In-person events
Please note:
The Writers Workshop is not wheelchair accessible and there is only partial lift access via Waterstones during business hours.
Sounds About Write, our live literature event at Sheffield Plate, IS wheelchair accessible.
Until we find a new home, we are expanding our ONLINE offer: click here for the online listing, and many in-person events have an online-access option also.
Please read our refund policy.
For all our in-person events, view our Eventbrite collection here (excluding Writing Club for 9-13s)
Get Writing
Friendly, supportive writing workshops for writers at all stages of their writing journeys. Think of it as push-ups for your writing muscles, a play date for your inner child, a chance to exorcise your demons or just plain magic.
You’ll be guided through a series of themed writing exercises to generate new writing in the company of other writers. You can write in whatever genre and for whatever purpose suits you. Expect fun, laughter, friendship and solidarity as side effects.
Get Writing is facilitated by Beverley Ward every Wednesday from 11am-1pm. Block bookings are available.
Children’s Writing Club
Writing Clubs are a chance for children and young people to play with writing outside of the constraints of the formal curriculum.
Writing Clubs are a place where young people can express themselves, experiment, develop their love of stories and language, and grow in confidence. Writing is a creative act and not just a tool for passing exams. In Writing Club we don’t focus on grammar, spelling or punctuation but writing skills will develop naturally as children fall in love with the power of the written word.
Writing Club is faciltated by children’s author, Beverley Ward and is suitable for ages 9-13.
Storytelling Skills
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Carmel Page
Once upon a time everyone was a storyteller.
We still are, we are always talking to each other, but if you wish to get really good at storytelling this session will help you hone your skills.
Carmel Page is a renown storyteller who performs in large museums, around blazing bonfires, in spooky graveyards, sitting on pub bars, lying on piles of scarves and whilst throwing teddy bears at her audience. She is passionate about storytelling and giving people the skills and confidence they need to fill the land with stories.
The Sunday Soul Sessions: Writing Through the Darkness
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Beverley Ward
January is often synonymous with the blues, but does it have to be that way? The concept of 'wintering' has become increasingly popular in recent years, with its invitation to see the dark months (or the dark periods of our lives) as a time for rest, nurture and restoration. What we plant in the darkness might flourish in the lighter months. How can we use this time to support ourselves?
Join Beverley Ward in a gentle, reflective workshop in which we'll explore how we can use writing to stay afloat during the literal darkness of winter and also through the difficult periods of our lives.
Story Starters: New Year Sprint
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitators: Lorna Partington and Rosie Carnall
Writers are often asked, "Where do you get your ideas from?"
Well, now there's an easy answer!
Kickstart your writing in 2025 with Story Starters, which will help you generate new story ideas to sustain your creative writing practice in the coming months. There will be four sessions, each with a different focus. Attend one, attend all: it's up to you!
In each workshop, facilitators Rosie Carnall and Lorna Partington will lead fun and interactive themed exercises to prompt new writing. Working collaboratively with fellow writers, you'll develop your own structured ideas - "story starters" - that you can use as the basis of new short-form projects ... but, who knows, they may even inspire you to write a novel!
Rosie and Lorna will also be offering Work in Progress sessions throughout 2025 to help you finish what you start.
No prior creative writing experience necessary.
Get Writing
Friendly, supportive writing workshops for writers at all stages of their writing journeys. Think of it as push-ups for your writing muscles, a play date for your inner child, a chance to exorcise your demons or just plain magic.
You’ll be guided through a series of themed writing exercises to generate new writing in the company of other writers. You can write in whatever genre and for whatever purpose suits you. Expect fun, laughter, friendship and solidarity as side effects.
Get Writing is facilitated by Beverley Ward every Wednesday from 11am-1pm. Block bookings are available.
Children’s Writing Club
Writing Clubs are a chance for children and young people to play with writing outside of the constraints of the formal curriculum.
Writing Clubs are a place where young people can express themselves, experiment, develop their love of stories and language, and grow in confidence. Writing is a creative act and not just a tool for passing exams. In Writing Club we don’t focus on grammar, spelling or punctuation but writing skills will develop naturally as children fall in love with the power of the written word.
Writing Club is faciltated by children’s author, Beverley Ward and is suitable for ages 9-13.
Tarot & the Writing Path
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Jools Warner
This workshop will focus on exploring ways to use the tarot to guide and develop your writing. We'll look at how to use the evocative imagery of the cards for insights and guidance on the writing journey itself, and also ways to apply its archetypes and themes in fiction writing to access layers of character, setting, and story.
There will be a series of practical tarot exercises to help you tap into intuition. We will then build on this so that you can apply guidance from the tarot directly to your writing. You will also get plenty of time to discuss the insights you receive from the world(s) of the tarot.
The workshop is suitable for beginner and intermediate writers also interested in tarot, whether you're looking for new ways to enhance your writing or interested in deepening an existing relationship with tarot.
