The Writers’ Gym Podcast

Being in your character's body as well as their mind isn't always first-draft territory. For many writers, it's easier to begin in an internal monologue, lost in thoughts and feelings which can then be frustrating to pin down to their causes: the triggers in the physical world for each thought, each feeling. The good news? It looks scary from the outside but, inside, that's where the greatest fun is. Dr Rachel Knightley celebrates natural time and taking space in our own narratives.

Trusting your reader is one of the most famous phrases in creative writing teaching. But how do we do that? And what might be stopping us? Dr Rachel Knightley explores the temptations of ‘telling' versus the greater rewards of showing (not explaining) the reactions, feelings and thoughts that illustrate who a character is and why they show up in their world the way they do.  

Trusting your reader is one of the most famous phrases in creative writing teaching. But how do we do that? And what might be stopping us? Dr Rachel Knightley explores the temptations of ‘telling' versus the greater rewards of showing (not explaining) the reactions, feelings and thoughts that illustrate who a character is and why they show up in their world the way they do.  

Dr Rachel Knightley's Sherlock Holmes Snoopy lamp is something of a co-presenter this week. What object do you love, that connects you with your past or passions, that someone else might not see the magic in? Through showing the specifics of what characters love, we get so much more: a sense of their values and personality. When they talk to different people, we get different angles on that same essential truth. So jump in and start fictionalising the people and things that make your heart sing — or scream!

‘Say the Thing' is one of our most transformational pieces of writing advice Dr Rachel Knightley ever had. That editor wasn't just showing her a masterkey to clarity and confidence on the page, but off it too. This episode of the podcasts explores how communicating what we love and what we fear deepens our characterisation, links character and plot, and our connection with the reader through the specificity of detail that gives writing its magic; that only comes when you're truly exploring yourself and your world.

What's the difference between procrastination and a gentle ‘landing pattern' on your way down to where the words are? If your bookshelves are noticeably neater when a deadline's looming, it's possible your rituals are becoming an end in themselves (procrastination) rather than a landing pattern: moving you towards your inner world. One of the best things to get the joy back? Stealthwriting. Dr Rachel Knightley — with a little help from the incomparable David Lynch reminding us to ‘go where the fish are' — gets us back in touch with the importance of building space and time where the ideas can discover us.

If you're listening to a podcast about writing, there's a good chance you've experienced how a book you love has added to your life: how valuable that relationship with the words of a stranger, that tour of a world created by a mind other than your own, can be. Yet when it's time to pay it forward, we can be blocked by questions like ‘What if it's too weird?' or ‘What if it's too boring?' In this episode, Rachel Knightley invites you to play Excuses Bingo, an original and favourite Writers' Gym exercise, so you can move through fear and aim to be interested instead of interesting. The result? Paying it forward as a writer to your own readers.  

“But don't you HAVE to wait for inspiration?” Every writing voice is unique — but how we stand in our way can be a lot less so. Inspired (see what we did there?) by a question Dr Rachel Knightley was asked in two workshops and one pub in the same week, this episode at the Writers' Gym explores how to blend inspiration and perspiration to build healthy writing habits. We go back to Rachel's key image of the writer's artist palette: how our unique imagination, memory, observations and questions blend to even more unique results, when we create for ourselves (and with a little help from our writing workouts) the permission to use them.   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com  

Multi-award-winning author, journalist, film critic and fiction writer Kim Newman joins Dr Rachel Knightley at the Writers' Gym for the final episode in our current series. Kim and Rachel talk about what a healthy and happy writing life can look like, the important relationship between freedom and structure, and how memory and imagination combine to build on our interests as authors into new works within the genres we love.     For a writing workout based on Kim's interview with Rachel, scroll down or visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series.   Find out more about Gabrielle at https://johnnyalucard.com/biography/   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com     Kim Newman's Recipe For a Healthy Writing Life   Learn how to pace yourself.    Learn how to meet deadlines.   learn how to get stuff done.   Get stuff out of your head onto the page.   You have to engage people these days on the first page, that is absolutely true. But that's not the same as starting with a plane crash. But you have to have something there.   And work on the prose. I know it can be kind of tedious, but look at the shape of sentences. Don't repeat words too often.   Think hard about stuff like character names. It's difficult. Most people in their life have like one or two children they have to name. Authors have to name thousands of people over a career. So give some thought to that.   If you're writing historical fiction, learn what names were actually invented recently and you'll look an idiot if you put them in your medieval character called Vanessa or Pamela. Don't!   But also work out what names were popular in the 1940s if you're writing then. That's relatively easy to find out because now there are lists of what names were popular. But also think about your character's parents and whether they would pick a popular name. Maybe they wouldn't if they're strange or unconventional people or if they're in one of those families that likes to pass down embarrassing names to their children. think about where your characters come from, what shapes them before you get to the story, the adventure they're involved in.   Remember that other people have different obsessions to you or different habits to you. It's not so common now, but you used to be able to tell if an author was a smoker by the fact that all their characters puffed all the time. And I know that there are probably things that... In fact, as a non-driver, I know that I very rarely describe driving. But sometimes you sort of have to and I suspect there are howlers in that because it's not an experience I have.   That's the other thing, entertain yourself. If you don't do that nobody else is going to enjoy it either.

