An Approach to Creative Writing Summer School

This is an eclectic course that aims to help you find your writing niche and develop a practical creative routine over the summer, alongside a small community of writers.

Over ten weeks, you will be led by a professional author and Doctor in Contemporary Literature, Rosa Rogers. Uniquely, our programme has been devised out of discussions with ex and current students at City, thus it takes an organic and personal approach to developing beginners' writing craft.

Our An Approach to Creative Writing Summer School will take place online and be structured through a mixture of mini-lectures, creative exercises, group discussion and writing workshops. We will focus on honing our craft in multiple genres and forms i.e. short stories, poetry, prose poems and novel openings. Our pieces will be shared for peer review with the aim to help us produce work to our highest standard. You will be continuously supported by your tutor and also you will hear from invited guest speakers who are experts in their fields.

By the end of the course you will aim to complete < 5 poems or < 5,000 words of prose (or a hybrid of each).  

This course is personalised and can adapt in relation to your particular needs. If you have any questions before we begin, you can contact the course tutor, Rosa Rogers, at rosa.rogers@city.ac.uk.

This course is ideal preparation for our Short Story Writing and Novel Writing and Longer Works courses.

Who is it for?

Aimed at beginners with little to no experience of creative writing, our Approach to Creative Writing classes will provide inspiration and guidance on how to begin to write creatively.

Timetable

This course runs online every Tuesday 6.30pm-8.30pm for 10 weeks. The course will run from July 19h to the September 20th.

Benefits

• Delivered over ten weeks, this City writing summer school is the ideal way to explore your potential as a writer
• Led by a professional writer and Doctor of Contemporary Literature
• Flexible online learning
• Awarded a free City, University of London certificate

Explore our Writing Summer Schools here.

• How to find inspiration for your writing and develop a practical routine
• How to find your niche in writing poetry and/or prose pieces
• How to create characters, sustain a narrative, hone your craft and find your voice
• How to ensure your writing is lucid and vivid
• How to assess, revise and edit your work
• How to give and receive constructive criticism through workshopping.

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.

No prior knowledge or ability is required for this course.

English requirements

Applicants must be proficient in written and spoken English.

• 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.