In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room for A Centennial Celebration! In this special 100th episode, Pete and Laura commemorate a significant milestone in their podcast journey. Join them as they reflect on the evolution of the Begin podcast, the lessons they’ve learned, and the many ways writing has enriched their lives and those of the listeners over 100 episodes of Begin. In this season: 18 Episodes 9 Guest Interviews 2 Toolbox Editions505 minutes and...

Episode 99: Embracing the Writer Within - "Episode 99: Why We Write–A Deep Dive into the Writer's Mind. Welcome back to Begin, the Derbyshire Writing School podcast! In this heartfelt episode, co-hosts and father-daughter duo Pete Billingham and Laura Stroud explore the essence of writing. Join us as we unravel what drives us to put pen to paper, and how writing shapes our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Why We Write: An Introspective Journey "We write to taste life t...

Episode 98—A Writers Toolkit Episode: Unfinished Business: Breaking Through Fear, Doubts, and Excuses to Finish Your Novel Do you have a story in your heart, a manuscript in progress, but somehow find yourself unable to reach 'the end'? In this episode, we delve into the all-too-common struggle of leaving novels unfinished. But fear not! We're not just identifying the problems; we're providing solutions, and we have a special programme designed to guide you to completion. This Episode's Insig...

Episode 97—The Pen Behind the Posts: Celebrating Staff Blog Writer Lauren’s 3-Year Anniversary In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room for a very special episode. Today we chat with staff blog writer Lauren Davison. We are reaching three years of Derbyshire Writing School, so we thought it would be nice to talk to some people that have been around from the beginning. One of those is Lauren Davison, our in-house staff blogger. Lauren has been an important par...

Episode - 96—I Want To Say A Few Words: Crafting a Heartfelt Eulogy with Confidence - Book Launch In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room for a very special episode. Today Pete launches his latest book. I Want to Say a Few Words: How To Craft a Heartfelt Eulogy for a Loved One’s Funeral: A Simple Step-by-Step Process, Packed with Eulogy Writing Ideas, Help & Advice from a Professional Eulogy Writer is the latest book launched by Pete. “I Want to Say A Few W...

Episode 95—From the Author's Voice: A Live Book Reading of 'Everyday Storytellers Write Non-Fiction.' by Laura Stroud In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room for a very special episode. Everyday Storytellers Write Non-Fiction: A Step-By-Step Guide to Noticing Your Life and Turning It Into Stories, is the latest book in the Everyday Storytellers Series by Laura. Hear Laura read a section of her new book. Are you ready to uncover the power of your own story and shar...

Episode 94 - From Truth to Tribute: Everyday Storytelling, Self-Publishing Updates, the Perfect Eulogy Writing Tool In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room to catch up with what’s happened since the last episode. In Section One: THE WRITERS’ ROOM. We explore writing problems and struggles by answering your questions. This month we don’t have a question for you. Why not send us a question you would ask us to chat about? We want to hear from you! Write to us at info@der...

Episode 93—Beyond The Manuscript: An Author’s Journey into Clarity, Communication, & Connection with Lucy Rennie. In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room to chat with Lucy Rennie about how writing her latest book came out of a desire to help someone else. Lucy Rennie is a communication and marketing expert, business mentor and bestselling author. She helps small business owners to grow, develop and future-proof their business As a huge champion for small...

Episode 92 —Turning Pages: An Insider’s Look Into Derby Book Festival with Sian Hoyle In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room to chat with Sian Hoyle—Derby Book Festival. We are back in the writers’ room and we have a guest in our hot seat this week! Sian Hoyle from Derby Book Festival. For over 30 years, Sian worked in Marketing and Communications in London, before relocating to Derby to be closer to family. In 2012, she took voluntary redundancy from Derby City ...

Episode 91—Yes, I’m The Great Pretender: Navigating the Creative Challenges of Imposter Syndrome in Writing. Section One: THE WRITERS’ ROOM. In this section, we explore writing problems and struggles by answering your questions. What is Imposter Syndrome? Imposter syndrome is when you feel you’re not good enough at something, even if you’re actually doing well. It’s like having a little voice in your head that tells you that you’re pretending to be good at something, and that everyone will fi...

Episode 90—Enhancing Creative Writing through the Magic of Copywriting with Chrissie Rowell In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room to chat with Derbyshire Lecturer and Market Agency Owner Chrissie Rowell. We are back in the writers’ room and we have a guest in our hot seat this week! Derbyshire marketing expert Chrissie Rowell. Chrissie Rowell has been in marketing for 16 years. After graduating with a degree in Creative Writing in 2008, she worked in freelance j...

Episode 89—Unravelling The Layers of Intrigue: A Crime Writers’ Quest for Unconventional Inspiration with Zoë Sharp. In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room to chat with Derbyshire Author Zoë Sharp. We are back in the writers’ room and we have a guest in our hot seat this week! Derbyshire author Zoë Sharp. We meet recently at the Authors Assemble event in Buxton. Zoë Sharp spent her childhood living aboard a catamaran on the northwest coast of England. She opted out of ...

Episode 88—Guest Interview Derbyshire Author: S. R. Durham—Writing in Multiple Genres. In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room to chat with Derbyshire Author S. R. Durham about writing in several genres. S. R. Durham is an indie author from the High Peak in Derbyshire. He self-published his first full-length novel, Prey, in 2021, and his second, Surrogate, in 2022. He writes across several genres, from thriller and psychological suspense to horror and specul...

Episode 87 – Guest Interview – Derbyshire Author Emma-Claire Wilson In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room to chat with Emma-Claire Wilson. Emma-Claire Wilson is an author of emotional commercial women’s fiction. She writes ‘to make sense of the world’ and loves nothing more than tackling tough subjects and issues that affect her readers daily. When she is not writing fiction, she enjoys exercising her brain muscles with freelance copywriting, coaching othe...

Episode 86 - The Writer's Toolbox—Self Publishing With Style In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room for an episode of The Writer’s Toolbox—Self-Publishing With Style. What can you find in this episode? Pete and Laura chat about self-publishing, and the five key reasons self-publishing is a good idea. The Five Key Reasons Self-publishing a Good Idea. You have more control over the process. You have higher royalty rates.You can make changes. You can build...

Episode 85—Guest Interview Charlotte Howes—Derbyshire Writing School Intern We are back in the writers’ room and we have another guest in our hot seat this week! She's been here before! It's our intern Charlotte! We worked with the University of Derby to offer another paid internship at the beginning of this year. This is part of the Universities DRIVEN project, working with businesses in Derbyshire to provide practical, paid internships to graduates. We are pleased to introduce you ...

Episode 84 - Hibernation Over! Laura and Pete's Winter Catch-Up! In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room to catch up after a winter hibernation squirrelled away working on writing projects. You can tell Pete hasn’t done a podcast for a time. He gets so enthusiastic about everything in this episode! So much so, he skips section one! Section Two: PERSONAL PROJECTS. In this section, we share what we’ve been working on. Pete’s new author website is live! Have a loo...

Episode 83 – Guest Interview – Kerry Fox– Authors Assemble! – Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust. Kerry Fox is the Event Manager for the Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust. She has been in the post since July 2022 and before working for the Trust she was the Commercial Director for a Nationwide Event Staffing Company. Her role at the Trust is to create and deliver a variety of high-quality and engaging talks, workshops, experiences and events for Buxton residents and for visitors to the area, suppor...

Welcome to the Christmas Writing Prompts podcast episode from Derbyshire Writing School. Where we inspire your festive creativity with a series of holiday-themed writing ideas. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just looking to try something new this holiday season, we have a prompt to spark your imagination and get your words flowing. So grab a pen and paper, and let's get started on some festive writing! Someone rumoured that 98.7% of all successful writers start the Christmas season with...

Episode 81 - Finding Your Writing Voice In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers' Room to chat about the question – how do you find your voice as a writer? Section One: THE WRITERS’ ROOM. In this section, we explore writing problems and struggles by answering your questions. What is the writer’s ‘voice?’ Voice in writing refers to the unique perspective, tone, and style of a piece of writing. The personality of the writing can help to make a piece of writing more interesti...