Gabrielle Kent talks to Dr Rachel Knightley about the magic of the stories we inherit as well as those we create. Afull-time children's author who began her career as a graphic artist for video games and lecturer in games development. Gabrielle's work includes Alfie Bloom - a series about a boy who inherits a castle and a whole load of magical problems, Knights and Bikes - a series based on the video game of the same name, and the Rani Reports series, featuring a girl who wants to be an investigative journalist and her adventures with her rambunctious Mauritian nani. As a lifelong Discworld fan, she was overjoyed to recently collaborate with Rhianna Pratchett and Paul Kidby on Tiffany Aching's Guide to being a Witch. She has just signed five books across two different series with a major publisher and is counting down the seconds until she can talk about them. She lives in the North East of England with her husband, daughter and agoraphobic cat.   For a writing workout based on Gabrielle's interview with Rachel, scroll down or visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series.   Find out more about Gabrielle at https://gabriellekent.com   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com     Writing Workout based on Gabrielle's interview   Warm-up: Recycling first drafts   “If you tear it up, you can never do anything with it.” Gabrielle Kent   Instead of deleting ideas, making a ‘recycling' folder. Maybe on your computer, maybe physical pieces of paper, maybe both. Treat everything that goes in it as a writing prompt for something new.   Exercise 1:  Future Editor   “Terry Pratchett always said writer's block doesn't exist and I realized after a while what he meant by that. There were times where I'd get stuck and things weren't happening. I didn't really have the inspiration, I'd just go away and I'd take ages before I went back to something. And then I realized what you do, you just don't stop writing. You trust yourself as a future editor.”   Future you, who's finished your current work in progress, comes to visit you.   They tell you the book is finished, and it's gone exactly where you wanted it to go when it was finished.   Now all you have to do is have the fun, and enjoy the journey.   Return to your work-in-progress.       Cool-down Exercise: Rachel's Perfectionism/Procrastination Coin   Draw a circle on a piece of paper.   Write PERFECTIONISM in the middle.   Turn it over. Write PROCRASTINATION in the middle.   Keep it where you can see it, and spin it, when you're tempted to stop trusting Future You by trying to make it perfect, or by stopping moving it forward.

Dr Rachel Knightley speaks to her Great British Horror 5 co-contributor, award-winning author of ovels, short stories and articles (“Usually strange ones”) Aliya Whiteley. is the author of seven books of speculative fiction, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlisted Skyward Inn and The Loosening Skin, and also The Beauty, which was shortlisted for both a Shirley Jackson award and the Otherwise Award. A tenth anniversary edition of The Beauty was published in 2024. She has written over one hundred published short stories that have appeared in magazines such as F&SF, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Strange Horizons, The Dark, McSweeney's Internet Tendency and The Guardian, as well as in anthologies such as Unsung Stories' 2084 and Lonely Planet's Better than Fiction. Her non-fiction includes The Secret Life of Fungi, a look at how fungi are a permanent presence in her life. She also writes a regular non-fiction column on sci fi and fantasy matters for Interzone magazine. For a writing workout based on Aliya's interview with Rachel, scroll down or visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series.   Find out more about Aliya at https://aliyawhiteley.uk/about/   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com     Writing Workout based on Aliya's interview   Warm-up: The Enormous Importance of Weird   Write down a list of your five weirdest interests or experiences.   Pick the one you're least likely to write about.   Write about it for five minutes. Just for you.   Exercise 1: Fiction, Memoir and Truth   “I'm not an expert on fungi at all, but I wanted to write something about my fascination with them. and I tried, I did like a huge amount of research and was trying to put across things in a very dry academic kind of way… so instead I wrote this very short, personal book about how I just found fun everywhere throughout my life.”   Think about an experience doing something you love. Describe the sensations in your body, physical and emotional. Show us what you feel and discover. Write another version, in third person. Change the character's gender, or location, or even their activity. Keep the emotional truth but change the literal truth.     Exercise 2: Remembering to Play     “I'm a big believer in all sorts of exercises and routines that you put around writing, it's a bit like scaffolding. It kind of takes the pressure off what it is you're trying to build. Something like working on 381, where every section of that book is 381 words long. That moves a lot of pressure of what's happening in the novel because you've applied sort of weird constraints to it.”   “Or exercises like, okay, so I have to put these five particular objects that I've just made up on the spot. They have to appear in this next short story somewhere. And then the narrative or the characters or all the other things that you would choose to worry about aren't there any longer because you're thinking about these five objects.”     Cool-down: Voices on the Bus   Choose one of Aliya's favourites:   “All the voices that are in your head and you're all on the bus together. And the writer self is the one driving the bus. One of your passengers is shouting, but passengers are allowed to shout every now and again on my buses. That's okay. It doesn't mean catastrophe ahead. t's a whole range of emotions and thoughts and processes and some, there are the ones that, you know, they're trying to warn you all the time, but you know, they're not driving the bus.” Aliya Whiteley   Who are the passengers on your bus?   What is each of them interested in?   Who's really enthusiastic?   Who panics easily?   What does each one love?   What does each one want?

