Welcome to the objectively best newsletter + creative community on the internet

This is a newsletter where I write about my experience being human, as well as a community space for creatives who are invested in their work & well-being.

Hi! I’m Ali, an Award-winning and losing TV writer (The Morning Show), director and producer (Comedy Central), and actor (The End of Us, SXSW). As a filmmaker, my online video work has garnered nearly 1 billion views. As a journalist, my online writing has appeared in Vulture, BuzzFeed News, Talkhouse, Hello Giggles, The Hairpin, and more.

In 2022, I created a writing school and retreat center, In Flow, through which I host writing & Yoga retreats. Since then, I’ve also taught for Script Anatomy, lectured in Screenwriting at Columbia University and Chapman University, served as a judge for Outstanding Screenplays, and mentored for WeScreenplay and CoverFly. I love writing, teaching, and building communities, so I started Little Things as a place to do all of those things: It’s an outlet for my writing, but it’s also an inspiring space for creatives to come together to invest in their work and their well-being.

What is this newsletter about?

I typically write two free posts a month (you get enough email). I share whatever is inspiring me, and hopefully will inspire you, too, recommendations, quotes, journaling prompts, and more. In addition, I write usually funny, always honest essays with clear takeaways about what it means to be alive.

My subjects include creativity, surviving (and thriving) in a creative career, books and literature, film & TV, the craft & business of screenwriting, well-being, travel, and connecting more deeply to ourselves and others.

“Little Things is a remix of the literary salon. An antidote to creative loneliness. A therapy session. Cocktails with a friend. Ali shares tips and insights with optimism and humor. If you're a writer looking for community, this is a great place to start.” — Pablo Andreu

Little Things is much more than a newsletter: It’s a community space for creatives to learn and grow together.

A huge part of this newsletter is the thriving creative community: There are hundreds of paying subscribers invested in their work and their well-being, and I host various community events throughout the year.

Here's an example of what’s available to paying members of this newsletter:

• I write exclusive posts for paying subscribers. Sometimes these are my most intimate and personal essays, and other times they are focused on the craft or business of writing — including interviews with professionals.

• I host a Pitch Group, a supportive environment to get help with a project. Each person shows up with a creative problem (projects range from newsletters to books, short stories, and scripts) and receives help from me and the group.

• We regularly do The Artist’s Way together in the Subscriber chat and over Zoom. This is an incredible support system filled with encouragement, accountability, and connection. To quote one of last year’s members: “This is probably the best thing I’ve ever done on the internet.”

Paying for your subscription also means you’re sustaining this community and this publication. It means you are investing in what you value. It means you’re supporting an artist who has built a safe, inspiring, helpful space in an industry with zero stability.

Here are some testimonials from some paying subscribers:

“Ali Vingiano’s newsletter about finding an agent or manager—and whether you even need one—is reason enough to become a paid subscriber to Little Things.” — Ben Blacker of Re:Writing

“I find your newsletters so beautifully done. Really inspiring and insightful and so well-written! It feels just so high-quality in terms of the whole way it’s executed.” — Joyce

“I get *so much* out of your newsletter! I’m constantly talking about it to my writer friends and it has such a good community vibe!” — Carina

“Little Things' is about the *big* things in a working writer's life, like regaining faith in your own work, & negotiating the knocks of a whirlwind industry - all hard-won, reliable advice from someone in the trenches doing that work every day, delivered with kindness and wit.” — Mike Sowden of Everything Is Amazing

Lastly, this is a space for you — so reach out. Ask questions. Send me requests. Let’s support each other as we collectively invest in our work and our well-being.

Thank you for being here! We’re gonna have fun.

Xo, Ali

PS — Typos are always intentional, of course.