in thearea, stop at the Duck Creek
Library in Smyrna, Delaware.
Uh we'll be there from 9 to1.30.

SPEAKER_00 (19:00):
If you could make one wish come true for the
future of writing in Delaware orthe world, in schools,
communities, and individuals,what would John's wish be for
the future of writing?

SPEAKER_01 (19:13):
John's wish would be don't stress over your writing.
I don't care if it's a homeworkassignment or an article for a
newspaper or you finally got abook deal and now you're
panicking.
Don't stress over it because youknow, if you're passionate about
what you want to do, make thetime, make it fun, and all the

(19:34):
flow.

SPEAKER_00 (19:35):
John, anything else you'd like to share with the
listeners today?

SPEAKER_01 (19:38):
Uh visit the website ILovedorwriteday.com.
You can send a message to methat way.
And uh, if anyone's interestedin in I teach a variety of
workshops, I'll be happy to sendall the handouts for my
workshops and uh answer anyquestions that people have about
getting published or justwriting in general.

SPEAKER_00 (19:55):
John, thank you so much for joining me today.
And as he mentioned, if you'dlike to learn more about I Love
to Write Day coming up onSaturday, November 15th, visit
www.towrite day.com.