Got questions? We've got answers!

We’ve been doing this since 2011 (BC!) and have supported thousands of writers along the way, so we probably have the answer to your question. If not, wang us an email at he**@**********co.uk and we’ll leap into action with keenness and speed.

Writing and the writing process

Can you actually learn creative writing?

Yes, much like you can learn to paint or play music or learn any other art or craft.

The best way to get better is to read and write. A lot.

We teach techniques and theories, we offer exercises to focus ideas, we talk about great writers and the way they do things.

There are two paths to improving your writing: learning technical skills and learning how to be as human as you goddamn can. We’re here for all of it.

From long-form courses to one hour generative workshops covering everything you need to know about writing novels, short stories, flash fiction, to essays and blogs on how to exist in this late capitalist hellscape and how it relates to your work.

We have hundreds of hours of creative writing courses, resources, workshops and general ephemera that will support you to tell the stories that only you can tell.

What happens after I join?

The Earth will begin to shake. The Heavens will crack open. A golden crown will descend from the broken clouds and, as gently as butterflies kisses, will place itself on your head. Then, my child, you will be a writer.

Also, we’ll send you an email with loads of information about how to access all the courses and workshops. You’ll be taken to your writer dashboard. You’ll be encouraged to set a target or a goal or a Thing You Want To Do, and then we’ll help you do it. Easy.

I’m a little bit (maybe a lottle bit) scared. Help?!

Writing can be scary. Fulfilling your dreams can be scary. Prioritising yourself can be scary. You know what else is scary? Living in the shadow of what you could have done. Buckle up, writer. We’ve got your back. We’ll do this together.

Will I definitely get published and become a rockstar?

That’s on you, not us! We can support you along the way but you’ve got to put in the work. We will never make wild promises or guarantees of instant success and you should be VERY wary of anyone who does.

Will you read my fiction?

Alas! We love your stories but Team WHQ is a very smol team made of very smol people so we cannot personally read your stories. However! The forums are full of writers and readers sharing work and feedback and support, so that’s your go to place.

What process do you teach and recommend?

Whatever process works for you. Your practice is your practice, as some Buddisty-Zen guy once said.

We’re not here to be a straightjacket. We’re here to be a guide.

You aren't real writers. You swear!

Yes. Fuck off.

Our manifesto on bad language is here.

Courses, workshops and events

What's the difference between a course, workshop, retreat and event?

Our courses are long-form texts that guide you through whatever subject you’re studying. They’re mostly text-based but a few have videos in. You take courses in your own time and at your own speed.

Workshops are live writing events, usually held on Zoom, facilitated by one of our amazing writers. Our aim is always that our workshops are generative, meaning you will write new material and leave with words to work with.

Events are our festival months, like Write A Novel Month, and writing challenges, like the Wild Draft months or Couch to 5k Words. Confusingly, we’ll often call our workshops events too because what even are words?!

We have two different kind of retreats. The real life one-day procrastination busting writing retreats and the online writing retreat. The aim of both is the same – to sit down and write a butt-tonne of words.

How do I attend on online workshop?

You can book on to a workshop on the events page by clicking the Book Now button. This will trigger an email to be sent to you with the Zoom link.

If you are a Gold Star Member you will also automatically get sent Zoom links to all workshops an hour before they start.

While technically you don’t need to book because you’ll get the link anyway, booking helps us plan for how many people will be there, for eg some events have nearly 100 people, so we need extra hands in the chat.

I want to cancel my place at an online event

No worries (obviously we’re gutted you can’t make it but we get that life gets in the way sometimes!). It’s OK to just not turn up to any of the Zoom events, as there are plenty of spaces, unless we explicitly say otherwise on the event description.

Where do I find replays?

All workshops are uploaded to the site within 48 hours of the live recording. You can find them in your dashboard in the ‘Catch the latest replays’ section, under the various dashboard subsections, or on the all workshops page right here.

Do I have to do courses in order?

You don’t, but use your noggin. Some are best done in order, some you can dip in and out of piecemeal, but it will be obvious when you get to them which is which.

How does online teaching work?

Our courses are a mix of text, images, videos and exercises. Once you’ve handed over your cold hard cash, you’ll be able to take any course on the site by clicking the ‘take this course’ button. When you click it you’ll be taken to the course player where you’ll see a menu on the left-hand side detailing the different course sections and units, and on the right you’ll see the course content. Make sure you set aside a bit of time each day to read, watch and do. We can’t stress enough how important it is to ACTUALLY DO all the exercises set in the courses. We’d love to be able to plug a cable into your brain and – voila! – an entire novel or short story collection comes out! Buuuuut we can’t, and to get the results you have to do the work. It’s supposed to be fun though, so try to enjoy it a little bit.

How much time do I need to complete a course?