If you have a tarot deck of your own, feel free to bring it, but I'll be bringing a few decks along. I find the variations in style and art work on the cards to be helpful inspiration, and I want you to experience this too!
Jools Warner is a novelist and tarot reader based in Sheffield. Her tarot journey began in 2007, and she has been reading professionally since 2022. As a novelist, she writes fantasy fiction and paranormal romance for adults, as well as spooky stuff for younger readers. She did an MA in Creative Writing at Sheffield Hallam University, graduating in 2022 with Distinction.
Group Mentoring for Neurodivergent Writers
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Amanda Marples
Hands up who is neurodivergent and really needs some support with their writing? Who longs for a writing coach but is having enough trouble paying the gas bill? Here is a solution: low-cost, high-quality group mentoring.
Here's what to expect...
Monthly meet-ups (online options also available)
Small groups of no more than 5 writers
Opportunity and dedicated space to bring your writing-related executive function issues (see below)
Space to talk it through with other ND writers
Access to the expertise of ND professional writer and mentor Amanda Marples (facilitating)
Solutions
Gentle accountability and goal-setting
What are writing related executive function issues? (not an exhaustive list!)
Time management
Focus and concentration
Motivation & Procrastination
Rejection Sensitivity
Planning and workload management
Maintaining interest
Managing boom-bust cycles of activity
Making sense of feedback & understanding submission requirements
Bring your stuff...and let's find a way through it together.
Get Writing
Friendly, supportive writing workshops for writers at all stages of their writing journeys. Think of it as push-ups for your writing muscles, a play date for your inner child, a chance to exorcise your demons or just plain magic.
You’ll be guided through a series of themed writing exercises to generate new writing in the company of other writers. You can write in whatever genre and for whatever purpose suits you. Expect fun, laughter, friendship and solidarity as side effects.
Get Writing is facilitated by Beverley Ward every Wednesday from 11am-1pm. Block bookings are available.
Children’s Writing Club
Writing Clubs are a chance for children and young people to play with writing outside of the constraints of the formal curriculum.
Writing Clubs are a place where young people can express themselves, experiment, develop their love of stories and language, and grow in confidence. Writing is a creative act and not just a tool for passing exams. In Writing Club we don’t focus on grammar, spelling or punctuation but writing skills will develop naturally as children fall in love with the power of the written word.
Writing Club is faciltated by children’s author, Beverley Ward and is suitable for ages 9-13.
Write Yourself Wise
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Emma Garrard
Please note: This event has sold out, but please join the waiting list via Eventbrite or book for the next event on March 6th.
Join us for an evening of self-exploration and self-discovery. This ongoing monthly group is all about tapping into your inner wisdom through therapeutic creative writing. No writing experience is required and sharing your writing is always optional. Our experienced facilitator will guide you through various writing exercises designed to help you gain clarity, insight, and inspiration. Don't miss out on this chance to Write Yourself Wise!
Writers Day 2025: The Writing Journey
Join The Writers Workshop at Channing Hall, Sheffield, on February 8th for Writers Day 2025, supported by New Writing North and Hachette.
There are a limited number of early-bird tickets available NOW for a limited time only. Book today to enjoy a £20 discount! Ticket includes refreshments and lunch.
Suited to emerging and developing writers, the Writers Day will include sessions that explore the writing journey from creation through publication, as well as opportunities to pitch to publishers and meet your new BWFs (best writer friends)!
The full programme will be released along with full-price tickets shortly. In the meantime, here's a preview of some of the planned sessions (subject to alteration):
A Writer's Journey: Novelists Karen Powell and Sarah Brooks share their experiences on a panel, supported by New Writing North.
A Book's Journey: Editors from Hachette (and imprint Headline), Lucy Twist and Frankie Edwards, share insights into the publishing journey.
Find Your Story: What is the unique story that only you can tell? Whether it’s in poetry or prose, explore the ‘what’ of your desire to write.
Find Your Voice: What is voice and how do we recognise and develop our distinctive style?
Find Your Protagonist: Whether you are writing nonfiction in which you’re the protagonist or writing fiction with an invented one, find out what makes a central character compelling.
Find Your Readers: A look at indie publishing options, and book marketing essentials.
Find Your Writing Mojo: Tips from writing coaches to help you sustain a writing practice, even when you’re feeling stuck, dejected or uncertain.
Pitching your project: Take the opportunity to submit your work to a representative of the agenting or publishing industry. Please note, pitching is subject to a supplementary admin charge.
Full programme details (including how to apply for a pitching slot) will be released in mid-January.
Neurodivergent Writers Toolkit 1/6: Rejection Sensitivity
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Amanda Marples
Getting to the page and staying there can be tough for any writer, whether you are an academic, novelist, poet or freelancer.
If you are neurodivergent (or think you might be), it can be even tougher, and there are good reasons for that. Join Amanda Marples for a comprehensive walk through all the common areas of difficulty. In this series of workshops you will learn why you are like you are, why your brain seems to be conspiring against you, and what you can do about it.
