The Writers' HQ Write A Short Story Festival
Write. Create. Celebrate. Your next great story starts here!
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Let's all write a short story
Join Sarah, Team WHQ and a specially curated gang of super awesome, award-winning short story writers for a month of short story workshops, masterclasses and write-a-longs designed to get you writing or to elevate your craft from good to great.
Throughout March, the Writers’ HQ Write A Short Story Festival will give you the opportunity to explore everything you need to know about the short form, from starting, middling and ending. We’ll go deep into the craft of short story writing and finish the month by finding out how to submit your work to lit mags and publishers.
You can start at the beginning and write a story alongside other festival writers, or you can drop in and out depending on where you are with your writing.
Plus, through regular write-a-longs we’ll help you stay on track and build a writing practice that fits into your life and goals.
Also! The best writing community this side of the internet. Aww yeah! It’s gonna be a-m-a-z-i-n-g.
Catch the festival on replay right here
Plus! Also! Too! As well!
These awesome bonus things...
When you get on board for the Write A Short Story Festival, you will also have access to:
Every event from last year's festival!
Including
- The Telescopic Lens: A big-picture to small-detail approach for editing your stories with Matt Kendric
- The Craft of Short Story Writing with Kathy Hoyle
- Dust off Your Drafts with Anika Carpenter
- Nail Your End: Finishing the Short Story with Emily Devane
Writing Short Fiction
Our mammoth short fiction course!
Full of practical techniques for developing your writing skills and producing stellar short stories
Three Other Awesome Short Story Courses
- Create A Short Story Collection
Learn how to turn your short stories into a collection! - Short Fiction Mini Masterclass
A quick intro to big little stories
- The Writers' HQ Guide to Flash Fiction
Conjure teeny flashy stories out of thin air
The Amazing Writers' HQ Community
Writing is a team sport and there’s no better place to find your writing team than Writers’ HQ. Many of our students have gone on to form close friendships and trusted critiquing partnerships. Introverted? Don’t worry! We’re all awkward writer-types here
Who’s awesome? We’re awesome!
Well. You’re awesome, actually. You do the hard work, we just provide the warm embrace of swearing and tea and pep.
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
You ready? Let’s gooooooo!
The Write A Short Story Festival 2026 is available exclusively for Writers’ HQ Gold Star Members. Click the buttons and secure your spot.
(If you’re already a member, just go to each event you want to attend and click ‘book now’.)
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
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