Shows
The Writers’ Gym PodcastThink On The Page“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...2025-04-1406 minThe Writers’ Gym PodcastWhy Normal Jobs Need Not Apply - Kim NewmanMulti-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.
2025-04-0738 minThe Writers’ Gym PodcastConfidence, Magic and Terry Pratchett – Gabrielle Kent joins the Writers' GymGabrielle 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 Ma...2025-03-3139 minThe Writers’ Gym PodcastEmbracing the Strange – Aliya Whiteley joins the Writers' GymDr 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 Tend...2025-03-2440 minThe Writers’ Gym PodcastEyebrows and Imagination – Rosie Garland joins the Writers' GymAward-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 Arch...2025-03-1743 minThe Writers’ Gym PodcastJD Barker's Writing LifeThis 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 vi...2025-03-1032 minThe Writers’ Gym PodcastReturning to Being a Writer – Prano Bailey-Bond joins the Writers' GymToday’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 Rac...2025-03-0343 minThe Writers’ Gym PodcastAdrian Tchaikovsky talks Writing Health (and Insects)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 Ap...2025-02-2635 minThe Writers’ Gym PodcastDr Rachel Knightley and Ashley Lexine - Building Creative Confidence at the Writers' GymThe 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. Th...2025-02-2427 min
Alternative Stories and Fake RealitiesWinter Spring: An Interview with Writer Dr Rachel KnightleySend us a textIn this bonus episode we have an interview with the writer of our audio drama Winter Spring, Dr Rachel Knightley. Rachel talks with co-director Emily Inkpen about the inspiration for her story and the joy of bringing it to life in the studio. This interview was recorded at Orpheus Studio in London by Richard Campbell. If you would like to find out more about Rachel Knightley and her writing coaching organisation The Writers’ Gym please go to https://www.writersgym.com/ You can follow Rachel on X at https...2024-09-1720 min
Alternative Stories and Fake RealitiesWinter Spring: An Audio DramaSend us a textWelcome to Season 8 of the Alternative Stories and Fake Realites Podcast. Our new season begins with Winter Spring, an audio drama by Dr Rachel Knightley. Alice Winter, her brother Ash Winter and cousin Harris Spring are the third generation of a family property company, founded by their German immigrant grandfather who taught them the one thing the world would always need was good landlords. Three generations later, in order to survive, Ash has turned the business into an estate agency: the thing their grandfather hated most. A new tenant, onl...2024-09-1357 min
The Healthy Metal HippieThe Path of Creativity & Self Discovery with Dr. Rachel KnightleySend us a textToday we sat down with Dr. Rachel Knightley! PHD, Author, Business and Personal Coach, Founder of the Writers Gym!We took a deep dive in discussing how creativity works, how to create the perfect environment to create, working through creative blocks and the road map to becoming a published author! Rachel helps to set parameters around creative work and how to create the right space for you to work to your best abilities. Rachel does freelance work for a number of brands and takes on a lot of different...2024-04-031h 04
Pen to Print - Podcasts for Aspiring WritersIntroducing The Writers' Gym : Write On! Audio and FriendsThank you for listening to Write On! Audio, the podcast for writers everywhere brought to you by Pen to Print
In this new Write On! Audio feature we'll share episodes of other writing podcasts that our listeners may enjoy. First, we're sharing an episode of The Writers Gym, a weekly show about the process and practice of writing featuring writer and writing coach Dr Rachel Knightley alongside novelist and audio drama writer Emily Inkpen. The Writers Gym is presented by Write On Audio's producer Chris Gregory. In the edition you're about to hear the team discuss...2024-04-0247 min
The Writers’ Gym PodcastWriters' Gym Series 2 trailerWelcome to the second series of 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 discussionEach episode features Rachel Knightley, Emily Inkpen and Chris GregoryThe Writers Gym Podcast is an Alternative Stories production for The Writers' Gym. Find out more abo...2024-03-0501 min
The Writers’ Gym PodcastNigel Planer visits the Writers' GymAcclaimed actor, poet and novelist Nigel Planer joins me 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 (N.B. I apologise to the whole Disc for saying ‘lavender’ when I meant ‘lilac’: if you know, you know), this is a sneak preview of Nigel Planer and Friends, featuring me alongside Nigel 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/This episo...2024-01-2734 minAlternative Stories and Fake Realities"Twisted Branches": A conversation with author Dr Rachel KnightleySend us a textOur guest on this edition of Alternative Stories is writer, writing coach and teacher Dr Rachel Knightley. We chatted on zoom about Rachel’s short story cycle “Twisted Branches” To buy a copy of Twisted Branches from the publisher Black Shuck Book please click the link below https://blackshuckbooks.co.uk/twisted-branches And find out more about Rachel and her wider work you can visit her website here https://www.rachelknightley.com/ You can follow Rachel Knightley on X, formerly twitter, here https://twitter.com/DrRKnightley...2023-12-081h 13
The Writers’ Gym PodcastThe Horror Muse and the Freelance LifeAhead 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 comes 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...2023-08-141h 14
The Writers’ Gym PodcastWriting LivesToday'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...2023-07-0345 minThe Writers’ Gym PodcastWriting Lives: with Maura McHughWhat 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 wr...2023-07-0345 min
The Writers’ Gym PodcastConnection Through ImperfectionInternationally 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 w...2023-06-0355 min
The Writers’ Gym PodcastNot Writing Every Day: Being a Writer Every Day."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...2023-05-0754 min
The Writers’ Gym PodcastThe Political Is The Personal: Mike Jones on Memoir, Poetry and SongwritingOne thing that becomes clear the more accomplished we get in any area of writing (or of anything else): the kind of writing somebody else is doing still looks to us more like "real" writing...Dr Mike Jones is a rock lyricist (notably for Latin Quarter, including their Top 20 hit Radio Africa), reader and lecturer in music at Liverpool University. His work includes an MA programmes in partnership with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and another in the Beatles: Music Industry and Heritage. He wrote, directed and produced 'Where Light Falls', an exploration of the career of J...2023-03-3142 min
The Writers’ Gym PodcastRachel Knightley talks to Jennifer SteilA painter doesn't need permission to mix any colours they like. Yet, as writers, our memories, imagination, observations and questions about the world and ourselves come with "not supposed to go there" stamped all over them. How can we give ourselves permission to beat those blocks?Multi-award-winning author Jennifer Steil joins Rachel Knightley to talk about about what kept her writing through kidnap, cancer treatment and everyday life in the three countries she calls home. Get full access to Dr Rachel Knightley at the Writers' Gym at drrachelknightley.substack.com/subscribe2023-02-2652 min