The Writer’s Notebook

Weekly creative writing workshops.

Chequer Mead Theatre, East Grinstead, West Sussex.
Run in regular 5-week blocks on Thursday mornings and Tuesday evenings.

Whether you are a beginner at creative writing or you’ve been writing for a while, these workshops will help you try new things, give you lots of ideas to work with and build confidence in your writing voice.

I will lead different exercises with writing prompts inspired by objects, pictures or examples from poetry, non-fiction and fiction. Then we write together and share what we’ve written (if you would like to). Above all, my aim is that you enjoy the process of writing and that we have fun together!

These small pieces of writing will create a brilliant resource for whatever you want to write - poems, stories, memoir, blog posts or all or none of those things. You will create your own notebook filled to the brim with character and story ideas, descriptions, fragments of poems and memories; whatever comes to mind in that moment.

There will be ideas and suggestions for topics to write on at home as well as writing techniques to practice.There will be space for you to bring writing you have done inbetween workshops for gentle, encouraging feedback. This is entirely optional.

This course is currently full. If you’d like to be added to the waiting list, please get in touch by email or use my contact form.

Mel is an experienced, versatile writer who has published fiction, poetry and memoir as well as academic articles, magazine features and many other third sector publications and web content. She has been developing and running her own creative writing workshops since 2014 and has an MA in Creative Writing (Distinction). Since the MA, she has been involved in research projects on the power of stories and creative writing for wellbeing and social change.

These workshops are for you if you:

— have always wanted to write but don’t know where to start

— want to practice different writing techniques

— want to explore ideas for writing

— could do with some help bringing your writing alive.

I will share techniques, tools and tips to help:

— your writing flow

— bring your writing alive

— create a writing habit

— you understand what works well in a piece of writing

— experiment with language

— you feel part of a writing community.

There will be plenty of:

— fun exercises, writing together and reading out (if you feel comfortable)

— suggestions of things to try in-between the weekly sessions

— ideas, resources and exercises you can return to at home on a password protected web page

— gentle guidance as you gain confidence in your writing.

“Mel creates a warm and engaging atmosphere in her classes, in which everyone is encouraged. Her prompts for creative writing are varied, encompassing published fiction and nonfiction, poetry, pictures, and objects. Her own expertise means her feedback is always valuable, and it's so beneficial–and fun–to be part of a group where sharing our own writing is encouraged but not compulsory. Taking part in Mel's classes has woven warmth, creativity and magic into my life!”

— Alison Abdelmassieh

  • The Writer’s Notebook is a weekly creative writing workshop to fill the well for beginners and people who’ve been writing for a while. It will create a brilliant resource for whatever you want to write - poems, stories, memoir, blog posts or all or none of those things. You will create your own notebook filled to the brim with character and story ideas, descriptions, fragments of poems and memories; whatever comes to mind from the exercises I lead. n text goes here

  • Blocks of five weeks are short enough to commit to and long enough to become comfortable with the creative process and the other people in the group. 

  • Before the Covid-19 pandemic, I used to allow people to attend sessions as a one-off and to pay only for the sessions attended. But to allow for more certainty, I started running them as blocks of five weeks, to be paid for in advance. While I appreciate that drop-ins work for some people, what I found was that the blocks of five weeks allowed people to become comfortable with the process and their confidence and richness of the writing increased during that time. It also helps during the Covid-19 pandemic, as you will be in contact with the same small group of people each week during the five weeks. 

  • The five-week blocks are all different and standalone. So if you miss one block, it’s fine to book the next one without worrying that you’ve missed anything. Each individual workshop follows a similar format, but the exercises will vary. And in each five-week block, I try to cover a mix of forms and techniques. For example, I will usually introduce one poetic form, something which relates to life writing and a fiction writing technique during each block.   

  • The main focus of these sessions is on the writing process, but when people have been writing for a while, they may want feedback on their work, so there is optional time in each session for participants to read out work they have written at home for general, encouraging feedback. Depending on how many people want to do this, I may limit how many can read out in each session. You can also email your work in advance if you would like to. I offer written feedback on one piece of writing (around 1000 words) per participant, per five-week block.  

  • No, you never have to read your writing out loud. Sharing writing is part of the process of having confidence in your voice and it is part of the workshop, but it is always optional. I will invite everyone to share what they have written or to say something about it, but if, for any reason, you’d rather not, that is completely fine. If you do not want me to invite you to read out loud, then let me know before the session.

  • Each week, I offer suggestions for an exercise you might like to try at home. This is always optional. 

  • There will be a maximum of 8 people in each group.

  • Yes. The workshops have been designed so that people of different levels of writing experience can join in. But if you’ve never tried a creative writing workshop before, please let me know before the session so that I can bear it in mind when planning. 

  • Yes. Many of the participants of The Writer’s Notebook have been writing for a long time and value the creative space and new ideas they come up with during the workshops. 

  • Not directly. These workshops are not going to provide you with an easy-to-follow, step-by-step framework but will explore techniques that are useful for all types of creative writing. And the more you do, the more confident you are likely to feel when writing something in a recognisable form. I have written and taught lots of different styles, so if you have any particular questions or things you’d like to learn, do let me know and I’ll see if I can plan an exercise to help.

  • I post all of my writing exercises on a password-protected page on my website each week, so if you happen to miss one week, you can catch up, if you’d like to.  

  • This is at my discretion, but usually if you change your mind at least a week before the course starts, then I’ll be able to give you a refund.  

    If I need to cancel the workshops for any reason, then I will offer you a refund.