diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index e631623..4e799ac 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ target_sources(vm_lib
   src/common.cpp
   src/arena.cpp
   src/reader.cpp
+  src/writer.cpp
   src/utf8.cpp
 
   PUBLIC
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ target_sources(vm_lib
   src/vm.hpp
   src/sourcerange.hpp
   src/reader.hpp
+  src/writer.hpp
   src/utf8.hpp
 )
 
diff --git a/src/common.hpp b/src/common.hpp
index 41aaa98..d21ec9e 100644
--- a/src/common.hpp
+++ b/src/common.hpp
@@ -268,6 +268,13 @@ class Symbol : public Object {
   static Result<Symbol> create(Arena& arena, String& rhs);
   virtual Result<Value> copy(Arena& arena) final;
 
+  uint64_t size() { return _value->size; }
+
+  Result<char32_t> operator[](uint64_t idx) {
+    if (idx >= _value->size) return ErrorCode::IndexOutOfRange;
+    return _value->data[idx];
+  }
+
  private:
   GcRoot<PodSymbol> _value;
 };
@@ -434,6 +441,7 @@ class Value {
   }
 
   PodObject* pod() { return ((Object*)buf)->pod(); }
+  Tag tag() { return ((Object*)buf)->tag(); }
 
   Object& operator*() { return *(Object*)(buf); }
   Object* operator->() { return (Object*)(buf); }
diff --git a/src/error.hpp b/src/error.hpp
index 4818cb2..88e7d2c 100644
--- a/src/error.hpp
+++ b/src/error.hpp
@@ -7,5 +7,8 @@ enum class ErrorCode {
   TypeMismatch,
   ReadError,
   UnterminatedStringLiteral,
-  InvalidNumericLiteral
+  InvalidNumericLiteral,
+  NotImplemented,
+  InvalidSymbol,
+  MalformedList,
 };
diff --git a/src/vli.cpp b/src/vli.cpp
index a684972..2cb020e 100644
--- a/src/vli.cpp
+++ b/src/vli.cpp
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include "arena.hpp"
 #include "common.hpp"
 #include "reader.hpp"
+#include "writer.hpp"
 
 StaticArena<64 * 1024 * 1024> arena;
 
@@ -31,5 +32,9 @@ int main() {
   auto reader = Reader(arena, s);
 
