The Worldbuilder
Summer 2026, MakeSpace, New Mills
Create an entire world from a blank piece of paper, then tell the tales of the people and creatures that live there. Across three weekly sessions, we'll create an archipelago of islands, each with their own unique histories, mythologies, and dreams of the future. From mysterious tribes to lonesome lighthouse keepers, via nests of dragons and semi-precious orchids, the possibilities are endless. Let's build worlds together!
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Fire Up Your Imagination - No prior experience of creative writing is required - this is a fantastic way of trying out creative writing in a fun and relaxed setting. This workshop is also perfectly suitable for more experienced writers who want to exercise their imaginative muscles. It's designed in such a way that you can take a fantastical approach or stick with realism. It's your world and you can do what you like with it!
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A Creative Community - We'll forge a little creative clan for three weeks as we work at expanding the stories of our islands. There'll be plenty of opportunity for sharing our work with each other as we journey through the development of our various worlds. There's nothing quite like a creative community to get the creative juices flowing.
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An Inspiring Location - MakeSpace Studio is a new venue in New Mills specifically designed for artistic workshops. We'll have our own private and comfortable space free from interruption. Drinks and snacks will be provided, as will all the materials for the workshops - although feel free to bring colourful stationary and fancy notebooks to write in if you wish!
This is a three-part workshop series with each session following on from the last. They will take place on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30 on 22nd July, 29th July, and 5th Aug. You will get to keep your creations, and further worldbuilding at home is highly encouraged :)
Essential Info: The cost is £65 per person, and places on the workshop are limited to 15. Please only book on if you can commit to all three dates. The workshop is not suitable for children due to increasingly sophisticated concepts as the projects develop. However, if parents would like to bring teenage creatives (16+), I'd be open to that but please contact me beforehand to ensure the content is suitable.
Neurodiversity statement: All of my workshops are neurodivergent-friendly, and I encourage ND folks to sign up whether you have an official diagnosis or not. I have extensive experience teaching creative writing to ND individuals and love to work with your amazing minds.
The Worldbuilder Workshop Series
£65
Questions? Email me on:
davidhartleywriter@gmail.com or contact me via this link
Coming Soon
I'm putting plans together to offer up a whole range of creative writing workshops designed by me under this very new banner of 'The Dark Art of Storytelling'. It's early days yet, and 'The Worldbuilder' above is my first major step. These are some other workshops I'm planning to create and offer later in the year, or possibly early in 2027. If you'd like more information about any of these, or just to add your name to my contact list, send me an email on davidhartleywriter[at]gmail[dot]com. If this is all a success, DAOS might become a proper thing and I'll be able to create more stuff. Thank you!
The Short Story Summer School
Online, Late Summer 2026 | £120
Write a whole short story over the course of one month. Inspiration, guidance, encouragement, and 1-1 feedback from me. We'll look at how to get started, how to hook your readers, how to strike the right tone and pace, and how land the endings. We'll read some of my all-time favourite stories and pick them apart to see how they work.
Sign up info coming soon
A Headful of Words: Neurodivergent Creative Writing
New Mills, 2026 | £TBC
Are you neurodivergent and interested in creative writing? Are there worlds and words inside your head that need to find their way to the page? Whether you’re a seasoned writer or a complete newcomer, this playful, low-pressure workshop is designed for you. This 2-hour workshop will give you the time and headspace to write flash fictions and/or poetry inspired by neurodivergent ways of thinking and being
Sign up info coming soon
Natural Fictions
New Mills, 2026 | £TBC
A one-day immersive creative writing workshop experience in the Peak District. We'll warm up with some simple creative exercises, then head out on a short nature hike to find creatures, plant life and other natural phenomena in and around New Mills. We'll return with our souls full of nature stories and work on creating written pieces to explore what we've discovered and learned.
Sign up info coming soon
