OUR WRITERS
Our writers are at the heart of everything we do.
REBECCA ORWIN
"Signing up to Writers' Block North East is the smartest thing I've done in all the years I've been writing. I found the guidance, support, mentorship and workshops provided by Laura and James absolutely invaluable, and I signed with a literary agent I met through the programme!"
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Rebecca's debut novel, The Monsters at the End of the World, will be published by Puffin in January 2026
CARMEN MARCUS
"Writers' Block has been the catalyst which has transformed me from an amateur to a professional writer. They are unique in the way they push and challenge writers to the next step in their development, providing real progression."
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Carmen is the author of How Saints Die, published by Vintage
RACHEL BOWER
"Writers' Block provides amazing opportunities to writers. Laura and James are super supportive and they helped me to navigate the sometimes mystifying world of agents, editors and publishers! I had the opportunity to meet lots of brilliant agents through the programme and am so grateful for the support and boost they provided me in writing my first novel!"
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Rachel is the author of It Comes From the River, published by Bloomsbury
MIKE EDWARDS
"Writers' Block has been a vital source of support for me in my development as a writer. Their mentorship, peer support and access to literary agents has been invaluable for me. I recently secured representation with a literary agent and this would not have been possible were it not for my involvement in Writers' Block."
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Mike is the author of Riverskin, published by Walker Books
LISETTE AUTON
"Writers' Block gave me confidence in my writing. The workshops and mentoring have been an invaluable step to earning an income as a writer, and to applying for, and getting, further opportunities that I would never have dreamed of before."
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Lisette is the author of The Secret of Haven Point, The Stickleback Catchers, Lights Up and The Starlight Rebel, all published by Puffin
JM HALL
"Being a part of Writers Block North East made all the difference to me as a writer. The course was all the things I, as a fledging author, needed it to be: energized, analytical, focussed. Plus being taken seriously and valued as a writer made me in turn take my own work seriously! I arrived on the course with a sprawling, nearly completed manuscript and left with something infinitely tighter and better, which attracted the attention of an agent, and then a publisher. "
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J M Hall is the author of A Spoonful of Murder, A Pen Full of Poison, A Clock Stopped Dead and A Brush with Death, all published by Avon
LAURA CARROLL
"The knowledge, experience and understanding offered in both workshops and mentoring is something that has irreversibly changed me for the better as a writer, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend Writer's Block to anyone who wants to stop daydreaming and make serious strides towards completing a book and pitching it to agents."
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ERIN BRAITHWAITE
"The first draft that I completed simply would not exist without James and Laura’s mentorship through WBNE 2022/2023. The best thing I’ve done for my writing career so far was apply to this program and I can’t recommend it enough!
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