   auto r = DIEIF(reader.read_one());
+
+  auto writer = Writer(arena);
+  auto s2 = DIEIF(writer.write_one(r));
+
   return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/writer.cpp b/src/writer.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c91ca8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/writer.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+#include "writer.hpp"
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_one(Value& obj) {
+  switch (obj.tag()) {
+    case Tag::Nil:
+      return write_nil(*obj.to<Nil>());
+    case Tag::Int64:
+      return write_int64(*obj.to<Int64>());
+    case Tag::Float:
+      return write_float(*obj.to<Float>());
+    case Tag::Bool:
+      return write_bool(*obj.to<Bool>());
+    case Tag::ByteArray:
+      return write_bytearray(*obj.to<ByteArray>());
+    case Tag::String:
+      return write_string(*obj.to<String>());
+    case Tag::Symbol:
+      return write_symbol(*obj.to<Symbol>());
+    case Tag::Syntax:
+      return write_syntax(*obj.to<Syntax>());
+    case Tag::Pair:
+      return write_pair(*obj.to<Pair>());
+  };
+  return String();
+}
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_int64(Int64& val) {
+  char tmp[32];
+  sprintf(tmp, "%luu64", val.value());
+  size_t len = strlen(tmp);
+
+  return String::create(_arena, tmp);
+}
+
+bool needs_dot(char* str) {
+  bool has_e = 0;
+  bool has_dot = 0;
+  for (char* c = str; *c != 0; c++) {
+    if (*c == 'e' || *c == 'E') has_e = true;
+    if (*c == '.') has_dot = true;
+  }
+  return !has_e && !has_dot;
+}
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_float(Float& val) {
+  char tmp[32];
+  sprintf(tmp, "%g", val.value());
+  size_t len = strlen(tmp);
+
+  if (needs_dot(tmp)) {
+    tmp[len] = '.';
+    tmp[len + 1] = '0';
+    tmp[len + 2] = 0;
+    len += 2;
+  }
+
+  return String::create(_arena, tmp);
+}
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_nil(Nil& val) {
+  return String::create(_arena, "nil");
+}
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_bool(Bool& val) {
+  if (val.value()) return String::create(_arena, "true");
+
+  return String::create(_arena, "false");
+}
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_bytearray(ByteArray& val) {
+  return ErrorCode::NotImplemented;
+}
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_string(String& val) {
+  String res = TRY(String::create(_arena, "\""));
+
+  // TODO: optimize this
+  for (uint64_t i = 0; i < val.size(); i++) {
+    char32_t c = TRY(val[i]);
+    const char* replace = 0;
+    switch (c) {
+      case '\r':
+        replace = "\\r";
+        break;
+      case '\n':
+        replace = "\\n";
+        break;
+      case '\t':
+        replace = "\\t";
+        break;
+      case '\\':
+        replace = "\\\\";
+        break;
+      case '"':
+        replace = "\\\"";
+        break;
+      default:
+        break;
+    };
+
+    if (replace != 0) {
+      res = TRY(res.concat(_arena, replace));
+    } else {
+      res = TRY(res.concat(_arena, &c, 1));
+    }
+  }
+
+  res = TRY(res.concat(_arena, "\""));
+
+  return res;
+}
+
+int is_valid_symbol_char(char32_t codepoint) {
+  return ('a' <= codepoint && codepoint <= 'z') ||
+         ('A' <= codepoint && codepoint <= 'Z') ||
+         ('0' <= codepoint && codepoint <= '9') || codepoint == '!' ||
+         codepoint == '$' || codepoint == '%' || codepoint == '&' ||
+         codepoint == '*' || codepoint == '+' || codepoint == '-' ||
+         codepoint == '.' || codepoint == '/' || codepoint == ':' ||
+         codepoint == '<' || codepoint == '=' || codepoint == '>' ||
+         codepoint == '?' || codepoint == '@' || codepoint == '^' ||
+         codepoint == '_' || codepoint == '~';
+}
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_symbol(Symbol& val) {
+  String res = TRY(String::create(_arena, ""));
+
+  // TODO: optimize this
+  for (uint64_t i = 0; i < val.size(); i++) {
+    char32_t c = TRY(val[i]);
+
+    if (!is_valid_symbol_char(c)) return ErrorCode::InvalidSymbol;
+
+    res = TRY(res.concat(_arena, &c, 1));
+  }
+
+  return res;
+}
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_syntax(Syntax& val) {
+  return ErrorCode::NotImplemented;
+}
+
+Result<String> Writer::write_pair(Pair& val) {
+  String res = TRY(String::create(_arena, "("));
+
+  Value cur = TRY(val.copy(_arena));
+
+  bool is_first = true;
+  while (!cur.is<Nil>()) {
+    if (!cur.is<Pair>()) return ErrorCode::MalformedList;
+
+    Pair& pair = *cur.to<Pair>();
+
+    Value first = TRY(pair.first(_arena));
+    if (!is_first) res = TRY(res.concat(_arena, " "));
+
+    String first_str = TRY(write_one(first));
+    res = TRY(res.concat(_arena, first_str));
+
+    cur = TRY(pair.rest(_arena));
+  }
+
+  res = TRY(res.concat(_arena, ")"));
+  return res;
+}
diff --git a/src/writer.hpp b/src/writer.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..606561b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/writer.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "arena.hpp"
+#include "common.hpp"
+
+class Writer {
+ public:
+  Writer(Arena& arena) : _arena(arena){};
+
+  Result<String> write_one(Value& obj);
+  Result<String> write_multiple(Value& obj);
+
+ private:
+  Result<String> write_int64(Int64& val);
+  Result<String> write_float(Float& val);
+  Result<String> write_string(String& val);
+  Result<String> write_pair(Pair& val);
+  Result<String> write_nil(Nil& val);
+  Result<String> write_bool(Bool& val);
+  Result<String> write_bytearray(ByteArray& val);
+  Result<String> write_symbol(Symbol& val);
+  Result<String> write_syntax(Syntax& val);
+
+  Arena& _arena;
+};