Couch To 5k Words

Shake off your literary ennui and get moving with the ultimate 28 day habit-forming writing course.
  • Discover how to develop a dedicated creative practice
  • Explore adaptable techniques for every writing session
  • Learn to love your writing practice and keep on going
Get this course and so much more
  • Discover how to develop a dedicated creative practice
  • Explore adaptable techniques for every writing session
  • Learn to love your writing practice and keep on going
Join monthly
Join annually

Join Sarah and Team WHQ for the Couch to 5k Words writerly training programme, designed to help you shake off the literary ennui and find your writing happy place.

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 28 days of writing workouts, habit-forming exercises, inspirational bollocks and literary swearing, all delivered direct to your face.

Throughout the month, we’ll help you create your own writing practice that fits into your life and goals.

Delivered via email and our online learning platform, you’ll also have access to our writing forums for support, feedback and writerly from your fellow WHQers.

You could see out the month with a writing habit to make Barbara Cartland weep and productivity to make Stephen King fall on his knees in adulation.

What's inside the course?

Course Content

WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
1 of 2

The Sacred Writers' HQ Promise

You’ll write your butt off

You have stories in your head and you want to get your butt in a chair and get them onto paper, but life gets in the way. Kids, work, executive dysfunction, the state of the world, important doomscrolling – all these things conspire against you, but you know there’s a better way and you are ready to stop fucking about and start writing. 

Learn how to carve time, prioritise your work, and evolve a deep creative practice
Gain strategies for getting the most out of every writing session
Find ways to love your writing, keep on going and finish your story

What's included

  • Text-based course units
  • Easy to follow exercises
  • Support forums and access to the best writing community this side of the internet
  • Love and validation and more writing-based pep than you can shake a stick at
  • Snacks*

*bring your own snacks

Nice things from nice people

After hanging around as a freebie member and completing the free courses, I was so convinced by the improvements to my writing – and amused by the emails! – I signed up for three months… I’m still here, months later! I’ve learnt so much, from courses like Plotstormers and The First Draft, and from fellow WHQers, I would rather give up cake and chocolate than let my membership lapse! Love you WHQ!

Jan M

Writers’ HQ has honestly been life changing for me! After doing the 14 Days to a Solid Writing Habit course, which gave me a great kick start, I have been doing Plotstormers II to help me edit my novel. How do I say this without swearing? Fuck it, it’s been sodding amazing! It’s helping me so much to edit my novel. I’ve also been doing the Flash Fiction course and a piece of mine is on the Welkin Prize shortlist!

Agnes H

I cannot imagine life without WHQ
I’ve been a subscriber since April 2019 and I now cannot imagine life without WHQ. It’s like my inner sanctum and I bang on about it to everyone all the time. They must get sick of me. In the past when I’ve had to knock other subscriptions on the head because of money, there was never any question of me doing the same for this wonderful organisation.

Lauren P

WHQ is fantastic! I did a free writing course with WHQ at the start of the pandemic and joined up straight after – since then I have had over twenty pieces published, been long and shortlisted in various competitions and won one at the beginning of this year – the tutors, and the encouragement of the forum members, are fantastic.

Claire

A wonderful community. Before I joined WHQ I never dreamed of submitting my work to magazines. Since becoming a paid-up member 5 months ago, I’ve had 6 flash fictions and 2 poems accepted for publication – entirely thanks to the inspiration and support of this wonderful community.

Sarah K

Get instant access when you join the most word-writing, tea-drinking, story-slinging, biscuit-dunking, productivity-boosting, super supportive writing community this side of the internet

Woohoo yeah do it do it yeah woo etc and so on

Freebies

  • Two creative writing courses
  • Flash Face Off and Flash Face Off Live
  • The Secret Retreat forum
  • That's it
  • If you want more you have to upgrade, sozzzz
  • See you on the inside mwa mwa mwa
Come on in

Glorious Writing Beasts

  • Weekly write-alongs
  • Monthly live masterclasses with guest authors
  • Monthly Q&A support group
  • Monthly online retreats
  • Over 25 mammoth creative writing courses
  • Always-on workshop library
  • Flash Face Off, Flash Face Off Live and Introduction to Flash course and workshop
  • Monthly festivals and challenges
Join monthly (£20)
Join annually (save £50)

Read this before going to the forum!

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:

  1. Click the button below
  2. On the forum login page, click reset password USING THE SAME EMAIL YOU USE FOR WHQ
  3. Click the link in the email and reset your password

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. 

Click here to go to the forum

Confirm your place at Couch To 5k Words.

Once you hit the button, you’ll get a confirmation email, and we’ll send you the Zoom link an hour before the event. 

Yayyyy! You've bagged a place at Couch To 5k Words.

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 help@writershq.co.uk and we’ll leap into action with keenness and speed. 

EVENTS CALENDAR

All our writing events in one place

Check calendar

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

Freebie sign up

GOLD STAR MEMBER EVENTS

Do Things Series

Submit 2025 Series

Community Series

Couch to 5k Words

Plotstormers Lite

Write A Short Story Festival

Write A Novel Festival 

Writing As Resistance Festival 

Write November

Five Days of Write-mas

Bag your Gold Star Membership now and write your heart out

Gold Star membership

REAL LIFE WRITING RETREATS

Birmingham Writers’ Retreat 

Brighton Writers’ Retreat

Edinburgh Writers’ Retreat

Gold Star Members get 15% off all real life retreats. Sign up now >>

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