String length etc etc. It depends on many factors. Each course has an expected duration which you can find on the course page, it’s typically about six weeks, but you can do it as quickly or take as long as you need. We recommend that you put aside at least an hour every day to work on your course. If you can do more, do more! We recognise that isn’t always possible and we do give advice throughout the courses on ways to carve out the time.

What’s the basic Zoom etiquette?

Super simple:

Keep your mic off unless invited to talk.

Cameras optional.

We always want to see your pet.

Some people find watching others eat on camera a bit squicky. Sarah finds people putting on make up twangs all her sensory madness. So just be conscious of other humans and their peccadillos as you would irl but mostly just chill and have a good time.

Real life retreats

Will you feed me?

Writers’ HQ is peopled by a bunch of people who get a cold sweat on at the possibility of under catering. You will be fed, and then some. Pastries in the morning, sandwiches and salads and dips and crisps and many yummy things for lunch, cake and biscuits in the afternoon and all the tea and coffee you can mainline. No one leaves a WHQ retreat hungry.

When you book, you’ll be asked if you have any dietary requirements so just let us know your vegan-free, gluten-full, sugar-loving needs.

Is there any teaching on the retreats?

There is no taught element during the retreats.

REPEAT: THERE IS NO TAUGHT ELEMENT DURING THE WRITING RETREATS.

Writers’ HQ writing retreats are about having the time and space to sit and write. That’s it. No distractions, no excuses, just writing.

We do run courses though so if you’re looking for teaching have a look at our online courses.

There is, of course, always plenty of writerly chat during the day and you are more than welcome to ask the retreat leader questions, which depending on their experience they may or may not be able to answer.

Wait, you just write? Couldn’t I do that at home?

You could, but do you?

Besides, not everyone has the luxury of being able to write at home. People with long working hours, crazy families, or a million other distractions find that writing at home just doesn’t work for them. For many, time and space to write is hard to find. We want to make it a little bit more accessible.

Transferring retreat dates

If you’ve booked a ticket and want to change it, retreat dates can be transferred without charge up to 4 DAYS before the date of the retreat.

So if your event is on Saturday, the preceding Monday is your last chance to transfer the date without charge. If your retreat is on Sunday, the preceding Tuesday is your last chance to transfer.

If you need to transfer your date during the 4 days leading up to the workshop, there will be a £10 surcharge.

If you book a retreat and do not attend, unfortunately there is no option for refund or date transfer.

To transfer your date, please email he**@**********co.uk with the subject TRANSFER RETREAT DATE.

Cancelling retreat dates

f you need to cancel a single real life retreat booking please do it 7 DAYS before the date of the retreat in order to get a full refund.

So if your event is on Saturday, the preceding Saturday is your last chance to get a full refund. If your retreat is on Sunday, the preceding Sunday is your last chance to contact us for a refund.

Cancellations made after this cannot be refunded. Sorry.

To cancel your retreat, please email he**@**********co.uk with the subject RETREAT CANCELLATION.

Do we share our work?

Nope. WHQ creative writing retreats are strictly non-sharing events. We want you to focus on writing your story instead of getting anxious about other people reading it.

There is no workshopping or taught element to the retreats. It’s just about the writing.

For taught courses please check out our super-awesome range of online courses.

What if I get stuck or have questions on the day?

Speak to the facilitator or utilise the other amazing writers who’ll be there!

WHQ retreats are super friendly and super supportive. While they’re not set up for intense 1:1 feedback kind of scenarios, you can definitely slump on the desk and say ‘grargh I’m stuck!’ and a whole bunch of people will leap to your aid.

I have accessibility requirements. What do I do?

et us know! We do our best to make sure our venues are accessible and we put accommodations in place where ever you need. Just email he**@**********co.uk or fill in the little form when you book your place and we’ll leap into action with keenness and speed

What’s your Covid policy?

Please do not attend a retreat if you are feeling unwell, experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or someone you’ve been in close contact with has COVID-19.

We can transfer your ticket to another date – please email he**@**********co.uk to let us know you can’t attend and to arrange a transfer. If you’re feeling up to it, you’re welcome to join us at one of our online retreats.

Masks

Masks are optional at our events – you are welcome to wear one.

While we’re doing our best to ensure everybody is safety, we can’t be held responsible if you catch COVID-19 at one of our events.

Flash Face Off

What is Flash Face Off?

Flash Face Off is a weekly flash fiction challenge at Writers’ HQ. Flash fiction is any story that’s under 1,000 words, but for FFO we say under 500.

We post prompts weekly on a Friday, you write stories and share them on the forum for feedback, you give others feedback, then join us on Zoom once a month for live reading of some of our fave stories.

It might not sound like a lot, but FFO has helped many, many, many writers improve their work, get published, and feel GREAT about their writing.

It’s *awesome* and you can check it out here.

How will I know if my story has been picked to read?

Whoever is hosting that month’s Flash Face Off Live will contact you on the forum a few days before the event.