Award-winning poet, long and short fiction author, performer and vocalist with the March Violets, Rosie Garland talks to Dr Rachel Knightley about curiosity, creative confidence – and taking on the world eyebrows first! She is the author of The Palace of Curiosities (which won the Mslexia Novel Competition and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize), Vixen and The Night Brother, which was described by The Times as “a delight…with shades of Angela Carter.” Her new novel, The Fates (Quercus) is a retelling of the Greek myth of the Fates. Her latest poetry collection, What Girls do in the Dark (Nine Arches Press), was shortlisted for the 2021 Polari Prize. Val McDermid has named her one of the most compelling LGBT+ writers in the UK today. In 2018-2019 she was inaugural Writer-in-Residence at The John Rylands Library, Manchester, and in 2023 was made a Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature.     For a writing workout based on Rosie's interview with Rachel, scroll down or visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series.   Find out more about Rosie at http://www.rosiegarland.com   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com     Writing Workout based on Rosie's interview   Warm-up: Rachel's ‘Excuses Bingo' Grid   Make a massive noughts and crosses board on your page. Each square just needs to be to be big enough to write a sentence in. Throw all of the phrases that come up: ‘What if it's too boring?' ‘What if it's too weird?' ‘I'm not that kind of writer.” ‘X is better than me.' Whatever your brain might throw at you.   Go through them all, and use ‘What if' to find the positive opposite (spoiler alert: it's going to be true!). For example, ‘What if it's too weird?' might have as its positive opposite ‘What if this is the book that saved somebody's life?'   Exercise 1: The Craft of Gentleness   “I strive to do is show myself the gentleness that I show to other writers. I mean one thing I absolutely love and which feeds and nourishes me is being a mentor for other writers. I come to mentoring with an attitude of acceptance and warm encouragement and cheerleading and something I try to do for myself. It's sometimes a struggle because of that classic one of like the hardest, the person who's hardest in the world is you on yourself.” Rosie Garland   Listening Choose to listen to when the voices of self-criticism come:   If there is a fear, what would it be? If the thing it's criticising represents a step forward, what if that voice needs your reassurance instead of obeying it?   Choosing   Now you know it isn't a fact, put the what the voice on your Excuses Bingo grid. Note the time reference (you might just find it flies past the window the same time tomorrow!).   Exercise 2: The Art of Randomness   “Go and pick up three random books, four if you're feeling particularly adventurous. They could be recipe books, How to Fix Your Chainsaw or the novels of Jane Austen. Take the three books, open them up at a random page. Pick a random line: close your eyes, stick a finger in and basically with all three books pick out about between three and five random phrases, write them down and then use them as springboards for writing anything and try to get all five in.” Rosie Garland     Cool-down Exercise: Be Surprised “The thing about giving yourself permission to, you know, throw it all away when you've done it. was literally just, was exercising the writing muscles. Again, one of the reasons I do writing in the morning, apart from the fact I'm a morning person and I know not everyone else is, is it is like going to the gym. A… writer's gym? I see what I did there. Who would have thought?” Rosie Garland   If there was one new creative habit you could bring into this week, what would it be?

This week at the Writers' Gym, Dr Rachel Knightley is joined by New York Times and international bestselling thriller writer JD Barker. His work has been broadly described as suspense thrillers, often incorporating elements of horror, crime, mystery, science fiction and the supernatural. He is a frequent collaborator with James Patterson. JD shares the creative exercises and habits that support his writing life and how valuing every contact he made in his early career meant building the creative career he has today.   For a writing workout based on JD's interview with Rachel, scroll down or visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series.   Find out more about JD at https://jdbarker.com   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com     Writing Workout based on JD's interview   Warm-up: Creative Stretch   “I turn off the Internet when I first start and I don't turn it on until I get my daily word count done… which I'm usually done with by about ten, ten thirty. Then I flip that switch on the internet all the emails start coming in So basically the business side of this that I have to deal with…until three o'clock in the afternoon That's what my quitting bell rings.” JD Barker   Take a pen and treat it like a magic wand.   Design your ideal writing day. Try writing it in third person, the writer experiencing his/her/their ideal writing day.   Tip: If the answer is ‘I don't know', dare yourself to fill the line anyway. Then maybe the next. Give it a few minutes – because the flow takes turning the tap on.     Main Exercise:   “Whenever I write, I listen to a thunderstorm soundtrack on noise cancelling headphones. And not only does it drown out everything going on around me, but it's a Pavlov's dog kind of thing. As soon as I hear that noise, my mind immediately snaps into writer mode.” JD Barker   - If I could give my focus one gift, what would it be?   - If I could give myself one piece of advice about my writing life, what would I offer myself?   Read the answers back to yourself. How will you use your personal training tips from you to you this week?   Cool-down Exercise:   “Years back it was paper notes, know, I scribble it down and put it down somewhere. I learned very early on, like when you wake up at three o'clock in the morning and you get an idea for your book, you'll tell yourself you're going to remember it in the morning and you never remember it in the morning. So I've always written it down.” JD Barker   Where in your house could you put a notebook and pen, or post-it notes, where you don't have them already? What else would make the distance from brain to world a little less far?

