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)
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.
Write from the Art at Graves Gallery
Venue: Graves Gallery (meet in the Activity Room, 2nd Floor, Central Library, Sheffield)
Facilitator: Rosie Carnall
WRITERS WORKSHOP MEMBERS: Get 25% discount on the ticket price. Email enquire@rosiecarnall.co.uk for a discount code.
We'll explore the Graves Gallery to look at some artworks together as the starting point for a series of themed prompts and exercises to inspire your thinking and writing.
Whether you can't remember the last time you picked up a pen or you're a well-practice scribbler, you'll enjoy this friendly, stimulating approach to generating new writing. Join us to try out new ideas and write some sentences that only you can write.
Suitable for anyone who enjoys words in company - talking with them, exploring what they mean and writing them down.
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.
Complete Fabrication: Short Story Writing (Mondays in March)
Venue: The Writers Workshop and Online
Facilitators: Rosie Carnall and Lorna Partington
Are you new to short-story writing?
Or does it take you an age to finish a short story?
Or do you benefit from the company of others to write?
Complete Fabrication is a multi-session workshop (in person and online) designed to help you create an original short story of 1000 words from scratch.
Praise from previous participants:
"The course took me through the short story writing process step by step without it feeling like a huge task, and now I have a complete story. Fantastic course. I would recommend to anyone."
"I really enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with my writing in a supportive group."
"You reminded me I am creative. Thank you for helping me find that spark again!"
The sessions take place on Mondays on the following dates:
March 3rd - Session 1: Ideas generation (Writers Workshop, 6:30-8:45PM)
March 10th - Session 2: Story craft (Writers Workshop, 6:30-8:45PM)
March 17th - Session 3: Creative critique and editing (ONLINE 7:00-9:00PM)
March 24th - Session 4: One-to-one story consultations & writing time (ONLINE 7:00-9:00PM)
March 31st - Session 5: Share and celebrate! (Writers Workshop, 6:30-8:45PM)
Each workshop will be facilitated by Rosie Carnall and Lorna Partington.
Members of the Writers Workshop pay only £15 per session! Membership from only £6 per month. To join, click here.
Write Yourself Wise
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Emma Garrard
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!
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.
Neurodivergent Writers Toolkit 3/6: Time Management
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 3 is all about:
Time flies, and never more so that it seems to around the neurodivergent writer. This workshop with Amanda Marples is all about pesky clock-time: how to use it, how to manage it, how to be its boss (and not the other way around). Learn the truth about productivity, habits and routines, and why time-blindness is such a problem for those of us with brains wired up differently than the average Shakespeare.
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
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 March Moon - also known as the Worm Moon, Wind Moon, Crow 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.
Folk Tale Adventures Writing Workshop
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Carmel Page
Where do stories come from? Often they come from the past and we can find new ways to tell them.
The story of the Wantley Dragon used to be as well known a story as Robin Hood or King Arthur. But why did this story, set on Wharncliffe Craggs just north of Sheffield, get forgotten?
You will hear the story expertly told by storyteller Carmel Page, and she will lead you through the complex politics behind it.
There will be time for discussion and writing your own version or response.
Hope Springs Eternal: Nature & Life Writing Workshop
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Anne Grange
Please note: This workshop will be run in the Writers Workshop in Orchard Square, Sheffield, and also online on Zoom for those who cannot attend in person.
In this session, we will explore our personal relationships with nature, as we approach the spring equinox, when the days will gradually start becoming longer than the nights (hurray!). In the days before the workshop, pay close attention to any signs of spring and take photographs of them, if you can. This will be the starting point of our workshop.
If you are only just starting writing creatively, this workshop will help your imagination to flourish. If you are already working on a piece of life-inspired writing in any genre, this workshop will help you to develop and stimulate your ideas and memories. 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.
Sounds About Write with Kat Dunn
Venue: Sheffield Plate (Downstairs)
Join The Writers Workshop for its monthly live literature event downstairs at Sheffield Plate. Each month we invite a published author to share their work and insight into their writing journey, and then we open the floor to emerging writers in our open-mic segment. Your work doesn't have to be polished ... it just needs to sound about right!
The event begins at 6:45PM, but join members of the Workshop upstairs from 6:15PM for some mixing before the event.
To reserve an open-mic slot, email workshopwrite@gmail.com before 6:00PM on the day.