Do I have to read if my story is picked?

Nope! Just say thanks but no thanks.

Can I submit a story elsewhere if I’ve submitted it to Flash Face Off?

Yes! And very good luck to you! WHQers submit far and wide and we’ve never had any problems, except for excessive acceptances and a lot of joy.

Do check the rules of your competition or lit mag as some state you can’t have shared your work anywhere online, but you should be fine.

Worst case scenario, you can always delete the story from the FFO forums and no one will even blink.

Do I still own my story if I submit it to the FFO?

Yes! You retain all rights to your story, it’s yours to do whatever you like with. Including but not limited to: editing it, submitting it, ignoring it, making it into a paper aeroplane, turning it into a novel that’s actually an interconnected series of short stories.

Will someone steal my ideas?

No. Your ideas are not nearly so interesting to other writers as their own ideas are to them. We’re all drowning in ideas. We don’t need any more.

Memberships and free stuff

I want to cancel my subscription

No worries!

Just go to My Account which is top right of all pages. If you can’t see it, scroll up to the top of the page and it will magically appear.

Then select ‘My Membership’ > Subscription and press the big cancel button.

Or just click here: writershq.co.uk/my-account

This will stop THE NEXT payment coming from your account. You will still have course access for the remaining duration of that 30 day cycle, so if you cancel your subscription 5 days into your 30 day subscription cycle, you will have course access for another 25 days and then nada. Blackness. Darkness. The cold abyss of the netherworld. Or at least that’s how it should work. If it doesn’t give us a yell on ye olde he**@**********co.uk email address. Or, ya know, enjoy your sneaky freebies.

A super important point: we CANNOT offer partial refunds on subscriptions. This means if you cancel part way through the month, we cannot part refund that month. Soz McGoz.

Is the free stuff actually free? What’s the catch?

Yes, it’s actually free. There is no catch. We believe all stories deserve to be heard and that means running courses that are available to everyone. You won’t be asked to enter your bank details and we don’t harvest your data to sell on. We just need you to set up an account on our website so you can access the course materials. That’s it.

(We will attempt to upsell you to our full membership because baby needs new shoes n all that but you can ignore those bits or not if you rly rly love us).

Technical questions

I have absolutely any technical problem

Oh noes! Do not panic.

Please try clearing your cache before emailing us. That will fix about 99% of any problems.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, wang an email to he**@**********co.uk and we’ll take a look.

I don't get emails

Check your spam check your spam check your spam la la la.

If they’re not in spam, email he**@**********co.uk and we’ll have a dig around.

Why do you use an old-school forum and not a swanky new fully integrated luxury cruise liner of a website?

For one very simple reason: we have not yet found a luxury cruise liner out-the-box doodat that fulfils our criteria. Those criteria are:

All content published on our site by our members must always belong to the person who wrote it with absolutely no exception. Most of the swanky SAAS solutions come with extremely sketchy T&Cs around ownership and rights.
We need absolute cast-iron guarantees that your words won’t be used to train AI and so far no one can do that.
None of those one-site-fits-all solutions have a big download button, allowing us to keep control of our content.

So we have a slightly older, slightly clunky forum, but it’s on our server which means we can protect you (and us).

Can I change the email address on my account?

Yes but it’s a massive pain in the butt. Please only do this if absolutely necessary and don’t try to do it yourself. Email he**@**********co.uk.

AI policy

What's your AI policy?

Our AI policy is that if you want to use AI to write your stories, then we are not the place for you.

AI is theft.

AI only benefits billionaires.

AI is disproportionately contributing to the rapid destruction of our biosphere.

It is also worth knowing that content generated by AI cannot be protected under copyright. So not only is it an abomination, it’s also not yours.

If you want to write, commit to the process. Write. Even if it’s hard or uncomfortable. Who knows, you might start to enjoy the hard and uncomfortable parts. OOER.

Bursary

Can I donate to your bursary scheme?

Please do!

We welcome all donations, big or small, one-off or regular.

You can donate and find more information on the bursary scheme here.

If you’re a big organisation looking to partner with us, we’d love to hear from you! Please email he***@**********co.uk.

Can I apply for your bursary scheme?

You most certainly can! Anyone can apply for the bursary, and we prioritise the following:

People who are physically disabled in some way
People who are neurodivergent or have a mental illness
People from a minority or persecuted community
People living in a low income household (typically defined as a household earning under £15,000) and/or in receipt of social security
People with a criminal record
People who are the primary carer for another human with high needs
People who are struggling in other ways and just really need to write some kickass stories.

We don’t ask for any form of means testing or background checks: just tell us a little bit about yourself and your situation, send us a writing sample and we’ll do our best to help.

You can apply here.

I've applied and not heard from you

We check bursaries once a month but we are currently backed up to the moon and back because the world is crumbling arghghghghg. We’ll get to yours asap. Promise.