Today's episode and writing workout feature the art and life of Prano Bailey-Bond. Prano is an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter who grew up on a diet of Twin Peaks in the depths of a strange Welsh community. Her work invokes imaginative worlds, fusing a dark vocabulary with eerie allure, revealing how beauty resides in strange places. Prano shares with Dr Rachel Knightley her early influences, creative fuel and sources of confidence and how directing her debut feature was when she reengaged with being a writer.   For a writing workout based on Prano's interview with Rachel, scroll down or visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series.   Find out more about Prano at https://www.pranobaileybond.com/about   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com     Writing Workout based on Prano's interview   Warm-up: The Drive   “It was a filmmaker who said… some filmmakers are driven by wanting to tell the world something that they think, and some are driven by wanting to understand something that they don't understand. And I think I'm probably the latter.” Prano Bailey-Bond   Take a blank sheet of paper and choose one of these questions:   What do I want to say?   What do I want to ask?   Tip: If the answer is ‘I don't know', dare yourself to fill the line anyway. Then maybe the next. Give it a few minutes – because the flow takes turning the tap on.     Main Exercise:   Read your answer back to yourself. What visual images come up? Or what conversations between characters in your life?   Draw one of the images.   Write one of the conversations (the actual dialogue – what the characters say to each other/how they argue with each other!).

Episode 2: Adrian Tchaikovsky   Today at the Writers' Gym, Dr Rachel Knightley is joined by multi-award-winning science fiction and fantasy author Adrian Tchaikovsky. Find out how early experience running Tabletop roleplaying games combine with Adrian's childhood inspiration (mainly insectoid) and adult inspiration (including coffee) to create his career as an author and what a healthy, happy writing life means to him.   Adrian Tchaikovsky is a British science-fiction and fantasy writer known for a wide-variety of work including the Children of Time, Final Architecture, Dogs of War, Tyrant Philosophers and Shadows of the Apt series, as well as standalone books such as Elder Race, Doors of Eden, Spiderlight and many others. Children of Time and its series has won the Arthur C Clarke and BSFA awards, and his other works  have won the British Fantasy, British Science Fiction and Sidewise Awards.   For a writing workout based on Adrian's interview with Rachel, scroll down or visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series.   Find out more about Adrian at https://adriantchaikovsky.com See him on tour: https://adriantchaikovsky.com/events.html   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com     Writing Workout based on Adrian's interview   Warm-up: Map of Me (or, in honour of Adrian, Spider of Me) 1. Write your name in the middle of a page. Circle it, andgive that circle as many legs as you like. At the end of each leg, write something you love. An interest, an activity, a band, a caffeinated beverage, anything. Spend 1-2 minutes filling the page. There's no such thing as ‘random' or ‘irrelevant' or ‘wrong'. Just go for it.   2. Circle three things. Don't think about why you're picking them, just circle.   3. Select one of those three. Decide that whatever you write with that prompt, for fifteen minutes, is (the first draft of) something your dream publisher wants to publish.   4. Write exactly what comes to you, letting yourself have fun. Be curious. Remember there are no wrong answers. Write for fifteen minutes and see where you go.   Main exercise: The First-Person Monty Python Helmet Step into a character who loves one of those now. Consider what they see, hear, touch, taste and smell. What do they think in their minds, and feel in their bodies, as a response to their emotions?

The Writers' Gym is not just a podcast: it's a membership platform, supporting writers (and writers-to-be) in buildingcreative confidence, growing their writing life and beating the inspiration addiction. Membership of the Writers' Gym puts you in charge of your writing. It means creative confidence for life, work and art. It also means being part of a writing community with group and one-to-one sessions and personal support available throughout the week.   Founder and Writers' Gym PT Dr Rachel Knightley is a fiction and non-fiction author, lecturer in Creative Writing and a qualified business and personal coach. This series, Rachel will be talking to award-winning authors across the genres. She kicks off this new series by introducing its producer: Writers' Gym member, freelance writer (featured in Take a Break, Woman and Good Housekeeping) and Healthy Metal Hippie podcast founder and podcast editor extraordinaire Ashley Lexine.   For a writing workout based on each author's interview with Rachel this series, visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series. See each workout below in the show notes.   Find out more about Ashley at https://healthymetalhippie.com   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com   Writing Workout based on Ashley's interview   Warm-up: Ideal week   Imagine your pen is a magic wand. What you write is going to happen. Not only is it going to happen, it's going to happen without upsetting or offending anyone. What you plan is going to be absolutely fine.   Write the days of the week in the middle of a page. Put times at the side. Place writing time exactly where you want it. Then put in whatever else is important, around that.   Just look at it. Breathe it in. What does ideal look like? Imagine it happening. What does it feel like?   Take one small step. If there were one step you could make today, to make your week look one step more like the week you've just designed: -What would it be? -Who would you need to speak to? -What would you tell/ask them?     Main exercise:   Assumption-identifier Whether or not you're a nine-to-five person, pick one of these three promises to gift yourself every workday this week:   -I promise my writing self I'll take five-minute (or ten-minute) ‘writing breaks' whether that means a locked loo door, or going outside like a smoker. If smoking breaks don't destroy a working day, my writing breaks won't either.   Or   - I promise my writing self I'll write down my ideas as they happen. I'll always have a pen, or my phone notebook. Wherever I am, I'll make sure I write down key words to get me through that door later when I return to the thought. Or maybe I'll ‘vomit draft' the scene I think of right away.   From the show:   For creating time:   “If I go to the loo at work for five minutes, no one's going to be like, where were you? I'm going to take out my notebook, sit on the floor, and it's five minutes… the way other people do smoking breaks.” For creating confidence (which is really curiosity!):   To get yourself out of ‘telling' the reader and into ‘showing' the reader what it is to be human… I dare you to jump into their head for five minutes or 10 minutes.” Transcribe what they think, feel, see, hear, the thoughts in their mind, the feelings in their body.  

