Creative Writing Summer School
This five day intensive course explores the techniques of writing fiction, using examples, writing exercises and discussion. Students will work towards completing a short story or the first chapter of a novel, to be submitted for tutor review two weeks after the last class. The course will include a short one-to-one tutorial for each student, as well as a workshop session where students will have the opportunity to receive group feedback on their work-in-progress.
The Tutor for the course will be Ruby Radburn.
Day One:
The Blank Page
Getting started: ideas and inspiration
Forming good habits
Characters
Techniques for creating convincing characters
Putting characters into action
Dialogue
The functions of dialogue
Questions of realism
Day Two:
Voice and Viewpoint
Voice: a presence on the page
Exploring tense and narrative viewpoint
The External World
Setting and location
Subjective description
Day Three:
Plot and Structure
Why do we enjoy narrative?
Short story and novel plotting
Approaches to structure
Day Four:
Editing and Revising
Revision techniques - finding weak points
Cutting down vs. building up
Creative problem-solving
Tutorials
Students will be set self-directed work, individually or in groups, so one-to-one tutorials can take place
Day Five:
Workshops
Students will have the opportunity to submit work-in-progress for group feedback in guided discussions
Writing as an ongoing pursuit
Developing writing networks and support
Further critical reading
Competitions, resources, agents, publishers
Assignment: To complete a 2,500-word short story or opening chapter of a novel, using the techniques discussed on the course. This piece should be submitted by email two weeks after the end of the course, and will be returned with detailed tutor feedback.
Back to top
