Enemies & Obsessions: A Heated Rivalry-inspired Creative Writing Playground

What happens when two forces can’t easily coexist? When attraction and resistance live in the same room? When a character, an idea, or even a place contains a tension that refuses to resolve?

This free 90-minute creative writing workshop explores the creative energy of rivalry. Inspired by the beloved Heated Rivalry books and TV series—but open to everyone even if you haven’t read or watched Heated Rivalry!—this session offers a lively, low-pressure space to experiment with tension, friction, and charged relationships in storytelling.

Through a series of guided prompts and creative exercises, we’ll look at how rivalry (between characters, desires, loyalties, identities, or hidden motivations) can generate real momentum in any project. After all, rivalry creates heat, and heat creates movement!
This session is free and open to all writers at all levels.

You might particularly want to come to this session if you:

• Are in the middle of a writing project and want to deepen rivalries, tensions, or secret dynamics between characters.
• Are starting something new and want to experiment with rivalry as a central creative engine.
• Are curious about how tension works in storytelling across genres.
• Or simply want a fun, relaxed writing space where you can explore ideas alongside other writers.

The emphasis is on curiosity, experimentation, and creative energy rather than critique or perfection! There will be short writing bursts, playful prompts, mindfulness practices, and opportunities to explore different types of rivalry, from open antagonism to subtle emotional friction.

Sharing is welcome but never required; you are free to write, explore, and keep your work entirely private if you prefer.
And no preparation is required—just come ready to write!

About your Facilitators
Dr Sharlene Teo is a novelist and Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Surrey. Her debut novel Ponti was shortlisted for several major literary awards. Her work explores memory, identity, and the emotional tensions that shape relationships, and she has taught creative writing in both university and community settings.
Professor Allan Johnson is programme leader for the MA in Creative Writing at the University of Surrey. A scholar of modernist literature and psychospiritual approaches to creativity, his work explores the relationship between creative practice, inner development, and the deeper patterns that shape storytelling. Alongside his academic research, he runs workshops and communities focused on creativity as a form of personal and artistic growth.