In this final episode of season 3, Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen chat about memory and flashback and the ways in which authors can use them to add colour, realism and plot twists to their work.   Harking back to our episode about unreliable narrators, we look at the ways in which our memory can play tricks upon us and we examine memory-loss as a plot device.  As always we end with a writing exercise from Rachel.    Rachel, Emily and Chris would like to thank everyone who has listened to season 3.  Listen out for a new series coming up in 2025.    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym. Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to: https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to: https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media: https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com      

Whether it be ensuring the correct amount of nourishment for your body, exercise, a good sleep or combinations of aspiration and fear, writers tend to need to look after themselves in order to produce their best work.  In this episode Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen look at fuel for writing.  And coffee...lots of coffee. Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym. Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to: https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to: https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media: https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com  

In this episode Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen discuss prologues and epilogues and how writers can use them to create intriguing openings and satisfying endings for their fiction.  As usual we range from novels to TV, film, and audio drama looking at good and not-so-good examples.    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym. Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to: https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to: https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media: https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com

In this episode we look at the role of narrators in fiction and discuss when, how and whether to deploy them.  As usual Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen bring examples from their own writing and from the wider worlds of literature and drama.    Rachel would like to point out that it was Arthur Dent's upper arm that was bruised and not his elbow.   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym. Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to: https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to: https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media: https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com

In this episode we look at reading and how it can help to fire creativity and inspire imagination for authors.  As usual, Emily and Rachel bring plenty of stories and anecdotes about ways in which books have inspired them.  We end with a look at books about writing.    Books mentioned in this podcast include  Ursula Le Guin: Steering the Craft and Conversations on Writing Stephen King: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Rachel Knightley: Your Creative Writing Toolkit Margaret Atwood: Negotiating with the Dead David Lynch: Catching the Big Fish John Cleese: Creativity: a short and cheerful guide Sandra Newman & Howard Mittelmark: How Not to Write a Novel   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym. Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to: https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to: https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media: https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com    

In this episode we explore viewpoint and perspective in fiction.   Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen discuss the different types of perspective and the ways in which a writers' instinct might dictate the best approach to telling their particular story.  In the discussion Rachel references “Point of View: the thing that makes all other things more doable” which you can find on YouTube here  https://youtu.be/GgB7_I37efM?si=bVCVYAxNTsrWZ0OU It is presented by Rachel Knightley and produced by Simret Cheema-Innis   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym. Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to: https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to: https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media: https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com    

In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen talk about scriptwriting and offer advice to writers wishing to get started in writing for stage, screen or audio drama.     You can listen to Rachel Knightley's audio drama "Winter Spring" here https://open.spotify.com/episode/2gBu6Bqmc7CiC8zwXTYIPZ?si=b2c423862aaf4438   Emily's drama serial "The Dex Legacy" can be heard here  https://open.spotify.com/show/1aphgDiefw4FdO8EN5LJxy?si=2908e95681354b81   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to: https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to: https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media: https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/   Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com  

In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen discuss pace and structure in fiction.  They ask whether pace comes from structure or can be added at the editing stage and ponder examples of well structured stories on page and screen.   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to: https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to: https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media: https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/   Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.   Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com   Join us next week for the third episode of season three in which we'll be talking about scriptwriting.

In this first episode of season three of The Writers' Gym Podcast, Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen look at animosity in fiction and the ways in which writers can use conflicts, feuds, fights and arguments to add interest and plot lines to their work.    This episode begins with a conversation about the Green Ink Sponsored Write 2024 which is taking place on Saturday 19th October.  You can find out more and sponsor Rachel and the other writers via this link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/greeninksponsoredwrite2024     Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.     Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/   Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/   Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here: https://alternativestories.com/   Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media:  https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/     Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.     Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com   Join us next week for the second episode of season three in which we'll be talking about pace and structure.