You do not need a diagnosis to attend these sessions. Sessions are designed to stand alone, so you can just attend the ones you think might be most helpful. You can also block purchase all 6 workshop at a reduced price. Sessions are fortnightly on Sunday mornings until 20th April, 2025.
What workshop 1 is about:
... the science! What’s going on in the brain, and more importantly, what’s going on in the neurodivergent writer’s brain? In this first workshop you will learn how we are battling our own biology and how that shows up as rejection sensitivity and a really loud, often deeply unpleasant inner critic. This is your chance to have a good look at how this stuff might be derailing your writing, and find ways to overcome it (or at least turn the volume down a touch).
The remaining five sessions, for those interested in block purchasing the series are detailed below:
Workshop 2: Procrastination & Avoidance (23rd February)You can’t get round to it, right? The novel is mouldering in a drawer half-finished (if you’ve even started it), but your sock drawer is perfectly organised. Discover what’s really going on and get on top of procrastination.
Workshop 3: Time Management & Organisation. (9th March) This workshop is all about that bête noire of ND writers everywhere: clock time. Learn the myths and truths about productivity, how to cope with time blindness, and pick up some solid tools for building habits and routines that work for you.
Workshop 4: Paralysis, Motivation & Focus. (23rd March) It's no fun being glued to the sofa with a racing mind, especially if you have a deadline or the kids are going to be home in an hour and you’ve not written a word. In this workshop you will learn how to get started when the dopamine has left the building…and how to keep going.
Workshop 5: Imagination & Overwhelm. (6th April) Creativity requires ideas, and stability. What if you don’t have much of either? This workshop will expose, explore and offer solutions to some of the most difficult areas for neurodivergent writers: rigid ways of thinking, aphantasia and emotional dysregulation.
Workshop 6: Demand avoidance. (20th April) Ever found yourself wanting to write something and immediately thought…nope? Does it have a weird, illogical stubbornness about it? Welcome to Demand Avoidance. This final workshop is all about this bewildering, poorly understood feature of neurodiversity. Learn what demand avoidance is, where it comes from, and how to deftly sidestep it to land on the page where you belong.
Please note: Unfortunately, the Writers Workshop space is not wheelchair accessible. We apologise for any disappointment. Amanda is planning to offer these sessions online in the future, and also offers individual mentoring. For more details and to join Amanda's mailing list please visit reconcilecreative.com
Get Writing
Friendly, supportive writing workshops for writers at all stages of their writing journeys. Think of it as push-ups for your writing muscles, a play date for your inner child, a chance to exorcise your demons or just plain magic.
You’ll be guided through a series of themed writing exercises to generate new writing in the company of other writers. You can write in whatever genre and for whatever purpose suits you. Expect fun, laughter, friendship and solidarity as side effects.
Get Writing is facilitated by Beverley Ward every Wednesday from 11am-1pm. Block bookings are available.
Children’s Writing Club
Writing Clubs are a chance for children and young people to play with writing outside of the constraints of the formal curriculum.
Writing Clubs are a place where young people can express themselves, experiment, develop their love of stories and language, and grow in confidence. Writing is a creative act and not just a tool for passing exams. In Writing Club we don’t focus on grammar, spelling or punctuation but writing skills will develop naturally as children fall in love with the power of the written word.
Writing Club is faciltated by children’s author, Beverley Ward and is suitable for ages 9-13.
Absolute Beginner Creative Writing Workshop
Location: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Raquel Vogl
Have you always wanted to write creatively but don’t know where to start? Are you intimidated by groups of more experienced writers?
This is the workshop for you. We will do several beginner friendly writing exercises and I will give you exercises and tips to take home to build a writing practice. There will be the opportunity to share your writing but it is not obligatory.
This will be a friendly, fun, and open space to get words on the page, build confidence in your writing, and develop your own writing practice. We will be doing different prompts from previous workshops, so if you have attended before we'll be doing new prompts and exercises.
Moonwrite Workshop
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Coco Lone Neal
Every living being since the dawn of time has gazed up at the same moon.
A moon which inspired mythology, literature, religion, philosophy, science; a moon that directs migrations, tides, the movement of leaves, and perhaps even the blood in our veins. You will be hard pressed to find an artist untouched by the moon.
These workshops are first and foremost about inspiration. Every month I will bring poems, extracts, art, stories, myths, maps, and we use them as prompts, as jumping off points into our own writing.
Join us for the February Moon - also known as the Storm Moon, Hunger Moon, Snow Moon - who will this moon be to you?
Suitable for every level of writing and every genre, whether you’re a dedicated moon-worshipper or someone who enjoys the simple awe of looking up into a night sky and finding light.
Crafty Writing - Embroidery
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Carmel Page
Learn everything about embroidery from how to thread a neadle to how to make your first sampler. No experience needed. Suitable for adults and teens.
Then take some time out to write, either with paper and a pen or write with thread.
