Begin - Derbyshire Writing School Podcast

Episode 75 – Guest Interview – Derbyshire Author – Sarah Ward In this episode, Pete and Laura chat with Derbyshire author Sarah Ward. Sarah is the author of four contemporary crime novels set in the Derbyshire Peak District. The Daily Mail described her debut novel, In Bitter Chill , as a ‘Tense, well-told story of loss and family secrets’. Sarah’s published her Gothic thriller, The Quickening , u...

Episode 74 - Am I A Real Writer? - In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writer’s Room to chat about and try to answer the question - Am I A Real Writer?   Section One: THE WRITERS’ ROOM . In this section, we explore writing problems and struggles by answering your questions.   What makes someone a writer? Often people will say to us, ‘But I’m not a real writer?’ So what makes a real wr...

Episode 73 - The Writer’s Toolbox – The Tool of Creative Courage   “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― William Faulkner In this ‘Toolbox’ episode, Pete and Laura chat about the tool of ‘Creative Courage.’  Creative courage is not only about taking risks with your story but also about believing your story will be worth telling before you’ve ev...

Episode 72 - Guest Interview - Cat Mitchell - Publishing 101 In this episode, Pete and Laura chat with Cat Mitchell about publishing.  Cat Mitchel is a lecturer in writing and publishing, and teaches on the Publishing MA course and the Writing and Publishing BA course at Derby University.  Cat has over five years of experience working in the publishing industry, including four years working in var...

Episode 71 - Alex Davis – Guest Interview – What is Genre? In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writer’s Room to chat with a regular visitor to the podcast - Alex Davis. Alex currently works as an Associate Lecturer in Creative and Professional Writing for the University of Derby and is a freelance copy-editor, proofreader, and events organiser.  In this episode, Pete and Laura ask Ale...

Episode 70 - Guest Interview–JC Niala JC Niala is a writer, poet, and playwright, and a keen grower. She is specifically interested in how our imaginations of nature affect how we treat it.  Her artists' journal of poems Portal: 1918 Allotment (Fig, 2022) uses poetry, prose, and art to document her recreation of an English allotment in the style of the year 1918. In 2022, she received the Soc...

Episode 69 Isabelle Kenyon – Guest Interview – Fly On The Wall Indie Press In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writer’s Room to chat with Isabelle Kenyon. Isabelle Kenyon is a northern writer and the author of 5 chapbooks including Growing Pains - (Indigo Dreams Publishing Ltd) and one short story with Wild Pressed Books - ‘The Town Talks’, 2020. She is the M.D. and editor of Fly on t...

Episode 68 - The Derbyshire Writing School Interns In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writer’s Room to chat with three student interns who spent time at Derbyshire Writing School this summer. We’ve been working with the University of Derby to offer three paid internships over the summer. This is part of the Universities DRIVEN project , working with business in Derbyshire to provide...

Episode 67 - Happy Second Birthday Derbyshire Writing School! We are back! In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writer’s Room to talk about their summer, and update you on their writing and celebrate Derbyshire Writing School’s second birthday! PERSONAL PROJECTS – In this section, we share what we’ve been working on. Spending the summer working on a first draft, Laura has almost comple...

Episode 66 - Season 2 Finale  In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writer’s Room to review the highs and lows and lessons learned in the last 33 episodes before they head off on Summer break.  THE WRITERS’ ROOM - Let’s review the last 33 weeks:- Pete and Laura ask What were the highs and lows of season two? Which were your top three episodes and why? Any memorable moments? What have we...

Episode 64 - Do I Need An Author Platform? In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writer’s Room to ask - Do I Need An Author Platform? THE WRITERS’ ROOM - In this section we explore writing problems and struggles by answering your questions. You are a writer, but you need the world to find your work. How do you do that? From a portfolio of work in progress to selling books you’ve written...

Episode 63 The Writer’s Toolbox  – The Tool of a Writing Retreat Here at Derbyshire Writing School , we’re launching our first set of mini-writing retreats and it’s we thought it would be a good idea to talk about a writing retreat is a tool you could and should add to your writing toolbox.  In this ‘Toolbox’ episode, Pete and Laura Chat about writing retreats. Together they talk about: What is a...