In this special episode of the podcast Rachel and Emily are in conversation with multi-disciplined writer Rhianna Pratchett about her work in video games, comics, TV, radio and books.     To find out more about Rhianna and her work please visit her website at https://rhiannapratchett.com/ and you can follow her on X here  https://x.com/rhipratchett   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media  https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.   Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com   This is the final episode of our second season.  We'd like to thank everyone who has listened, rated and reviewed the show.   We'll be back in the autumn for a new series but until then, enjoy your summer and your writing.   

In this episode Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen look at the ways in which writers use time in their storytelling.  From linear narratives following a traditional chronology to fractured, repeating and circular narratives we compare them and look at the advantages of playing around with time in your work.    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media  https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.     Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com   Join us next week for the final episode of season 2 in which we'll be joined by a very special guest. 

Dropping hints about events to come in your stories can raise tension and add depth and interest to your work.  In this episode we look at the art and technique of foreshadowing and ask why should writers consider it an important tool in their skillset.  Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media  https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.   Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com

In this week's episode we'll look at short fiction and the skills and techniques you'll need to master concise storytelling.  We discuss the pros and cons of writing short fiction and some of the drawbacks and limitations of the form.  As usual we end with a writing challenge from Rachel.    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media  https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.   Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com

In this episode we talk about relationships in your fiction and how they can mould and shape your stories and the arcs of your characters. We explore the ways in which characters interact and consider sources of conflict and interest in these interactions.  From dysfunctional families to romantic attachments via warring parties and long-held feuds we hope to provide you with some ideas and  inspiration for writing your own fictional relationships.   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media  https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.   Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com Join us next week for a discussion about short fiction.  

In this episode we look at the challenges of making time for your writing and how best to use time when you have it.  As usual we have tips advice and experience from Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen and a writing challenge from Rachel.    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media  https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Contact us by email at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com   Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. 

In this edition Rachel, Emily and Chris each share pieces of writing advice which we hope you'll find useful. Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Follow the Writers' Gym and contact us on Social Media  https://x.com/TheWritersGymRK https://www.instagram.com/jointhewritersgym/ https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheWritersGym/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.        

In this episode of the Writers' Gym Podcast we're joined by actor, comedian, novelist and poet Nigel Planer for a discussion about his writing life and the challenges of working on a memoir.  To find out more about Nigel Planer and to purchase copies of his books as discussed in today's podcast please follow the links below Website www.nigelplaner.co.uk Patreon https://www.patreon.com/NigelPlaner To order a copy of Nigel's novel Jeremiah Bourne In Time from Unbound please go to https://unbound.com/books/jeremiah-bourne-in-time  Find Nigel on Twitter and Instagram @NigelPlaner1 Nigel will be appearing at Cymera Science Fiction festival on 1st June  in Edinburgh   https://www.cymerafestival.co.uk/cymera2024-events/2024/4/4/time-travels-with-poppy-kuroki-amp-nigel-planer Westbury Festival on 18 July https://www.westburyfestival.org.uk/events/an-evening-with-nigel-planer-and-friends/ Holt Festival on 25 July  https://holtfestival.org/programme/   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.  

In this episode of the Writers' Gym Podcast with Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen we're looking at inspiration and perspiration and whether one or other of them is the predominant force in the lives of our presenters.  As usual we have advice, anecdotes, ideas and a writing challenge that listeners can participate in   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.  

In this edition of the Writers' Gym podcast we are joined by the award-winning novelist Gareth L Powell to talk about his work across several genres.  Known primarily as a science-fiction author, Gareth has also written thrillers and fantasy. His guide for writers "About Writing : A Field Guide for Aspiring Authors" (Gollancz 2022) was described as "Brilliant" by The Guardian.  In this conversation with Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen we discuss Gareth's career and hear his advice for writers wishing to focus on a single genre or expand their writing into new genres. To find out more about Gareth and his work and buy his books please visit his website https://www.garethlpowell.com/ To buy a copy of Gareth's “About Writing” as mentioned in our discussion please click here https://www.garethlpowell.com/about-writing/ Follow Gareth on social media  X, formerly Twitter https://twitter.com/garethlpowell Instagram https://www.instagram.com/garethlpowell/   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.    

In this edition of the Writers' Gym Podcast with Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen we'll look at the relationship between music and writing.  We'll explore music as inspiration and motivation, music as a creator of moods and as an accompaniment to your work and books inspired by or suggested by music.    Artists mentioned in this podcast include  Thomas Bergersen Mogwai David Bowie Sigur Ros  Allen Stroud and his soundtrack for The Dex legacy  Pink Floyd  The soundtracks to Fantasia, Lord of the Rings, How to Train Your Dragon and Wind River. The Soundtracks of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis The soundtracks of Jonny Greenwood  Rachel would like to add Penguin Cafe Orchestra to the list of artists that have inspired her    Books mentioned in this podcast include  Exile Music by Jennifer Steil  Espedair Street by Iain Banks  Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell  Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. 

