In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to imagine the hidden secrets of your characters, to enrich the landscapes of their inner lives, and how to best entice readers to engage with your tales. This is a space to explore fresh and creative techniques as a way to expand your narratives. We will use our various stimuli for our writing together, looking at extracts of stories, images and songs as inspiration.

‍

This workshop is open to people of all levels of experience with writing, particularly people who enjoy reading or writing fiction. At the end of our workshop, there will be time to share moments from some of the work created, if any participants feel happy to do so.

‍

In this workshop, we’ll embrace the spirit of play as a pathway to discovering our authentic voice. You’ll learn to let go of self-judgment and cultivate creative courage, making the writing experience much more enjoyable and fulfilling. This two-hour workshop is suitable for both new and experienced writers, and there is no pressure to share your writing!

‍

Dr Kerry Ryan is a writer based in Folkestone. She has won the Spilling Ink Short Story Prize and has been shortlisted for the Myriad First Editions Prize, the HG Wells Short Story Prize 2023 and the Writers and Artists Prize 2023. Her writing appears in The Manchester Review, The Kenyon Review, the Guardian, the Telegraph and others. In 2022, she was the contributing editor for So Long as You Write (Dear Damsels) and the Write Like a Grrrl anthology (Grind and Bearing). Her poetry features in the Spectrum anthology by Renard Press 2023, the Grito du Mujer anthology 2023 and many others. She has a Masters and a PhD in Literary Studies and Creative Writing. Kerry is also the proud founder Write Like a Grrrl, an organisation that supports creative writers across the globe.

‍

Write like a Grrrl supports marginalised genders to develop writing craft and confidence. Creating community and taking strength in community is what Write like a Grrrl is all about. Founded by Kerry Ryan in 2015, our courses run or have run in Russia, America, Australia, Mauritius, India, Iceland and Ireland. In the UK, WLAG courses and workshops have sold out in Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Norwich, Brighton, Bristol and all across London. We’re absolutely committed to access and inclusion and ensure our courses and workshops are accessible for all. We’ve supported thousands of students to write more with more joy. We believe passionately that your voice matters and that creativity is a radical act.

‍

‍João F. Silva was born in a small town in Portugal but now lives in Glasgow, Scotland, with his wife and feline co-workers/bosses. His debut novel Seeds of War won the Best Indie Debut of 2023 at the FanFiAddict Awards. His short fiction was published in Grimdark Magazine and Haven Speculative.

‍

Jamie Rhodes is a multi-faceted writer and academic, known for his ability to weave together complex narratives across various mediums including comics, screenplays, books, and tabletop role-playing games. Currently, Jamie is enriching the minds of the next generation as a Lecturer in Creative Writing at University College London (UCL), where he imparts his extensive knowledge and experience to students while completing his PhD.