This popular course provides a firm footing in the fundamentals of creative writing. Learn from a professional writer and editor how to develop a story and gain the confidence to write creatively.
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Course overview
An intensive week-long introduction to creative writing short course designed to help you explore how to find inspiration and how to make your creative writing lively and engaging.
Delivered over five days in a short intensive burst, with a weekend break in the middle for you to put your learning into practice, you will learn the key elements of fiction writing, particularly in relation to short stories and novels. Subjects covered include structure, characterisation, dialogue, point of view, narrative voice, style and how to develop, sustain and end a story.
On this highly practical course you will also learn how to support your practice as a writer and how to revise and edit your own work.
This course is ideal preparation for our Short Story Writing and Novel Writing and Longer Works courses.
Who is it for?
Inspiring and motivating, our An Approach to Creative Writing summer school is led by a professional writer who is an expert in their field. Aimed at beginners, the course makes up part of City's range of short creative writing courses that boasts a growing list of published alumni.
Find out more about our Creative writing and publishing at City, University of London courses
Timetable
This course runs for 10 consecutive days (excluding the weekend). In July 2021 the course will run from July 12th to the 23rd at 11am-1pm every week day.
Benefits
Delivered over five intense days, this City writing summer school is the ideal way to fast-track your progress as a writer.
What will I learn?
In each session you will learn:
- Different triggers for writing
- Opportunities for writing
- How to get inspired and stay that way
- How published examples can help your writing
Course structure
- Morning session 10:30-12:30, lunch 12:30-13:30
- Afternoon session 13:30-15:30
Wednesday
- Morning - Elements of Writing
- Afternoon - Character
Thursday
- Morning - Plot
- Afternoon - Structure
Friday
- Morning - Atmosphere and Style
- Afternoon - Narrator and Point of View
Monday
- Morning - Dialogue
- Afternoon - 'Bad' writing and how to avoid it
Tuesday
- Morning - Editing
- Afternoon - Getting published
There will also be opportunities to cover the following, depending on feedback from students:
- Writing for performance
- Life writing
- Creative non-fiction
- Anything they passionately want to know about
- More specific genres (world building etc.)
Assessment and certificates
Informal assessment will take place through group discussion, class room activities, and questions and answers sessions as guided by your tutor.
Certificates are issued for every student who has completed the course and attended at least 70% of the sessions.
Eligibility
No prior knowledge or ability is required for this course.
English requirements
Applicants must be proficient in written and spoken English.
Recommended reading
- Bird by Bird, Anne Lammot, Anchor 2007
- Steering the Craft, Ursula Le Guin, Mariner Books 2015
- The Voice that Thunders, Alan Garner, Vintage
- The Well of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde, Hodder
- Short Circuits (revised edition), Vanessa Gebbie (ed), Salt 2013
Please note that this reading material is entirely optional, but are books the tutor has found useful as a writer.