About me

Judith Lesley Marshall : Creative Writing Coach

I was born and brought up in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.  Since then I have lived in Northern France and various parts of the North East of England.  In 2000, I moved to Richmond, North Yorkshire with my husband and two daughters.

I began my writing apprenticeship in the early 1990s, taking courses with Cynthia Fuller and Wendy Robertson.  Following successful completion of a Continuing Education Certificate in Creative Writing with Rebecca O’Rourke from the University of Leeds (2000-2002) and an Open University module in Writing Family History (2007), I went on to pass  an M.A. in Creative Writing with Teesside University (2009-2011).

In 2010 I set up in business as a creative writing coach and have since co-ordinated a series of rolling contracts for diverse arts heritage writing projects.  I am currently leading the Winning Words poetry project for Barnard Castle which is one of the seven beacon towns for the cultural olympics. The brief for each town is to produce a poetry-based art installation as part of the London 2012 legacy.

Most of my writing is inspired by historical facts and events of one kind or another.  As a result, I also design and deliver courses in how to write up both life story and family history.  My aim is to help you to realise your writing potential and to leave a legacy of personal and family stories recorded in an appropriate format.

I believe that every writer should be a reader and read a wide range of books both traditional and modern.  I particularly enjoy historical fantasy fiction.  My favourite authors and poets include: Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ursula le Guin, Julliet Marrillier,Emily Dickinson, John Donne and Robert Frost.

For details of my current publications click onto the poetry pamphlets, non-fiction and e-publication pages of the main menu.