Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your career/published works or work-in-progress, including your Masters project(s)?

I’m a writer of long and short fiction that is usually inspired by history and heritage, folklore, and music. I arrived at the Manchester Writing School in 2017 having published a biography, ghostwritten an autobiography, and won a Northern Writers’ Award, but I was desperate to carve out more time away from the then day job to dedicate to fiction writing, especially a burgeoning idea I had for a historical novel. This novel became Out of Human Sight, my Masters dissertation project, and after many drafts, it was shortlisted for the 2021 NorthBound Book Award. I’m delighted that it was published in January 2023.

While doing my MA (part-time, and working full time), I realised that – if at all possible – I wanted to prolong my time in academia. Two part-time years simply wasn’t enough! I started to explore whether it might be viable to begin a creative writing PhD with another idea, this time a contemporary novel but with a focus on folklore, and applied to the Centre for Contemporary Legend, a folklore research group, at Sheffield Hallam University. I couldn’t believe my luck when my application was successful, and I have been researching and writing a new novel since 2019. For more information about my writing and research, please visit my website at www.sophieparkes.co.uk

How do you think being part of the Manchester Writing School community has helped your writing career?

Firstly, the friendliness and genuine encouragement of staff and students at the Manchester Writing School demonstrated that academia wasn’t always terrifying or intimidating, but could be a nurturing environment in which I could learn, experiment and be challenged, following my interests and working at my own pace. It was my experience here that encouraged me to seek out further academic opportunities.

Secondly, the way in which the course is structured, and how it evolves as the writer progresses through it, has real writer development in mind. I was shown – implicitly, and through my own exploration, which I found encouraging in itself – how to better critique mine and my peers’ work and this has developed my self-editing skills significantly.

Finally, learning from a great crop of writer-lecturers has been truly wonderful. I found the staff at the Manchester Writing School to be generous with their time and insights, and I feel I have established long-term relationships as a result.

What did you find was your most valuable experience as part of the Manchester Writing School? What were the highlights?

I was fortunate to participate in the Moniack Mhor writing residential during the second year of my study. The chance to write all week, hear other people’s writing, discuss my work with staff and students, and meet lots of other likeminded writers, all in a tranquil environment, was magical stuff.

What advice would you give to students looking at studying at the Manchester Writing School, or just starting out on the course?

Critique is daunting, but it really makes all the difference, in my opinion. Give as much and as often as you would like to receive and you will find it benefits you and your work in the long run.

Every student needs to plan their time, of course, but it’s imperative for part time students who may be juggling multiple responsibilities. Read and write on your commutes and your lunchbreaks (or if you’re one of those morning people, before work), tell colleagues and friends what you’re doing (I was always frightened to, and when it ‘came out’, I realised everyone thought it was a great idea), and schedule in plenty of breaks.