This month, we're excited to be hosting author Kat Dunn.
Kat Dunn grew up in London and has lived in Japan, Australia and France. She has a BA in Japanese from SOAS and an MA in English from Warwick. She’s written about mental health for Mind and the Guardian, and worked as a translator for Japanese television. Her YA has been published by Head of Zeus and Andersen Press and has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing, and shortlisted for the Nero Book Award and the Polari Prize. Her adult debut Hungerstone published in January 2025 with Bonnier Books.
Storytelling Skills: Time to Tell
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Carmel Page
Once upon a time everyone was a storyteller. It's something we can all learn to do. Practice, feedback and advice are the three things that help most. This session has them all and is suitable for beginners or experienced tellers.
Five people will have the opportunity to perform for fifteen minutes each. They can tell a story and receive feedback and advice during that time. Tellers can opt to tell and just receive applause if they prefer and they can ask specific questions about their performance. The audience will be encouraged to reflect on the story and make comments which will benefit the teller.
This event is about oral storytelling, but if anyone wishes to use notes that is not a problem.
You do not have to tell a story to attend, there are also tickets for people to listen. You will learn as much from listening to other tellers, as from telling.
Neurodivergent Writers Toolkit 4/6: Motivation & Focus
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 4 is all about:
Sometimes, neurodiversity looks like being glued to a chair with a racing mind and a body that Just. Will. Not. Move, regardless of the million-miles-an-hour commentary your brain is producing. It's not fun for anyone, but a disaster if you’re a writer trying to make a competition deadline, a freelancer with an article to file or a new writer who doesn’t want to watch another free afternoon go down the drain. Join Amanda Marples for the fourth workshop in the series and learn all about paralysis and task initiation and their less cool mates focus and concentration. In this session you will learn how to:
get the best out of your poor old struggling executive function
stop getting distracted by the weird noise outside
Prioritise and stay on task (as opposed to starting five new projects at once and not finishing a single one)
get started in the first place…and 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
Crafty Writing: Visible Repairs
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Carmel Page
Learn visible clothing repairs to revitalise your look and save you money. Then use your crafty to inspire creative writing or choose to write on your clothes. No experience needed. Suitable for adults and teens.
You are encouraged to bring clothes with you that have holes that would benefit from darning. But fabric will be provided to practice on if you prefer.
We will be using recycled and salvaged materials.
Carmel Page is an author who hasn't bought any new clothes for over seven years, but she gets more comments on her repaired clothes than she ever did when they were new.
Join this friendly group where craft and writing are combined and everyone is welcome.
Children's Writers Meetup with Georgina Mitchell and Lucy Twist
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Carmel Page
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. Well, this it your lucky day! For this special edition, we're joined by editors Georgina Mitchell and Lucy Twist from Hachette UK, children's division.
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.
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 a short pitch, blurb or the first 500 words of your manuscript in advance of the meeting.
Email questions for our guests and pitches for their feedback after booking.
Sunday Soul Sessions: Writing Motherhood
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Raquel Vogl
A Mother's Day session of our regular workshop Writing Motherhood
Motherhood is a rich subject for writing. As Sarah Ruhl writes, “Motherhood is an undiscovered country in the literary sense, one we must venture into lest our experiences [go] unrecorded.”
This workshop will provide a safe space to explore our experiences of mothering through writing in any genre. We will mine the rich and abundant material that comes from the experience of mothering or being mothered, and I hope that the act of describing our experiences heals and empowers us as writers and as mothers.
Open to anyone who is a mother (self-defined) or wants to write about mothers. Open to both novices and seasoned writers. This workshop will use different prompts from the previous workshops on motherhood. We will spend our time writing and sharing our writing.
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
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.
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.
Untold Stories: A Workshop for Global Majority Writers
Venue: The Writers Workshop
Facilitator: Narimaan Shafi
Unravel your untold stories in a safe, supportive space facilitated by local writer and Workshop Associate, Narimaan Shafi.
Suitable for anyone with an interest in writing who identifies as global majority*. All levels of writing experience welcome. In this workshop, we'll explore the personal narratives and histories that we carry with us, through creative writing exercises.
*Global majority refers to people who are "black, Asian, brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities'" and "represent approximately 80% of the world's population", according to educator and activist Rosemary Campbell-Stephens MBE, who coined the term.
This is a pilot workshop. Come along and help to shape how the group develops.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.