We will be using recycled and salvaged materials.
Carmel Page is an author who is adicted to embroidering, whether it is her clothes or embroidering the truth!
Join this friendly group where craft and writing are combined and everyone is welcome.
Sounds About Write: Molly Aitken
Venue: Sheffield Plate (downstairs)
Join us at our monthly live literature event, including a special literary guest and open mic.
This month, we're excited to be hosting the fantastic Molly Aitken.
To reserve an open-mic slot, email workshopwrite@gmail.com before 6:00PM on the day.
Molly Aitken is the author of Bright I Burn and The Island Child. Bright I Burn was featured on the New Yorker Best Books of 2024 and was an Irish Bestseller. Molly's short stories have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. Molly won the Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction for her short story published in Ploughshares. She lives in Sheffield and is studying a PhD in Creative Writing at Sheffield Hallam University.
Photo credit - Christy Ku
Storytelling Skills
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Carmel Page
Once upon a time everyone was a storyteller.
We still are, we are always talking to each other, but if you wish to get really good at storytelling, this session will help you hone your skills.
Carmel Page is a renown storyteller who performs in large museums, around blazing bonfires, in spooky graveyards, sitting on pub bars, lying on piles of scarves and whilst throwing teddy bears at her audience. She is passionate about storytelling and giving people the skills and confidence they need to fill the land with stories.
Absolute Beginner Creative Writing Workshop
Location: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Raquel Vogl
Have you always wanted to write creatively but don’t know where to start? Are you intimidated by groups of more experienced writers?
This is the workshop for you. We will do several beginner friendly writing exercises and I will give you exercises and tips to take home to build a writing practice. There will be the opportunity to share your writing but it is not obligatory.
This will be a friendly, fun, and open space to get words on the page, build confidence in your writing, and develop your own writing practice. We will be doing different prompts from previous workshops, so if you have attended before we'll be doing new prompts and exercises.
Nature Writing Workshop: Sheffield's Canal
Meeting Point: The Dorothy Pax, Victoria Quays
Facilitator: Anne Grange
Winter is almost at an end and it's time to get back into nature - with a warm drink and a slice of cake at the end of the walk!
We'll walk through history alongside the Sheffield and Tinsley canal, writing at interesting points as we go, starting outside the Dorothy Pax pub in Victoria Quays, and finishing at the Rag 'n' Bone coffee shop near Meadowhall for a bit of writing and refreshment before heading back on the tram. The walk is around 3.5 miles on some of Sheffield's flattest terrain!
There's lots of wildlife to spot, as well as post and present industrial landscapes, a scene from the film The Full Monty, canal boats (including one rather bendy one!), public artwork, and a very short aqueduct.
Please wrap up warmly and wear sturdy footwear for this winter adventure.
Neurodivergent Writers Toolkit 2/6: Avoidance and Procrastination
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Amanda Marples
Getting to the page and staying there can be tough for any writer, whether you are an academic, novelist, poet or freelancer.
If you are neurodivergent (or think you might be), it can be even tougher, and there are good reasons for that. Join Amanda Marples for a comprehensive walk through all the common areas of difficulty. In this series of workshops you will learn why you are like you are, why your brain seems to be conspiring against you, and what you can do about it.
You do not need a diagnosis to attend these sessions. Sessions are designed to stand alone, so you can just attend the ones you think might be most helpful. You can also block purchase all 6 workshop at a reduced price. Sessions are fortnightly on Sunday mornings until 20th April, 2025.
What workshop 1 is about:
... the science! What’s going on in the brain, and more importantly, what’s going on in the neurodivergent writer’s brain? In this first workshop you will learn how we are battling our own biology and how that shows up as rejection sensitivity and a really loud, often deeply unpleasant inner critic. This is your chance to have a good look at how this stuff might be derailing your writing, and find ways to overcome it (or at least turn the volume down a touch).
The remaining sessions are detailed below:
Workshop 3: Time Management & Organisation. (9th March) This workshop is all about that bête noire of ND writers everywhere: clock time. Learn the myths and truths about productivity, how to cope with time blindness, and pick up some solid tools for building habits and routines that work for you.
Workshop 4: Paralysis, Motivation & Focus. (23rd March) It's no fun being glued to the sofa with a racing mind, especially if you have a deadline or the kids are going to be home in an hour and you’ve not written a word. In this workshop you will learn how to get started when the dopamine has left the building…and how to keep going.
Workshop 5: Imagination & Overwhelm. (6th April) Creativity requires ideas, and stability. What if you don’t have much of either? This workshop will expose, explore and offer solutions to some of the most difficult areas for neurodivergent writers: rigid ways of thinking, aphantasia and emotional dysregulation.
Workshop 6: Demand avoidance. (20th April) Ever found yourself wanting to write something and immediately thought…nope? Does it have a weird, illogical stubbornness about it? Welcome to Demand Avoidance. This final workshop is all about this bewildering, poorly understood feature of neurodiversity. Learn what demand avoidance is, where it comes from, and how to deftly sidestep it to land on the page where you belong.
