The Writers’ HQ Couch to 5k Words Buttkick 2025
For creative writers of all kinds. It’s time to shake off your literary ennui and wake up your writing!
Starts Monday 6 January 2025
It’s time to whack a firecracker up your writerly-butt and yeet procrastination out the door
The famous WHQ Couch to 5k Words is a joyful 28 day writerly training programme. Join us for writing workouts, habit-forming exercises, inspirational bollocks and literary swearing.
Throughout the month, we’ll help you create a bespoke writing practice that fits into your life and goals.
Delivered direct to your face via email and our online learning platform, you’ll also have access to our writing forums for support, feedback and writerly love from your fellow WHQers.
Writers’ HQ has spent more than a decade helping writers dust off their notebooks and make the words come out of their brains. Now it’s your turn.
Join Sarah and Team WHQ to shake off the literary ennui and find your writing happy place.
“This course got me writing again after a break of nearly 20 years. Writers’ HQ is amazing! A motivating, practical, friendly course with exercises to do and a nice positive forum to discuss how it’s all going.”
Catherine L
Here’s what you’ll learn
How to develop a dedicated creative practice
Ways of using adaptable techniques for every writing session
To love your writing practice and keep on going
Here’s what you get when you join the Writers’ HQ Couch to 5k Words Buttkick 2025
A month-long programme packed with simple, actionable steps to help you
⏰ Carve out writing time, even when it feels like your diary is overflowing and there is simply no more time
👩💻 Build a consistent writing habit you can stick with – no guilt or overwhelm
🔁 Find a repeatable process tailored to your life and creative flow
🌎 Turn your ideas into stories and share them with confidence
No binge watching required. Each lesson is bite-sized and practical, designed to fit into your day so you can take action without feeling stuck or overloaded.
Bonus: when you sign up you can also access all other Writers’ HQ courses, including the famous Plotstormers: How To Plot A Novel, the entire publishing series, all workshops and masterclasses, and access to the Writers’ HQ community.
Great course – from confronting the inner critic, through the basics of plotting and characterisation, this course has given me the confidence to ‘just keep writing’. The encouragement to keep going, and the support from the lovely WHQ community has helped me develop and maintain a solid writing habit, that fits in with a pretty busy life. Highly recommended.”
Susy C
Ready to take your writing from ‘meh’ to ‘motivated’?
Here’s how it works:
1
You sign up for Couch to 5k Words
2
Over 28 days, we guide you through a no-bullshit programme to build a creative practice you can actually stick with
3
You finally sit down and write all the stories, ideas and worlds you’ve been dreaming about – and it feels GREAT
What does Writers’ HQ bring to the party?
Experience!
Over a decade of experience supporting writers through their challenges, getting them moving and getting them to love their writing
Magic!
Home to the most special, most magical, most kickass and supportive community of writers this side of the internet!
Writers!
Run by award-winning writers for writers at every stage of their work. We understand the process and we understand that what you need is complex and mutable
Guidance!
Years of know-how in guiding writers through their arghs and blarghs and blocks, and getting them to sit down and write
Track record!
A proven track record of guiding writers through their novels to create something wonderful
Joy!
We focus on the joy. Writing shouldn’t be a chore. We bring the fun, and the rest follows easily (ish)
“This course helped me find the joy in my writing again and got me back on track to writing every day. I produced well over 15k of words and, more importantly, was reminded exactly why I started writing all those years ago. I started the 28 days having to sternly tell myself to get on and do the daily exercise, I finished by waking up desperate to get back to my WIP.
It can help you do that too, and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who needs to reset their writing habits.
Kizzia
You want a schedule? We’ve got a schedule!
Monday 6 Jan, 7pm – 8pm
Welcome, orientation and goal setting webinar
Monday 13 Jan, 10am – 11am
Write-along webinar
Monday 20 Jan, 10am – 11am
Write-along webinar
Tuesday 21 Jan, 7pm – 8pm
Couch to 5k Words Support Group webinar
Monday 27 Jan, 10am – 11am
Write-along webinar
Monday 3 Feb, 10am – 11am
Write-along webinar
Tuesday 4 Feb, 7pm – 8pm
Debrief and what to do next webinar
Course start
Monday 6 January 2025
Course end
Tuesday 4 February 2025
You will receive daily emails with links to the lessons, and you’ll need between 10 – 40 minutes a day to complete them.
All times are in GMT
Any questions?
Here’s what fellow writers asked before they enrolled
Couch to 5k Words has been created over ten years to work for writers at any stage of the process.
This course is for you if:
- You are struggling to get started at all
- You’re feeling burned out with your current process
- You used to write and then fell out of the habit
- You dream of writing but just can’t get start
This course is for all writers regardless of whether they’re just starting out or old hands.
If you want a roadmap to get you from the flopping on the coach to a regular writing routine, this is for you.
The course is designed to be done over 28 days and you’ll need about 20 minutes to half an hour every day to complete the tasks.
You don’t have to show up every day, but it helps. If you miss a day, don’t worry, just pick up where you left off.
We’ll send you an email every day of the 28 days to remind you to get off your butt and do the thing. This might sound annoying, and it is, but also holy wow it works.
Laptop, notebook, pen, pencil, brain (optional).
The spice melange innit
Sign up for Couch to 5k Words 2025 is CLOSED!
Sorryyyyyyyyy
Here’s what you can do instead:
Couch to 5k Words stand alone course – you won’t get the emails but the course is allllll there for the taking
Plotstormers Lite 2025 – starting January 24
Monthly Gold Star WHQer
The full WHQ shebang for superstar writers
£20/month
- Full access to the Couch to 5k Words Buttkick 2025
- 2 x Couch to 5k Words goal setting and support workshops
- 4 x Couch to 5k Words write-alongs
- 25 x in-depth creative writing development courses
- Monthly specialised writing masterclasses
- Masterclass video library
- Full access to all WHQ writing festivals
- Cancel any time
Annual Gold Star WHQer
One off payment. Save money. Eat more avocado toast
£190
- Everything in the monthly membership
- Save £50 a year
- Access to every WHQ festival and event year round
- No recurring fees
