Introducing The Writers Workshop – a one-stop shop for writers in Orchard Square
Who can help you with your plot twist? Who can sympathise when you get your first rejection letter? Where can you publish your manuscript? Who even wants to hear what you’ve got to say?
So you want to be a writer but where do you start? How do you even begin to put pen to paper?
These questions are familiar to every writer and the kind of questions that I hope to answer at The Writers Workshop - a new one-stop shop for aspiring, emerging and established writers. Recognising that the writers’ path can be a lonely road, I’ve always wanted to bring writers and freelancers together in a community of mutual support, and The Writers Workshop is the realisation of this vision. I founded the Workshop in January 2020 and instantly had to move to online working, but now the Workshop is back in action with a wide range of workshops, masterclasses, events and one-to-one services for writers, both in-person and online.
Conveniently for coffee and book lovers, The Writers Workshop is sandwiched between The Creative Guild, Waterstones, Costa Coffee and Terrace Goods in the Craft Workshops in Orchard Square but, thanks to remote working, our team at the Workshop is able to serve writers from around the country and across the globe.
In the last twelve months, I’ve gathered a team of associate self-employed facilitators, coaches, editors, and publishing and marketing consultants, enabling The Writers Workshop to support writers from the first seed of an idea right through to publication and performance.
Creativity-Community-Craft-Career is the motto, and The Writers Workshop aims to provide everything a writer needs at affordable prices. More than just a service-provider, The Workshop is a membership community, with social events, get-togethers and mutual support high on the agenda.
For five pounds a month, members get access to the online community as well as significant discounts to all events, in addition to members-only resources and events. You don’t have to be a member in order to take part though, as we want to serve the whole Sheffield writing community, not just the people who can afford membership. There are free Write-In sessions at Waterstones café every Wednesday morning and a wide range of free and affordable regular events such as the new Climate Emergency Writers Group run by Anne Grange, the Non-Fiction meet-ups run by ex-London editor, Hannah Boursnell and, of course, my own regular Get Writing and Monday Morning coaching session, as well as the new Writing Workout run by Rosie Carnall.
This month, The Writers Workshop is also launching a new live literature event in the downstairs bar of their neighbour, Sheffield Plate. Sounds About Write is a platform for established and emerging writers to share their words and their writing journeys in a safe, supportive atmosphere. Run on the last Tuesday of the month, Sounds About Write highlights the writing journey of a guest writer before opening the floor to anyone with a story or poem to share. All forms of writing are welcome and perfection is not expected. If it sounds about right, that’s good enough!
The launch event takes place on Tuesday 26th April at 7pm and features the astonishing Sheffield talent that is the legend, Sarah Jay Hawley. The platinum award-winning singer-songwriter will be sharing spoken word and music pieces from her show and memoir, Zen, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Sarah is one of the members of The Writers Workshop and her memoir is currently in the editing stages.