Please note: Unfortunately, the Writers Workshop space is not wheelchair accessible. We apologise for any disappointment. Amanda is planning to offer these sessions online in the future, and also offers individual mentoring. For more details and to join Amanda's mailing list please visit reconcilecreative.com
Sunday Soul Sessions: Words that Heal
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Host: Emma Garrard
Poetry speaks to the soul. We can turn to it in times of turmoil to soothe, comfort or inspire. This session is an invitation to connect with the wisdom of the poets and find the wisdom within yourself through poetry prompts for expressive writing.
“Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry. Yes indeed.” Mary Oliver
The facilitator is an experienced Biblio/Poetry Therapist, who will guide you through the process, so no prior experience of poetry, philosophy or therapeutic writing is expected or needed; just the desire for a boost of soul nourishment in the company of others seeking the same.
Story Starters: New Year Sprint
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitators: Lorna Partington and Rosie Carnall
Writers are often asked, "Where do you get your ideas from?"
Well, now there's an easy answer!
Kickstart your writing in 2025 with Story Starters, which will help you generate new story ideas to sustain your creative writing practice in the coming months. There will be four sessions, each with a different focus. Attend one, attend all: it's up to you!
In each workshop, facilitators Rosie Carnall and Lorna Partington will lead fun and interactive themed exercises to prompt new writing. Working collaboratively with fellow writers, you'll develop your own structured ideas - "story starters" - that you can use as the basis of new short-form projects ... but, who knows, they may even inspire you to write a novel!
Rosie and Lorna will also be offering Work in Progress sessions throughout 2025 to help you finish what you start.
No prior creative writing experience necessary.
Children’s Writers Meetup
Location: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Beverley Ward
Have you got an unpublished manuscript for children or teenagers? Or would you like to write one? Perhaps you have loads of ideas and beginnings of stories but no idea how to structure them or how to approach publishers.
Children’s Writers Meetup is a space for aspiring and published writers of children's fiction and poetry to gather together to share tips and ideas and to get feedback on their work from publisher children's author, Beverley Ward.
Buy your basic ticket (£5 for members of The Writers Workshop, £10 for non-members) and select the £10 supplement if you would like to send up to 1000 words for feedback from Beverley and the group.
Email beverleywardwriter@gmail.com with any queries.
Absolute Beginner Creative Writing Workshop
Location: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Raquel Vogl
Have you always wanted to write creatively but don’t know where to start? Are you intimidated by groups of more experienced writers?
This is the workshop for you. We will do several beginner friendly writing exercises and I will give you exercises and tips to take home to build a writing practice. There will be the opportunity to share your writing but it is not obligatory.
This will be a friendly, fun, and open space to get words on the page, build confidence in your writing, and develop your own writing practice. We will be doing different prompts from previous workshops, so if you have attended before we'll be doing new prompts and exercises.
Crafty Writing: Notebooks
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Carmel Page
Carmel Page is a Creative Opportunist, she does anything creative she can get away with but mostly loves stories and recycling.
Learn how to bind your own notebooks by reusing paper, envelopes and card. Then write in your book, inspired by your crafting.
No experience needed.
You are encouraged to bring any paper, card, or clothing you wish to reuse but do not need to bring anything.
Sounds About Write: Iqbal Hussain
Venue: Sheffield Plate (downstairs)
Join us at our monthly live literature event, including a special literary guest and open mic.
This month, we're excited to be hosting the fantastic Iqbal Hussain.
Iqbal has been writing ever since he could hold a pen. His work appears in various anthologies, online and in print. His short stories have won prizes, including The Evening Standard Short Story Competition and Writing Magazine’s Grand Flash. His nature writing appears on websites, including The Hopper and caught by the river. His debut novel, Northern Boy, about being a “butterfly among the bricks”, came out in June 2024, published by Unbound. He is now working on his debut children’s novel, about a time-travelling seventh son.
To reserve an open-mic slot, email workshopwrite@gmail.com before 6:00PM on the day.
Children’s Writing Club
Writing Clubs are a chance for children and young people to play with writing outside of the constraints of the formal curriculum.
Writing Clubs are a place where young people can express themselves, experiment, develop their love of stories and language, and grow in confidence. Writing is a creative act and not just a tool for passing exams. In Writing Club we don’t focus on grammar, spelling or punctuation but writing skills will develop naturally as children fall in love with the power of the written word.
Writing Club is faciltated by children’s author, Beverley Ward and is suitable for ages 9-13.
Get Writing
Friendly, supportive writing workshops for writers at all stages of their writing journeys. Think of it as push-ups for your writing muscles, a play date for your inner child, a chance to exorcise your demons or just plain magic.
You’ll be guided through a series of themed writing exercises to generate new writing in the company of other writers. You can write in whatever genre and for whatever purpose suits you. Expect fun, laughter, friendship and solidarity as side effects.
