The Writer was first established by William H. Hills and Robert Luce, two Boston Globe reporters, as "a monthly magazine to interest and help all literary workers", in April 1887.

It is targeted at writers, and includes articles offering advice for writing and resources for publishing.

On page 54 of that issue, he wrote a farewell essay in which he stated he felt he was putting the magazine in safe hands as he resigned his place as editor to William D. Kennedy.

No explanation for Hills' absence from the masthead during Gordon's tenure is mentioned in those issues; but an editorial by Gordon in the Sept. 1925 issue (page 132), which refers to Hills as the magazine's conductor for nearly 40 years, suggests he was still involved in its operation, even if his name wasn't on the masthead.

Other board members changed, but Lincoln and Smith, who were listed as publisher and managing editor, respectively, by the October 1929 issue, remained in those positions until February 1934.

[2] As of the November 2007 issue, she turned the editorial reins over to Jeff Reich (formerly the magazine's managing editor), to focus exclusively on her duties as publisher.

The Writer's current editorial board consists of James Applewhite, Andre Becker, T. Alan Broughton, Eve Bunting, Mary Higgins Clark, Roy Peter Clark, Barnaby Conrad, Lewis Burke Frumkes, James Cross Giblin, Gail Godwin, Eileen Goudge, Rachel Hadas, Shelby Hearon, John Jakes, John Koethe, Lois Lowry, Peter Meinke, Robert B. Parker, Katherine Patterson, Elizabeth Peters, Arthur Plotnik, and William G. Tapply.

In March 1934, the slogan changed to "The pioneer magazine for literary workers", and would remain until October of that year.

The slogan changed in December 2008 to "Advice and inspiration for today's writer," and again in January 2012 to "Imagine • Write • Publish."