We are back in the writers’ room and we have a guest in our hot seat this week!  In this special edition Laura and Pete chat about publishing his book - Gathering Rosebuds in Kerala. Laura asks Pete: You’ve finished. You’ve hit publish. How do you feel? What is a rosebud? What was the hardest part of writing your book? Did you find any part of the process surprising? Three things you’ve learnt. Wh...

Episode 61 - The Writer’s Toolbox - The Tool of a Literary Agent  In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writing Room to chat about The Tool of a Literary Agent for a writer.  THE WRITERS’ ROOM - The Tool of a Literary Agent  What is a literary agent, and how will this tool help us as a writer? That’s the subject for this edition of the podcast.  A literary agent is a professional who re...

Episode 60 - Guest Interview Derbyshire Author - Dawn Brookes - What is a Literature Festival? We are back in the writers’ room and we have a guest in our hot seat this week!  We are really pleased to welcome back Derbyshire author Dawn Brookes .  Dawn has been on the podcast before, you can listen to her talk about self-publishing in episode 19. Dawn Brookes is an international bestselling author...

Episode 59 - Guest Interview - Charlotte Lunn - Is Poetry Good For You? We are back in the writers’ room and we have a guest in our hot seat this week! It’s Derbyshire Writing School’s very own guest poetry facilitator  – Charlotte Lunn . Charlotte Lunn is a published poet, workshop facilitator and bookseller.  After completing her creative writing degree at The University of Derby, Charlotte beca...

 Episode 58 - The Writer's Toolbox - How To Develop The Tool of a Writing Habit Everyone is different and has different writing goals and values. Gretchen Wilson says it well ...  “ We won’t make ourselves more creative and productive by copying other people’s habits, even the habits of geniuses. We must know our own nature and what habits serve us best. “ So, What Is A Writing Habit?   A hab...

Episode 57 - Three Books That Changed My Life THE WRITERS’ ROOM - In this episode, Pete and Laura chat about three books that impacted their lives. Pete's Books How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling – Frank Bettger The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey A Million Miles In A Thousand Years: What I Learned While I Was Editing My Life – Donald Miller.  Laura...

In this episode, we're going to share eight truths we have learned about writing.  Pete and Laura's List Write For Yourself Writing Will Always Be Hard Write Every Day If You Let It, Writing Will Give You Structure Write To Understand Yourself No-one Will Care About Your Book As Much As You Do. Write To Hit Publish. OUR CURRENT PROJECT UPDATES - What writing projects are we working on &a...

 Episode 55 - The Writer's Toolbox - The Tool of Writing Sprints  Do you want to write faster, more efficiently and with fewer errors?  If so, the answer is simple: start writing in sprints. In this episode, we tell you more about how you can add the tool of writing sprints to your writer’s toolbox.   Sprinting is the art of writing as fast as possible for a set amount of time without editing...

Episode 54 - The Writer’s Toolbox - The Tool of A Newsletter In this episode, Pete and Laura chat about the tool of writing a newsletter. It’s easy to get your words published and have some engaging content of yours out into the world in a few minutes. It might just look a little different from what you’ve imagined. Starting a free newsletter on Substack gives you three powerful reasons to help yo...

Episode 53 – Guest Interview – Fiona Thomas We are back in the writers’ room and we have a guest in our hot seat this week! Fiona Thomas – from Fionalikestoblog.com Fiona Thomas is an author and freelance writer with work published in iPaper, Grazia, Happiful Magazine and Huffington Post. Her most recent book Out of Office: Ditch the 9-5 and Be Your Own Boss. They have featured Fiona in Stylist, F...

Episode 52 - The Writer’s Toolbox  - The Writing Workshop In this episode, Pete and Laura chat about the tool of a writing workshop. What Is A Writing Workshop? How Does A Writing Workshop Run? What Is The Aim Of a Writing Workshop? Why Is A Writing Workshop Useful For People Who Want To Write?  What feedback we should expect from a writing workshop? How Can Derbyshire Writing School Help? At Derb...

THE WRITERS’ ROOM - Formatting Your Writing. This week in the Writers’ Room, Pete and Laura talk about how to format your work.  When formatting your work, there are a couple of different things to consider. How you layout your writing in a document on the page. How your format your work for printing (we could also call this typesetting).  Tools to help you format your work:  Pete has been using A...