write for the cure for sleep community

“Shadrick wrote The Cure for Sleep to chart her reinvention from shy, small-town outsider to someone stamping their presence on artistic and literary life…and she wants to help others follow in her footsteps.” The IPaper

Thank you for joining me here.

I’m Tanya Shadrick, author of The Cure for Sleep: a true story of waking up, breaking free and making a more creative life – even as I remained a wife and mother in a small town.

Here’s where you can start to turn your own creative dreams into reality by finding like-minds, discovering life-changing stories, and - importantly - sharing your own true tales.

You’ll also be able to experience seeing your work curated in the story archive over at thecureforsleep.com for others to read and enjoy.

More and more contributors are going on to prize listings, course acceptances and book deals after having their words published as part of this project, and I’d love that to happen for you too.


read what others have written

Start exploring the Season One and Season Two tales already shared by subscribers over on the By Readers page.


how to submit your work

IMPORTANT: Please read the contributor guidelines before you submit your first piece to this project. I can only engage with submissions that show an understanding of the criteria for inclusion.

Each monthly post (which also goes out by email to subscribers) takes a story from the book, inviting you to tell me one in return on that theme from your own life.

To take part, you simply use the comments field to share a reflection, memory or true tale of up to 300 words. Importantly, all themes stay open for your story submissions - this helps the project remain accessible to those with health, caring or other time constraints. You can write for just one of the themes - or all of them!

All true tales that respect the contributor guidelines are curated over on the book’s website.

Each issue of my monthly newsletter also includes extras such as recommended texts for building and sustaining a creative life, or links to any podcasts or events I’m taking part in.

Please note: All contributions receive individual feedback from me, and you can expect to receive this within a week of submission. If I am ever needing to away from the project longer than that, I will post an update thread to the whole community.

Share the cure for sleep with tanya shadrick


“It’s a special act of generosity when a writer you respect asks for responses to extracts from their work. Fear held me back but then I responded to the piece on regret. No regrets” Tim LeRoy

“When I first saw the word limit, I thought, no, that’s not for me, I cannot do that. Then, I did! I really believe that I have become a more confident and better writer through the word constraints, it really made me think about what could be stripped from the writing.” Sheila Knell

“I’m so glad to have constellated the courage and drafted something that assembles peace” E E Rhodes

“It’s a privilege to be a small part of this reflective conversation and the community it brings into being” Nicola Pitchford

“If you’re writing away by yourself and anxious about showing your work to others, here’s a lovely opportunity to share in a kind, supportive space. Have a look. Take the leap. I’m so glad I did” Sheila de Courcy


about me

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Subscribe to the cure for sleep with tanya shadrick

On waking up, breaking free & making a more creative life. Respond to once-monthly writing prompts from author Tanya Shadrick, and see your words published alongside other aspiring writers. A safe space to grow your creative confidence...

People

Tanya Shadrick

Author, artist & small-press publisher with a big commitment to encouraging your creative confidence. The Cure for Sleep - my memoir/manifesto for waking up, breaking free and making a larger life - is a Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of 2022.