Get Writing is facilitated by Beverley Ward every Wednesday from 11am-1pm. Block bookings are available.
Story Starters: New Year Sprint
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitators: Lorna Partington and Rosie Carnall
Writers are often asked, "Where do you get your ideas from?"
Well, now there's an easy answer!
Kickstart your writing in 2025 with Story Starters, which will help you generate new story ideas to sustain your creative writing practice in the coming months. There will be four sessions, each with a different focus. Attend one, attend all: it's up to you!
In each workshop, facilitators Rosie Carnall and Lorna Partington will lead fun and interactive themed exercises to prompt new writing. Working collaboratively with fellow writers, you'll develop your own structured ideas - "story starters" - that you can use as the basis of new short-form projects ... but, who knows, they may even inspire you to write a novel!
Rosie and Lorna will also be offering Work in Progress sessions throughout 2025 to help you finish what you start.
No prior creative writing experience necessary.
Narrative Modes: Description
Location: The Writers Workshop
Tutor: Lorna Partington
Please note: This is a repeat of the class held on December 15th.
When we write, we move between five narrative modes: action, exposition, dialogue, interiority and description.
In the last masterclass in this series, you'll explore description. What is it? When is it best to deploy this mode? How can we best engage the reader using description?
In this class, you'll be learning key principles, discussing examples from great writers, and having a go at writing in this narrative mode.
Each class is designed to stand alone.
Moonwrite Workshop
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Coco Lone Neal
Every living being since the dawn of time has gazed up at the same moon. A moon which inspired mythology, literature, religion, philosophy, science; a moon that directs migrations, tides, the movement of leaves, and even the blood in our veins. You will be hard pressed to find an artist untouched by the moon.
These workshops are first and foremost about inspiration. Every month I will bring poems, extracts, art, stories, myths, maps, and we will use them as jumping off points into our own writing.
Each workshop takes place on the Sunday closest to the full moon. Join us for the first one of the new year, when we'll meet the January Moon - also known as the Wolf Moon, Ice Moon, Quiet Moon. Who will this moon be to you?
Suitable for every level of writing and every genre, whether you’re a dedicated moon-worshipper or someone who enjoys the simple awe of looking up into a night sky and finding light.
Absolute Beginner Creative Writing Workshop
Location: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Raquel Vogl
Have you always wanted to write creatively but don’t know where to start? Are you intimidated by groups of more experienced writers?
This is the workshop for you. We will do several beginner friendly writing exercises and I will give you exercises and tips to take home to build a writing practice. There will be the opportunity to share your writing but it is not obligatory.
This will be a friendly, fun, and open space to get words on the page, build confidence in your writing, and develop your own writing practice. We will be doing different prompts from previous workshops, so if you have attended before we'll be doing new prompts and exercises.
Children’s Writing Club
Writing Clubs are a chance for children and young people to play with writing outside of the constraints of the formal curriculum.
Writing Clubs are a place where young people can express themselves, experiment, develop their love of stories and language, and grow in confidence. Writing is a creative act and not just a tool for passing exams. In Writing Club we don’t focus on grammar, spelling or punctuation but writing skills will develop naturally as children fall in love with the power of the written word.
Writing Club is faciltated by children’s author, Beverley Ward and is suitable for ages 9-13.
Get Writing
Friendly, supportive writing workshops for writers at all stages of their writing journeys. Think of it as push-ups for your writing muscles, a play date for your inner child, a chance to exorcise your demons or just plain magic.
You’ll be guided through a series of themed writing exercises to generate new writing in the company of other writers. You can write in whatever genre and for whatever purpose suits you. Expect fun, laughter, friendship and solidarity as side effects.
Get Writing is facilitated by Beverley Ward every Wednesday from 11am-1pm. Block bookings are available.
Create Your New Year
Venue: Sheffield Plate
Host: Beverley Ward
Beverley’s annual visioning event returns, this time in our neighbouring venue, Sheffield Plate.
We can’t control how the world will look in 2025, but we can still set a positive creative intention and spend a convivial few hours with our Writers Workshop friends, writing and collaging our visions of our new year.
Your ticket includes a complimentary drink and canapes and all the collage supplies you need.
You can find out more about why Beverley runs this event over on her blog.
Group Mentoring for Neurodivergent Writers
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Amanda Marples
Hands up who is neurodivergent and really needs some support with their writing? Who longs for a writing coach but is having enough trouble paying the gas bill? Here is a solution: low-cost, high-quality group mentoring.
Here's what to expect...
Monthly meet-ups (online options also available)
Small groups of no more than 5 writers
Opportunity and dedicated space to bring your writing-related executive function issues (see below)
Space to talk it through with other ND writers
Access to the expertise of ND professional writer and mentor Amanda Marples (facilitating)
Solutions
Gentle accountability and goal-setting
What are writing related executive function issues? (not an exhaustive list!)
