The London School of Journalism
Please note, there will be no class held on 5th June due to the bank holiday. Assignments will be set between week 7 and week 8.
The course explores the techniques of writing fiction, from generating material through to getting published, through examples, writing exercises and discussion. Students do not need to have work-in-progress but should be aspiring writers to get the most from class feedback. Sharing work and offering critical responses to each other's work will be encouraged.
The lecturer is Ruby Radburn.
| Week 1: | The Blank Page Getting started: ideas and inspiration Forming good habits and understanding your own routine Reading as a writer |
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| Week 2: | Characters Techniques for creating convincing characters Relationships between characters Thinking about character type and function routine. |
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| Week 3: | Voice and viewpoint Voice: a presence on the page Exploring tense and narrative viewpoint The narrator as storyteller vs. the narrator as character |
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| Week 4: | Plot and structure Finding a planning process that works for you Tension, conflict and suspense Organising events in time |
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| Week 5: | The external world Setting and location Placing your characters in physical space Managing the interaction between the internal and external world |
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| Week 6: | Dialogue The functions of dialogue Questions of realism Exploring and subverting the conventions of written speech |
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| Week 7: | Editing and Revising Revision techniques - finding weak points Cutting down vs. building up Seeking critical feedback |
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| Week 8: | Workshopping and tutorials An opportunity to discuss your submitted work one-to-one with the tutor and receive feedback from your peers in small groups |
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| Week 9: | Writing as an ongoing pursuit A chance to read your work to the whole group Developing writing networks and support Competitions, resources, agents, publishers |
Book: Short Story Writing (London School of Journalism 2009)
(cost included in course fees)
| Course Details | |
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| No. of weeks: | Nine Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm-9.00pm |
| Course start: | Tuesday 17 April 2012 |
| Course fees: | £365 (inc vat) |
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