Joanne Harris (OBE, FRSL) joins Dr Rachel Knightley at the Writers' Gym
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joanne was born in Barnsley in 1964, of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern an...
What makes you write
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Build confidence in writing through focus on the inspiration already in your writer's artist palette...
Plots and protagonists
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Build confidence in writing through focus on the inspiration already in your writer's artist palette...
Antagonist exercises
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Build confidence in writing through focus on the inspiration already in your writer's artist palette...
Symbols and characters
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Build confidence in writing through focus on the inspiration already in your writer's artist palette...
The brain is a toy cupboard
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Build confidence in writing through focus on the inspiration already in your writer's artist palette...
Setting and character
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Build confidence in writing through focus on the inspiration already in your writer's artist palette...
Rachel Knightley in conversation with British Fantasy Award 2025 nominee Steve Toase
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Toase is a British Fantasy Award 2025 nominated fiction and non-fiction author. He was born i...
Green Ink Sponsored Write 2025
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From creation to publication in 48 hours: Green Ink Sponsored write for Macmillan Cancer Support uni...
Green Ink Sponsored Write 2025 with Sarah Brooks
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From creation to publication in 48 hours: Green Ink Sponsored write for Macmillan Cancer Support uni...
Building your writing world
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Rachel Knightley talks about how one Green Ink Sponsored Write author, actor, comedian and writer...
Abandon the idea of ‘enough’ time and start writing
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Instead of waiting for enough time or enough confidence, Dr Rachel Knightley shares how Green Ink Sp...
Writing that makes a difference
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Writing that makes a difference: Green Ink Sponsored Write for Macmillan Cancer Support Dr Rachel ...
Rachel Knightley talks to award winning author Anthony McGowan
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anthony McGowan books have won several major awards, and been shortlisted for many more. He has also...
Rachel Knightley talks to BAFTA-winning writer, director and producer Dan Berlinka
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
BAFTA-winning writer, director and producer joins Dr Rachel Knightley on the Writers’ Gym. Dan co-...
Rachel Knightley talks to British Fantasy, Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy Award winner Priya Sharma
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Priya Sharma's fiction has appeared in Interzone, Black Static, Nightmare, Weird Tales, and To...
Rachel Knightley talks to Tiny Pieces of Skull author and 2016 Lambda winner Roz Kaveney
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“I have a long and complicated personal history which I am in the process of turning into a huge m...
Rachel Knightley talks to six-time Bram Stoker award winner Lisa Morton
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, author of four novels and 200 short stories, and a world-c...
Rachel Knightley talks to instant Sunday Times Bestselling author Sarah Brooks
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Rachel Knightley is joined by instant Sunday Times Bestselling author Sarah Broo...
Rachel Knightley talks to screenwriter, sci-fi/fantasy novelist and TV/radio dramatist Philip Palmer
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Rachel Knightley is joined today by screenwriter, TV and radio dramatist and science fiction/fant...
Rachel Knightley talks to award winning Nordic Noir crime novelist Alex Dahl
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Dahl is the author of six psychological thrillers. Her third novel, Playdate, is currently stre...
Rachel Knightley talks to award-winning author, journalist and ovarian-cancer-wrangler Jennifer Steil
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
‘Liminal’ is much more than the name of award-winning author, journalist and Ovarian cancer wran...
Rachel Knightley talks to Macmillan Cancer Support's Andy Gould
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Green Ink Sponsored Write brings together published authors and developing writers to raise money ...
Bookmark Bible
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Showing up authentically on the page — and off the page — can feel like a big ask at first. But ...
Landing Patterns
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Procrastination gets — entirely rightly — a pretty bad press. So how do we differentiate it from...
Welcome to the Writers Gym Podcast
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shooting the Should Fairies
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety is not a documentary. It’s creative writing at its most natural and automatic. Yet we so o...
Our Characters in Space and Time
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Being in your character’s body as well as their mind isn’t always first-draft territory. For man...
Part Two: How to Trust Your Reader
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trusting your reader is one of the most famous phrases in creative writing teaching. But how do we d...
Part One: How to Trust Your Reader
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trusting your reader is one of the most famous phrases in creative writing teaching. But how do we d...
Why Point of View is Everything
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Rachel Knightley’s Sherlock Holmes Snoopy lamp is something of a co-presenter this week. What o...
Vulnerability is Strength
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
‘Say the Thing’ is one of our most transformational pieces of writing advice Dr Rachel Knightley...
Stealthwriting
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the difference between procrastination and a gentle ‘landing pattern’ on your way down ...
Perfect Was Never On the Menu: Two Creative Writing Exercises
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re listening to a podcast about writing, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced how a...
Think On The Page
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“But don’t you HAVE to wait for inspiration?” Every writing voice is unique — but how we sta...
Why Normal Jobs Need Not Apply - Kim Newman
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Multi-award-winning author, journalist, film critic and fiction writer Kim Newman joins Dr Rachel Kn...