Time management
Focus and concentration
Motivation & Procrastination
Rejection Sensitivity
Planning and workload management
Maintaining interest
Managing boom-bust cycles of activity
Making sense of feedback & understanding submission requirements
Bring your stuff...and let's find a way through it together.
Write Yourself Calm - life writing workshop
Venue: The Writers Workshop (and online)
Facilitator: Anne Grange
Please note: This workshop is a hybrid session taking place at the Writers Workshop in Orchard Square, Sheffield, and also online on Zoom.
The start of the year is a good time to capture some calm memories to look back on when we most need them. Using photos, objects and sounds as prompts, we'll remember moments of serenity and put them down in words so you'll always be able to think about them.
If you are only just starting writing creatively, this workshop will help your imagination to flourish. By the end of the workshop, you will have several short pieces of writing you can develop further.
We'll be trying out a series of prompts and exercises intended to spark your creativity - and to help you to reach your most tranquil memories. The session will be fun, interactive, and sensitive to everyone's needs.
Twixtmas Stroll & Nature Writing
Venue: Meet at the top gates of Hillsborough Park (Middlewood Road)
Facilitator: Anne Grange
If you’re recovering from the excessive of the festive season, why not get some fresh air, exercise, and give your brain a creative boost!
We'll be meeting at Hillsborough Park (MAIN GATES on MIDDLEWOOD ROAD) to explore hidden stories and natural havens in the former grounds of a grand house, now one of Sheffield's oldest libraries. The park is one of the most popular in Sheffield, famous for the Tramlines festival and its bustling Parkrun, but there's also room for some quiet contemplation and wildlife.
Our route will be dictated by the order of stories we'll pull out of a festive woolly hat, and we'll take time to write at various stops en route.
A table has been booked in the Depot Bakery in the old stable block in the park, which has plenty of stories of its own!
This walk is accessible by wheelchair and very close to tram and bus routes (there's also parking at the bottom end of the park). This event is also dog friendly!
Tarot & the Writing Path
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Jools Warner
This workshop will focus on exploring ways to use the tarot to guide and develop your writing. We'll look at how to use the evocative imagery of the cards for insights and guidance on the writing journey itself, and also ways to apply its archetypes and themes in fiction writing to access layers of character, setting, and story.
There will be a series of practical tarot exercises to help you tap into intuition. We will then build on this so that you can apply guidance from the tarot directly to your writing. You will also get plenty of time to discuss the insights you receive from the world(s) of the tarot.
The workshop is suitable for beginner and intermediate writers also interested in tarot, whether you're looking for new ways to enhance your writing or interested in deepening an existing relationship with tarot.
If you have a tarot deck of your own, feel free to bring it, but I'll be bringing a few decks along. I find the variations in style and art work on the cards to be helpful inspiration, and I want you to experience this too!
Jools Warner is a novelist and tarot reader based in Sheffield. Her tarot journey began in 2007, and she has been reading professionally since 2022. As a novelist, she writes fantasy fiction and paranormal romance for adults, as well as spooky stuff for younger readers. She did an MA in Creative Writing at Sheffield Hallam University, graduating in 2022 with Distinction.
Children’s Writing Club
Writing Clubs are a chance for children and young people to play with writing outside of the constraints of the formal curriculum.
Writing Clubs are a place where young people can express themselves, experiment, develop their love of stories and language, and grow in confidence. Writing is a creative act and not just a tool for passing exams. In Writing Club we don’t focus on grammar, spelling or punctuation but writing skills will develop naturally as children fall in love with the power of the written word.
Writing Club is faciltated by children’s author, Beverley Ward and is suitable for ages 9-13.
Get Writing
Friendly, supportive writing workshops for writers at all stages of their writing journeys. Think of it as push-ups for your writing muscles, a play date for your inner child, a chance to exorcise your demons or just plain magic.
You’ll be guided through a series of themed writing exercises to generate new writing in the company of other writers. You can write in whatever genre and for whatever purpose suits you. Expect fun, laughter, friendship and solidarity as side effects.
Get Writing is facilitated by Beverley Ward every Wednesday from 11am-1pm. Block bookings are available.
Narrative Modes: Description
Location: The Writers Workshop
Tutor: Lorna Partington
When we write, we move between five narrative modes: action, exposition, dialogue, interiority and description.
In the last masterclass in this series, you'll explore description. What is it? When is it best to deploy this mode? How can we best engage the reader using description?
In this class, you'll be learning key principles, discussing examples from great writers, and having a go at writing in this narrative mode.
Each class is designed to stand alone.
Narrative Modes: Dialogue & Interiority (Repeat)
Location: The Writers Workshop
Tutor: Lorna Partington
Please note: This is a repeat of the class held on November 30.
When we write, we move between five narrative modes: action, exposition, dialogue, interiority and description.
In the second of three masterclasses, you'll explore dialogue and interiority. What are these modes? When is it best to deploy them? How can we best engage the reader using these modes?