In this episode of the podcast we'll be looking at the art of generating characters for your fiction.  We'll look at the secrets of creating believable and authentic characters that can drive your story forward.  Emily and Rachel will talk about their own characters, the inspiration behind them and the ways in which they have shaped events in their fiction.    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.     Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/   Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/   And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.     Join us next week for a discussion about music and writing.  Do you listen to music while you write?  Does music inspire you to write or get you in the mood to continue with your work in progress?  

In this episode of the Writers' Gym Podcast we will be thinking about starting to write.  Writing the opening  page of your story needn't be a battle against that glaring white first page and all the psychological demons it implies.  Rachel and Emily offer tips, advice and hacks for starting to write and share examples and anecdotes from their own writing lives.   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/ Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released. 

In this edition of the Writers' Gym Podcast with Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen we take a look at one of the most common pieces of advice offered to writers: “Write what you know”  We examine this advice to consider what it means for our writing and consider how it works in the worlds of science fiction and fantasy as well as in general fiction.    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.     Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/   Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/   And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.  Join us next week for a discussion about unreliable narrators in fiction.

In this episode Rachel and Emily look at unreliable narrators and how to create and use them in your writing.  With examples from literature we look at the ways in which unreliable narrators can give your stories depth, authenticity and a plot-twist or two to keep your readers guessing.  The references in today's episode include   Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov The other lives of Miss Emily White by AJ Ellwood The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester The Collector by John Fowles The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion The Dex Legacy (audio drama) by Emily Inkpen  Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.    Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   88lVn2zh5L1EObSdzNQm

In this episode we look at the art and science of laying out and formatting your writing.  We ask when you should begin to format your work, how you should go about doing it and explore a few good reasons for starting the process early …or indeed later.  We look at some of the formatting skills and techniques you'll need for getting your manuscript ready if you're self-publishing including some thoughts on cover design and format.    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/ The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.  Join us next week for a discussion about unreliable narrators in fiction.

In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen look at the process of worldbuilding for fiction writers.  Normally associated with science fiction and fantasy writers, world building skills can also be applied to real places adapted for fiction.     In our conversation we mentioned the map creation services of Dewi Hargreaves who you can follow on twitter  https://twitter.com/Dewiwrites   Rachel's map and prop were made in 2009 by Jude Claybourne, who these days can be found at Past Imperfect: the Alchemy of Transforming Trauma: https://open.spotify.com/show/6XG8ZlvGfWZb4rMKdD9FJV?si=lpfJowJbQ8aE2RSZVzoMjQ   Read Emily's blog on “Building a World out of Walls” here https://www.emilyinkpen.com/blog/buildingaworldoutofwalls and a further blog on the ways in which worlds relate to characters https://www.emilyinkpen.com/blog/how-does-world-relate-to-character   Rachel apologises for the Douglas Adams misquote which should have ended  “widely regarded as a bad move.”   Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   Book onto the Alternative Stories “Writing for Radio and Podcasts” online workshop on 21st March with Chris and Emily https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-for-radio-and-podcasts-tickets-832128888907   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.     Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/   Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/   And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.     New episodes of The Writers' Gym will appear every Wednesday 

In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen look at the role and influence of place in creative writing.  We look at the ways in which setting can influence you as writers and affect your characters. As usual, we offer creative writing challenges to help you consider the influence of place in your own work.    In this episode Rachel references “Three Wishes” by Liane Moriarty (Penguin 2003)    Join the Writers' Gym and book your next writing workout at https://www.rachelknightley.com/the-writers-gym/   Book onto the Alternative Stories “Writing for Radio and Podcasts” online workshop on 21st March with Chris and Emily https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-for-radio-and-podcasts-tickets-832128888907   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.     Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/   Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/   Learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/   Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.  Join us next week for a discussion about world building   New episodes of The Writers' Gym will appear every Wednesday 

In this podcast we'll talk about the art and techniques of editing.  We'll discuss approaches to editing, what you should take out and keep in and some of the best and worst editing advice we've received.  Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.  New episodes will appear every Wednesday The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/

In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen discuss the art of giving and receiving feedback.  We'll have advice on how and who to ask for feedback, when feedback will be useful and how you should use feedback as part of your creative process. Subscribe to The Writers' Gym in your favourite podcast app to be notified of all new episodes as they are released.  New episodes will appear every Wednesday The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.   Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/

This is our trailer for The Writers' Gym Podcast.    We'll be releasing episodes weekly each Wednesday from 6th March and we'll cover topics such as  How not to give feedback Editing 101 Unreliable narrators  World building "What's Your Wessex" : A guide to place in fiction Layout "Write what you know" : A discussion Each episode features Rachel Knightley, Emily Inkpen and Chris Gregory   The Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym.     Find out more about The Writers' Gym and Rachel Knightley by going to https://www.rachelknightley.com/ Find out more about Emily Inkpen and her work by going to https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ And learn more about Chris Gregory and Alternative Stories here https://alternativestories.com/  

