Here's how you can build a writing life you LOVE
A creative practice full of joy and a portfolio of stories you love.
Join thousands of extremely awesome writers just like you*
Highlights include:
- Stop fucking about
- Start writing
- Finally writing the stories you've been dreaming about
- FREE BONUS: Mainlining a butt-tonne of tea and biscuits ALL THE TIME
1. Develop a writing practice
Sure, you could just sit down and write, but life has a habit of getting in the way. We have a system for that!
The WHQ month is structured so that we leave no writer behind:
- We meet online every Monday to write.
- We keep you accountable every single day on the forum.
- We check-in once a month for a goal setting and troubleshooting session.
- If you can’t make the real life retreats, there’s an all day online writing retreat every month.
- Reliable support designed to hold your hand the whole way through and support you to show up for your writing in a way that works for you.
We’ve got this. And by this we mean you. Ok? Okay. Let’s gooooo…
Weekly writing challenges • Weekly writing sessions • Monthly support groups • Workshops and festivals • Always-on accountability community
2. Learn your craft, grow your skills
There’s 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.
500+ hours of writing resources • 25+ creative writing courses • Expert-led workshops • Library of exercises and tutorials
3. Build a writing portfolio you're proud of
Write a short story every week with Flash Face Off. Get your novel written with Plotstormers and The First Draft and find out what to do next. Curate a collection of short stories. Submit and get published in lit mags. Meet some of the best people you’ll ever meet and build a body of work that makes you go ‘holy shit, I wrote that!’
Whatever your goals, we’re here to help you extract all your best stories from your brain and make them real.
Real deadlines • Live feedback • Genuine support • Real community
Writers’ HQ is pure alchemy! To be alongside fellow writers is very special. I always come away feeling inspired and desperate to continue whatever it is I’m working on. I’m incredibly grateful to the WHQ’s community for keeping me on track and inspired.
Samuel Burr, Instant Sunday Times Bestselling author of The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers.
Writers’ HQ isn’t just where stories get written.
It’s where badass writers get brave, get unstuck, and get shit done
Master your craft
Over 25 in-depth creative writing courses covering everything from the shortest to the longest stories
Get writing, stay writing
Write-together sessions, online and real life retreats, and support groups keep you on track
Be challenged
Stay motivated with writing festivals and challenges all year round
Sharpen your skills
Live workshops and expert-led masterclasses to help you hone your talent
Never miss a class
Learn at your own pace with our on-demand video library and workshop replays
Love and support
Stay inspired, supported, and seen in the most supportive writing community this side of the internet
Thanks to the wonderfully supportive WHQ community who have become real friends, I’m now a published writer with words appearing in over 18 countries. And I’ve finally finished that novel!
Kirsti
It's tea. It's swearing. It’s thousands of writers cheering you on through every draft, deadline, and doubt.
All Writers’ HQ stuff is split into five main, err, fronds? Departments? Sections? You know what we mean. Get me writing, novel writing, short stories, flash fiction, writing as resistance.
Get Me Writing
A series of courses, challenges and workshops to help you build your writing practice from the ground up in a way that works for you
Novel Writing
Courses, workshops and other resources to help you plot, write and edit your novel, including the Write A Novel Festival, Wild Draft Months, and Write November
Short Stories
Learn the fundamentals of short story writing, refine your skills, master your craft, and write all round banging stories. Including the Write A Short Story Festival and Mass Submission Project.
Flash Fiction
Discover how to write teeny tiny stories with a mammoth size gut punch, with weekly writing challenges, feedback, open mic evenings, courses and workshops.
Writing as Resistance
For writers exploring climate change, resistance and rebellion in their work - one mammoth course, a library of workshops and an annual festival dedicated to sticking it to the man.
Got questions? GOOD. We have (some but not all of the answers)
Can you actually learn creative writing?
No one ever questions whether you can learn to play a musical instrument via lessons but they get weird when it comes to creative writing. VERY STRANGE.
The best way to improve is to read a lot, write a lot, learn technical skills, and be as human as you goddamn can.
We’ve got resources for all of it.
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.
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.
We explore ways of getting stuff done, techniques for when you’re doing it, and everything that surrounds it.
(You’re going to hear us talk about pomodoro and writing sprints A LOT though).
You aren't real writers. You swear!
Whatever.
- Over 10 million words written
- thousands of flash fiction stories published
- a huge network of friends
- 50,000 cups of tea drunk
Come write with most word-writing, tea-drinking, story-slinging, biscuit-dunking, productivity-boosting, super supportive writing community this side of the internet
C'mon. What are you waiting for? This is your dream!
Become a Glorious Writing Beast
- Weekly write-alongs
- Monthly live masterclasses with guest authors
- Monthly goal setting & troubleshooting
- Monthly online retreats
- Project tracker
- Over 25 mammoth creative writing courses
- Always-on workshop library
- Flash Face Off, Flash Face Off Live and Introduction to Flash course and workshop
- The Write A Short Story Festival
- The Write A Novel Festival
- The Writing as Resistance Festival
- All monthly festivals and challenges
Struggling with systemic oppression and a world that is hostile to pretty much everyone except for able bodied cishet white men from the Global North? Check our bursaries here.
All prices in Earth Pounds (GBP)
Super secure money handling wotsits
It's Stripe, innit. We don't touch your cash god no can you imagine?!
30 day money back
guarantee
Just ask. No fuss (although we'll grumble behind the screen because WHQ is extremely awesome).
*Not exactly like you, because you are unique and special and that’s what makes your writing fucking brilliant, but enough like you that you’re not roaming around feeling like the only person in the world who is thinking these thoughts right now like god why is it like this am I an absolute freak?! You’re not a freak. You’re just a writer. It’s all good. Shhhhh there. Have some tea.