Medway Based Opportunities for New Writers
- makeswordswork
- Oct 6
- 4 min read
Want to get into writing, but not sure how to start? Our Youth Poet Laureate Indigo Rose looks at some current opportunities in Medway and offers some advice.
While there are currently few writing courses in Medway, many local events run throughout the year to introduce new writers to the literary world.
Medway Adult Education
If you’re looking for a regular course, and are over 19, you could check out what opportunities are available at Medway Adult Ed. They run a regular part-time Creative Writing Course suitable for beginners with start dates in November and January.
Medway Libraries
Medway Libraries are a great place to explore literature at no cost and they sometimes run events such as talks from published authors, including several author talks and workshops during Medway River Lit. Join the library and check out their events. Find out more about Medway River Lit events at Medway Libraries on this website once the full listings are published.
Phoetry Walks
MEDWAY’S PHOETRY WALKS – A FREE 13-week wellbeing program by The Black Art Hub, with photography walks and coffee/poetry sessions for women in perimenopause and menopause. Starts Nov 2025, Medway. Book your free space at www.theblackarthub.co.uk
Medway PlayLab
Medway PlayLab runs PlayLab Playreads, a monthly play reading club, which features local playwrights and contemporary and classic works.
And a new monthly Creative Writing Masterclass, which are a fantastic way to learn how to start writing or develop your writing further from successful writers of stageplays, screenplays, radio dramas and comedy.
Local and live poetry
Both Big Trouble and Medway Poetry Night meet in Chatham semi-regularly, and include an open mic as well as performances from featured poets, which will help you experience poetry aloud, and potentially read your own.
Medway Poetry Night The Anchor at Sun Pier House
If you are aged between 15-18, Sun Pier House runs a club where you can have a space to be able to sit and do some of your own writing on Tuesday evenings during termtime. The Anchor was launched in February this year. The Anchor is designed to be whatever you need it to be. There are always card games like uno or craft / creative activities out, but you could just find a quiet spot and crack on with homework or listen to music or just chat with friends. More info. Rainham Poetry Festival
RPF has been running for the past 2 years at St Margaret’s Church in Rainham. Visit the website.
Medway River Lit
Of course, not forgetting, the largest local literary event, our annual Medway River Lit Festival, which includes talks from published authors, playwrights, poets, and graphic artists, as well as workshops and recitals and different events every Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday throughout November.
If you prefer to get involved online...
There’s also a vast range of ways to explore literature online, such as podcasts, YouTube videos on writing advice by published authors, and creative writing groups on platforms like Discord.
The Open University has a spectacular 856 free creative writing courses listed on their website! That’s got to be worth a look. Check out their website.
An amazing podcast is 'The Publishing Rodeo' podcast by Sunyi Dean and Scott Drakeford. If you’re interested in the behind the scenes of getting a publishing deal, this podcast is gold-dust. Listen here.
BCrea8ive is an online space on Discord for people aged 18-35, curated by Nucleus Arts. You’ll find a mix of online and in person activities in writing, art, and music that will help your voice be heard. Website
How to start?
If you are a beginner looking to start writing, it is better not to start with a novel. Smaller projects; short plays, short stories, novelettes and novellas are simpler and less overwhelming mediums to help you fall in love with the craft and develop your skills before you move onto something bigger.
For poetry, it’s best not to wait for the right moment or the right level of expertise. Start writing poetry now. There are no rules to it, create poetry from whatever is in front of you, and over time, when you feel it’s ready, you could share it at open mic nights or try and publish in local magazines such as Confluence. Check out the website.
Getting into writing at school and after
If you’re in school, helping out in the English department is a nice way to ease into the world of literature, for example, become an English prefect, or start a creative writing club if there isn’t one already. In university, you could join a poetry or playwriting society, or build your own. Outside of education, attending or forming a book club is a good method to get involved in the community, as well as joining the local library or volunteering there.
Read all genres
No matter what form of writing you are interested in, reading is undoubtedly the best way to improve as a writer or poet. Ensure you read all genres of literature, not just the ones you are interested in writing. This will introduce you to many different styles and methods that are used in each genre; from how tension and intrigue is created in a murder mystery, to the way romance authors perfect the banter between their protagonists.
Finally, don’t stop
Once you’ve started writing, don’t stop. Keep practicing new techniques to develop your work, write in genres you haven’t tried, write a play if you prefer novels, or poetry if you prefer plays. Explore every thread of writing there is, and then rewrite it, and rewrite, and find a friend or family member or professional to edit it, and one day get published!
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