Writers need to take the journeys we create. 

We grow in stories.

Hello! I’m Janet Benton, a novelist who helps writers draft and hone powerful stories. With decades of experience, I offer a deep understanding of craft and the writing process. I’ve guided many hundreds of writers, privately and at five universities.

Private Mentoring
Small Workshops
Publication Guidance and Support

The big and small points of craft are best passed from one writer to another, in rich discussions that arise from close reading. Students and clients refer to our work as a personalized MFA program. Through this close and meaningful attention, writing grows.

"Janet’s skillful guidance and feedback have in large part made possible my career as a writer." — PAM JENOFF, AUTHOR OF 13 NOVELS, MANY OF THEM INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS

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SAVE THE DATE

"Your Book as a Journey"

April 11-17, 2027

A week for fiction and non-fiction writers in the Poconos town of Milanville PA, at a dedicated writers' retreat center.

I'll guide you toward creating an even more powerful connection to your work and a more entrancing path for readers. Over 25 hours of workshop and instruction, ample opportunities for connection, a beautiful campus, and delicious, locally sourced food.

For more information, please contact janet.thewordstudio@gmail.com

Client Testimonials

"You did a dynamite job. Your work is pushing me where I need to go. The agent said it was fantastic and a fantastic revision."— Larry Kane, former KYW news anchor, news analyst, and author of three published books, including Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles’ 1964 Tour that Changed the World

"Janet is a miracle worker. She’s teaching me about writing and editing and cheering me on through the whole process."— Rebecca Matthias, author of Motherswork: How a Young Mother Started a Business on a Shoestring and Built It into Multi-Million Dollar Company and author of two self-published novels

"Your changes really make the writing sparkle--making it more like music--taking it up another octave."— Alex Jack, author of dozens of published books, publisher, and ghostwriter for The Mozart Effect, which spawned an industry 

Lilli de Jong

PHILADELPHIA, 1883. Unwed and isolated from her Quaker family and community, Lilli enters motherhood at a charity home. She proves unable to give up her newborn child. What unfolds is a harrowing journey into the unknown, and Lilli captures it all in her notebooks. The novel draws on little-known history to create an intimate portrait of loves lost and found and a testament to the damages of prejudice.

LILLI DE JONG was one of LIBRARY JOURNAL’s and NPR’s Best Books 2017 and a semifinalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards, along with other honors. KIRKUS REVIEWS called it a "monumental accomplishment."

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Ruminations

January 21, 2020

When We Make Art, the Ways We Love the World Are Not Wasted

January 21, 2020

There is a true intimacy that can occur between a person who writes and a person who reads, a kind of mind meld, when the writer has done a good enough job to enable the reader to dream a version of the dream the writer has created in her own mind and put on the page.