In this class, you'll be learning key principles, discussing examples from great writers, and having a go at writing in these narrative modes.
The final masterclass:
Description: Sunday, December 15
Each class is designed to stand alone.
Children’s Writers Meetup
Location: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Beverley Ward
Have you got an unpublished manuscript for children or teenagers? Or would you like to write one? Perhaps you have loads of ideas and beginnings of stories but no idea how to structure them or how to approach publishers.
Children’s Writers Meetup is a space for aspiring and published writers of children's fiction and poetry to gather together to share tips and ideas and to get feedback on their work from publisher children's author, Beverley Ward.
Buy your basic ticket (£5 for members of The Writers Workshop, £10 for non-members) and select the £10 supplement if you would like to send up to 1000 words for feedback from Beverley and the group.
Email beverleywardwriter@gmail.com with any queries.
The Workshop Christmas Social at The Old Shoe
This Christmas we’re giving ourselves and you the gift of a night off writing, and gathering together for a festive celebration at The Old Shoe in Orchard Square. No literary guests, no writing party games, no open mic, just good old-fashioned socialising and the chance to get to know each other outside of the Workshop setting.
Writing chat and Christmas jumpers are permitted but not essential.
Food can be ordered from Sheffield Plate or Proove on the night.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Children’s Writing Club
Writing Clubs are a chance for children and young people to play with writing outside of the constraints of the formal curriculum.
Writing Clubs are a place where young people can express themselves, experiment, develop their love of stories and language, and grow in confidence. Writing is a creative act and not just a tool for passing exams. In Writing Club we don’t focus on grammar, spelling or punctuation but writing skills will develop naturally as children fall in love with the power of the written word.
Writing Club is faciltated by children’s author, Beverley Ward and is suitable for ages 9-13.
Get Writing
Friendly, supportive writing workshops for writers at all stages of their writing journeys. Think of it as push-ups for your writing muscles, a play date for your inner child, a chance to exorcise your demons or just plain magic.
You’ll be guided through a series of themed writing exercises to generate new writing in the company of other writers. You can write in whatever genre and for whatever purpose suits you. Expect fun, laughter, friendship and solidarity as side effects.
Get Writing is facilitated by Beverley Ward every Wednesday from 11am-1pm. Block bookings are available.
Crafty Writing: Gift Wrap
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Carmel Page
Carmel Page is a Creative Opportunist, she does anything creative she can get away with but mostly loves stories and recycling.
Join her to learn how to make gift-wrap boxes from paper and card. Then use old shirts and trousers to make gift bags before settling down to write, inspired by your creative activity.
No experience needed.
You are encouraged to bring any paper, card, or clothing you wish to reuse but do not need to bring anything.
Group Mentoring for Neurodivergent Writers
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Amanda Marples
Hands up who is neurodivergent and really needs some support with their writing? Who longs for a writing coach but is having enough trouble paying the gas bill? Here is a solution: low-cost, high-quality group mentoring.
Here's what to expect...
Monthly meet-ups (online options also available)
Small groups of no more than 5 writers
Opportunity and dedicated space to bring your writing-related executive function issues (see below)
Space to talk it through with other ND writers
Access to the expertise of ND professional writer and mentor Amanda Marples (facilitating)
Solutions
Gentle accountability and goal-setting
What are writing related executive function issues? (not an exhaustive list!)
Time management
Focus and concentration
Motivation & Procrastination
Rejection Sensitivity
Planning and workload management
Maintaining interest
Managing boom-bust cycles of activity
Making sense of feedback & understanding submission requirements
Bring your stuff...and let's find a way through it together.
Structuring Your Novel
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Gavin Extence
Structuring Your Novel – 3 Acts and 7 Key Plot Points
Most people will have heard of the three-act structure. At its most simple, it’s beginning, middle and end. Diving deeper, it’s a dramatic roadmap – a way of navigating a story so it’s easier to plot and more satisfying to read.
In this class, we’ll be looking at how the three-act structure can be used in a variety of genres, including rom-com, Fantasy/ Sci-Fi, and literary fiction. By the end of the session, you’ll have a renewed appreciation for the fundamentals of good storytelling, and be ready to apply what you’ve learned to your own writing.
Recommended Reading
It would be helpful (but not essential!) if participants could read The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion before attending as we’ll be using it as a reference for looking at story structure in more detail. It’s widely available in bookshops, libraries and online (including second-hand). It’s also great fun to read and wonderfully well-plotted!
Nonfiction Writers Meetup
Host: Hannah Boursnell
Location: Writers Workshop
If you've got a non-fiction project (of any genre) in mind or on the go, join this informal monthly meetup where we’ll talk everything fact-not-fiction. This is an opportunity to get to know other local writers working on non-fiction projects, share your progress (or lack thereof), discuss ideas and challenges, and support each other on your non-fiction journeys. Hannah — a freelance editor and former non-fiction publisher — will be on hand to offer support, advice and plenty of tea and cake.