Becoming human: the protective power of narrative
Sarah Lewis
March 25, 2026
In times like these, we need the full story
In times like these, we need the full story
The stories we tell are failing us. It’s time to up our game.
Lads. Lads. LADS. You know what we’re talking about. And yeah, #NotAllMen yada yada yada, but #YesSomeMen. Some published men. Some men who seem to
In a time when headlines of injustice are more constant than ever, there is simply no shortage of social issues to resist through your writing.
I read my first Roald Dahl book, The BFG, to my daughter at the age of twenty-seven. Although I was a keen reader from the
There is no path to change that doesn’t come through some form of anger. Despite its taboo perception as a ‘negative’ emotion, anger is a
At Writers’ HQ, we often get angry messages telling us that we can’t possibly be ‘real’ writers, or that we must not be very clever, because we swear, use slang and text speak, use bad grammar, and love puns. We’ve thought very long about this issue and have come to this conclusion:
Writing and telling stories is more important than ever. We can’t allow the distractions of politics to let us forget ourselves.
You wanna write about mental health but also not be a dick while doing it? Step right in, have we got the guide for you…
In a nutshell: we have a dearth of traditionally published fiction from trans authors in the UK, so here’s a reading list of books that are both affordable and available.
The widget that lets you sign into the forum with your WHQ login has given up.
We are trying to coax it back into existence. So far neither bribery, begging or crying has worked. We are currently trying shaking our fists at the sky and going ‘grrrr’.
You can still get to the forum though! Do this:
IMPORTANT: This means you will have TWO (2) passwords/logins. One for the WHQ main site and one for the forum. It’s a pain in the arse. We’re sorry. It is temporary, but at least you can dick about on the forum again. OKAY BYE.
Once you hit the button, you’ll get a confirmation email, and we’ll send you the Zoom link an hour before the event.
We’ve sent the Zoom link to your inbox and we’ll send it again one hour before the event.
If you don’t get an email, check your spam fist and then wang us a line on he**@**********co.uk and we’ll leap into action with keenness and speed.
FREE ONLINE EVENTS
Online Writers’ Retreats
Spend a whole day writing with us!
Flash Face Off
Prompts every week, live reading every month
Get your free account to join the fun
GOLD STAR MEMBER EVENTS
Bag your Gold Star Membership now and write your heart out