Confidence, Magic and Terry Pratchett – Gabrielle Kent joins the Writers' Gym
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gabrielle Kent talks to Dr Rachel Knightley about the magic of the stories we inherit as well as tho...
Embracing the Strange – Aliya Whiteley joins the Writers' Gym
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Rachel Knightley speaks to her Great British Horror 5 co-contributor, award-winning author of ove...
Eyebrows and Imagination – Rosie Garland joins the Writers' Gym
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Award-winning poet, long and short fiction author, performer and vocalist with the March Violets, Ro...
JD Barker's Writing Life
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week at the Writers’ Gym, Dr Rachel Knightley is joined by New York Times and international b...
Returning to Being a Writer – Prano Bailey-Bond joins the Writers' Gym
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode and writing workout feature the art and life of Prano Bailey-Bond. Prano is an awa...
Adrian Tchaikovsky talks Writing Health (and Insects)
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 2: Adrian Tchaikovsky Today at the Writers’ Gym, Dr Rachel Knightley is joined by multi...
Dr Rachel Knightley and Ashley Lexine - Building Creative Confidence at the Writers' Gym
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Writers’ Gym is not just a podcast: it’s a membership platform, supporting writers (and writ...
Memory and Flashback
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this final episode of season 3, Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen chat about memory and flashb...
A Writer's Fuel
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it be ensuring the correct amount of nourishment for your body, exercise, a good sleep or co...
Prologues and Epilogues
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen discuss prologues and epilogues and how writers...
Narrators
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we look at the role of narrators in fiction and discuss when, how and whether to dep...
Reading For Writers
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we look at reading and how it can help to fire creativity and inspire imagination fo...
Viewpoint and Perspective
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore viewpoint and perspective in fiction. Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkp...
Principles of Scriptwriting
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen talk about scriptwriting and offer advice to write...
Pace and Structure
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen discuss pace and structure in fiction. They ask ...
Animosity in Fiction
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode of season three of The Writers' Gym Podcast, Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Ink...
Rhianna Pratchett at the Writers' Gym
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of the podcast Rachel and Emily are in conversation with multi-disciplined w...
Chronological Versus Fractured Narratives
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen look at the ways in which writers use time in t...
Foreshadowing
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dropping hints about events to come in your stories can raise tension and add depth and interest to ...
Short Fiction
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we'll look at short fiction and the skills and techniques you'll need to mast...
Relationships in Fiction
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk about relationships in your fiction and how they can mould and shape your st...
Making Time to Write
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we look at the challenges of making time for your writing and how best to use time w...
Writing Tips from the Writers' Gym Team
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition Rachel, Emily and Chris each share pieces of writing advice which we hope you'll fin...
Writing with Nigel Planer
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Writers' Gym Podcast we're joined by actor, comedian, novelist and poet Nigel...
Inspiration Versus Perspiration
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Writers' Gym Podcast with Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen we're looking ...
Writing Across Genres with Gareth L Powell
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition of the Writers' Gym podcast we are joined by the award-winning novelist Gareth L Pow...
Music and Writing
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition of the Writers' Gym Podcast with Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen we'll look at the...
Character Building
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the podcast we’ll be looking at the art of generating characters for your ficti...
Beating the Blank Page
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Writers’ Gym Podcast we will be thinking about starting to write. Writing...
Write What You Know: A Discussion
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition of the Writers’ Gym Podcast with Dr Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen we take a lo...
Unreliable Narrators
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Rachel and Emily look at unreliable narrators and how to create and use them in your...
Layout and Formatting
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we look at the art and science of laying out and formatting your writing. We ask w...
Worldbuilding
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen look at the process of worldbuilding for fiction w...
"What's your Wessex?": Place, setting and location in fiction
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen look at the role and influence of place in creativ...
Editing 101
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast we’ll talk about the art and techniques of editing. We’ll discuss approaches t...
How Not to Give Feedback
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Rachel Knightley and Emily Inkpen discuss the art of giving and receiving feedback. ...
Nigel Planer and Friends
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Acclaimed actor, poet and novelist Nigel Planer joins Dr Rachel Knightley for a very special, betwee...
The Horror Muse and the Freelance Life – with Trevor Kennedy, Big Hits Radio UK
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of the launch of Twisted Branches (coming Oct 2023 from Black Shuck Books), Rachel Knightley t...
Writing Lives: with Maura McHugh
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does full-time writing look like? It depends on the writer – and what we create in our lives ...
Connection Through Imperfection
03 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Internationally best-selling author, artist, journalist and speaker John-Paul Flintoff trained in im...
Not Writing Every Day: Being a Writer Every Day.
07 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"What writing advice really pisses you off?" was one of my favourite questions to ask award-winning ...
The Political Is The Personal: Mike Jones on Memoir, Poetry and Songwriting
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One thing that becomes clear the more accomplished we get in any area of writing (or of anything els...
Rachel Knightley talks to Jennifer Steil
26 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A painter doesn't need permission to mix any colours they like. Yet, as writers, our memories, imagi...