Acclaimed actor, poet and novelist Nigel Planer joins Dr Rachel Knightley for a very special, between-series episode of The Writers' Gym podcast. From writers' geographical landscapes to the love of flares and the influence of Pratchett on their lives and works, this is a sneak preview of Nigel Planer and Friends, featuring Nigel, Rachel and filmmaker and debut novelist Simon Rumley, at Riverside Studios Tuesday 30 January at 7pm. Book tickets at https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/nigel-planer-and-friends-97418/ Hosted by Rachel Knightley and edited by Chris Gregory of Alternative Stories: https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/nigel-planer-and-friends-97418/

Ahead of the launch of Twisted Branches (coming Oct 2023 from Black Shuck Books), Rachel Knightley talks to Trevor Kennedy of Big Hits Radio UK for his horror spot on the Sunday Service. In return, Trevor come to the Writers' Gym to talk about his freelance writing life and how confidence in our voices is only ever half the story of what it feels like to be a professional writer.   Big thanks to Big Hits Radio UK for the interview material. Sadly we cannot attach the songs of choice: You Want It Darker is the title track of Leonard Cohen's 2016 album. We trust you to go and play it after the interviews!   For the full Writers' Gym workout, subscribe via Substack or email info@rachelknightley.com   Born in 1976, Trevor Kennedy is a writer and editor based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and has been working in the genre literary field for around ten years now, although he has been a fan of all things weird and fantastical for as long as he can remember. He edits Phantasmagoria Magazine and its spin-off Special Edition Series, along with other related books under his TK Pulp imprint. Trevor is also a radio presenter for Big Hits Radio UK and co-host of Citizen Frame film review podcast. His day job is a complaints handler for Channel 4 (UK). Previous employment includes as a lithographic colour proofer, composite operator for Bombardier Shorts aircraft manufacturers, the BBC Complaints department, call centre operative and brief stints as a security guard and industrial cleaner. He can be contacted by email at tkboss@hotmail.com and his brand new collection, Bad Dreams and Reflections, is published by Dark Owl Publishing and available worldwide from Amazon and other bookstores.  

What does full-time writing look like? It depends on the writer – and what we create in our lives off the page depends directly on what we imagine. Today's Personal Training at the Writers' Gym takes in the spaces between what goes on the page, and how to work with our feelings about ourselves and the world to create the work lives as well as the art we want. Rachel Knightley's guest is Maura McHugh. Maura was born in the USA, but raised in Ireland, where she developed a love of mythology, horror fiction, art, and writing. She has lived in New York, Dublin, and Galway, and worked in IT before succumbing to her love of storytelling. She co-wrote the comic book Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland with Kim Newman, and is working on a variety of comic book stories in the 2000 AD universe. She's the author of the fairy tale collection, Twisted Fairy Tales, and the collection of world myths, Twisted Myths. Her collection of original short stories, The Boughs Withered (When I Told Them My Dreams), is published by NewCon Press and was nominated for a British Fantasy Award for Best Collection. Her non-fiction exploration of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me was nominated for a British Fantasy Award for Best Non-Fiction. She's also a published poet, a produced playwright, and a screenwriter, and often appears on Irish radio discussing pop culture. She loves exploring the woods: the darker, the wilder, the better. Download your Writing Workout here – and why not bring it along to the Writing Room? (If you're not already signed up, visit linker.ee/drrachelknightley to join the mailing list or, for exclusive events and coaching sessions, become a paid Subscriber on Substack.)    

Internationally best-selling author, artist, journalist and speaker John-Paul Flintoff trained in improvisation with Keith Johnstone. He designs today's word-count workout alongside Rachel Knightley as they discuss the benefits of stagecraft on communication, and how performance provides 'factory conditions' for understanding your own character motivation offstage as much as on it. John-Paul's books include the internationally bestselling How to Change the World, and A Modest Book on How to Make an Adequate Speech.  John-Paul will also be joining the Writer's Gym's Green Ink Sponsored Write for Macmillan Cancer Support on 14 October 2023. To receive your world-exclusive anthology of new writing 48 hours after the event ends, click here. Download your hard copy of today's Word-count Workout (along with a bonus extras) from 5 June by subscribing here. 

"What writing advice really pisses you off?" was one of my favourite questions to ask award-winning author and editor Dan Coxon. At the time (an interview for the Business of Writing module I convene at Roehampton University), his answer was one of the most prolific – and apparently innocuous – answers out there. Maybe you've heard it. Dan's the first to say if it works for you, great. But what are the potential issues behind it...? In this episode of the Writers' Gym, all exercises and discussion are on the aspect of writing that unites all writing genres and all (successful) writing careers: the Business of Writing. Dan's non-fiction anthology Writing the Uncanny (co-edited with Richard V. Hirst) won the British Fantasy Award for Best Non-Fiction 2022; his short story collection Only the Broken Remain (Black Shuck Books) was shortlisted for two British Fantasy Awards in 2021 (Best Collection, Best Newcomer). In 2018 his anthology of British folk-horror, This Dreaming Isle (Unsung Stories), was shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award and a Shirley Jackson Award. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies and his latest anthology - Isolation - was published by Titan Books in September 2022. His first published book was: