Join Zeki for a presentation which explores the creative reality of writing a lengthy fantasy novel where time, inspiration and word count can feel like constant obstacles.

 

Firstly, reviewing how small daily writing windows can be incorporated into productive routines. Secondly, exploring how consistency builds momentum over waiting for inspiration to strike. Thirdly, looking at how word count goals can measure progress without draining motivation.

 

The presentation will conclude with common drafting traps, such as mixing revision with first drafts and trying to perfect your chapters while you write. Finally, a simple plan will be discussed to assist those looking to start writing an adult fantasy novel or simply move an existing novel forward.

Join three best-selling authors, Donna Ashcroft, Julie Caplin and Bella Osborne, as we take you through the key stages of plotting a romance novel.
Learn everything from ‘meet cute’ to ‘happily ever after’ and every important ingredient in-between that’s needed to keep a reader turning the pages. This will be a fun interactive session showing how all the key elements come together to build a compelling story. Whether you’re thinking about writing a romance yourself or if you’re interested in the mechanics of story this session will
demystify the jargon, provide industry insight and get you thinking like a romance writer.

Bring along an old favourite book to swap for a new read at Rugby Literary Festival’s Book Swap station. Why not add a post it note inside the book telling the next reader what you enjoyed about
it, to share the joy!

Want a chance to have a poem of your choice read to you by the festival’s very own travelling poet? Head to the book fair or walk around town to see if you can spot him. He will be wearing a Rugby Literary Festival T-shirt, so simply stop him and ask him to read a poem of your choice.

Take a moment away from the buzz of the festival to enjoy a peaceful moment with a book in the Quiet Reading Space.

Take a moment away from the buzz of the festival to enjoy a peaceful moment with a book in the Quiet Reading Space.

Whether you’re building a new website or you just know your existing website isn’t right but you can’t work out why, this is a workshop not to be missed.

Marketing Director and professional copywriter Lindsay Woodward will lead a fun, practical session designed to help you make your website work harder. Whether you’re promoting a business, a creative venture, a community project or simply yourself, you’ll discover how to turn a collection of pages into a website that has real purpose and gets your message across.

From getting the structure right in the first place to crafting the words that make people want to stick around, Lindsay will share the thinking behind websites that look good, read well and, most importantly, actually do what you need them to do.

You don’t need to be a marketing expert, a copywriter or a website whizz. Come with a website, an idea or simply the nagging feeling that yours could be better, and leave with practical tips, fresh ideas and the confidence to make it happen.

The grasruts team invite you to join them in a talk by their founder, Victoria Duffield Harding, about building communities through publishing. This will be followed by a zine making workshop focusing on handmade zine making techniques and tricks where you will have the opportunity to make and publish your own zine in the grasruts archive.

grasruts is an artist’s community zine sharing West Midlands creative works across all disciplines. Conceived by two art students attending Coventry University in 2023, Victoria and Evelynn have published 11 issues both online and in print, and hosted two events to date. grasruts also attend zine fairs and have given talks at Birmingham City University Art School. They archive their issues which are free to view at grasruts.com

Talk: 12:30-13:00

Workshop: 13:15-16:00

Join renowned re-enactor and multi-genre author Christian Cameron and Multi-Martial Arts Practitioner Emma Burnett as they demonstrate and discuss the techniques for fighting – and how to write it.

Christian and Emma will demonstrate historical, practical techniques with various weapons and then deconstruct the techniques to discuss how to write them in several different styles.  Can you grab a blade without being cut? How can you disarm a skilled sword person? How can you throw someone to the ground? How should Captain America use that round shield? From 1600 BCE to 1800 and Bridgerton, these are the real thing.

Christian Cameron has written more than 50 books across multiple genres, including science fiction and fantasy as Miles Cameron. His historical experience has led him to work with national governments to stage full-scale re-enactments of key historical battles to support archaeological research and promote cultural awareness. His latest novel, Soulstealer, is released 8^th October 2026. Dr Emma Burnett is a researcher and writer of science communication and science fiction. Her debut novella, Ex Partum, is available now.

So much women’s fiction centres youth, first love, and coming‑of‑age. But desire at 40, 50, 60+ is just as potent — often more so, because it’s layered with history, grief, and self‑knowledge.

Furthermore, society tends to treat women over 40 as if they fade into the background — especially queer women, who are already pushed to the margins. Older queer women deserve stories where they’re not side characters, mentors, or comic relief. They deserve to be messy, sensual, complicated, and central — challenging the idea that growth is only for the young.