Our beginners writing courses
Courses and details
ENGAGING THE IMAGINATION- A COURSE ON THE CRAFT OF FICTION
Date: 16/01/2012 - 20/01/2012
Tutor: Lindsay Clarke (view biog)
Guest Speaker : Andrew O'Hagan
The course will focus on the nature and demands of the collaborative relationship between the imagination of the writer and that of the reader. Through discussion and exercises we will look at how to get a novel off to a strong start and consider problems of character development, dialogue, setting and structure. The course will probably work best for those already well-advanced on writing a novel.
WRITING LIVES: THE TRUTHS, LIES AND SILENCES OF BIOGRAPHY
Date: 06/02/2012 - 10/02/2012
Tutor: Victoria Glendinning (view biog)
Guest speaker: Miranda Seymour
We will examine the pleasures and perils of research: What are your sources, and which can you trust? In the writing, what is your focus? How important to a particular project are chronology, thematic concerns, historical and social context, character analysis, discretion? Where does imagination come in? We’ll do some illuminating written exercises, and discuss practicalities such as copyright, use of archives and of the internet.
‘YOU ARE HERE’ FICTIONAL PLACES AND THE LANDSCAPE OF NOVEL WRITING.
Date: 20/02/2012 - 24/02/2012
Tutor: Sarah Hall (view biog)
Guest Speaker : tbc
It’s been said that a successful novel is like a world unto itself. This course will use location and setting as the starting point for an investigation into the other main components of literature - narrative, character, perspective and style. Students will be encouraged to think about ‘fictional veracity’ and the ways in which readers might be convinced by the realms into which they journey. The workshops will involve guided discussions and textual examples. Relevant exercises will be set during each meeting.