Ways into creative writing: a gentle pace
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
Choose a start date
- Course Code: HW178
- Dates: 24/02/25 - 31/03/25
- Time: 18:30 - 20:30
- Taught: Mon, Evening
- Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
- Location: Online
- Tutor: Sarah Leipciger
Course Code: HW178
Choose a start date
Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
The process of writing creatively and sharing your work for the first time can seem daunting. This introductory short course moves at a gentle pace to help you discover some fundamentals of creative writing craft, experiment with different forms of creative writing, and practise new writing techniques with confidence.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
- Exploring different forms of creative writing through fun exercises: poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, playwriting, and screenwriting
- How to use figurative language in our writing
- How to engage the senses in our writing
- Writing prompts and games designed to stimulate creativity and unlock your imagination
- Sharing our ideas and writing with confidence.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Distinguish between different types of creative writing
- Analyse approaches to structure and language specific to forms of creative writing
- Write your own creative pieces of prose and/or poetry
- Share your work with peers.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is for absolute beginners. Open to students who are trying creative writing for the first time or who have never shared their work in a group setting before. You will need a good grasp of written and spoken English.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
- Interactive tutor presentation
- Writing prompts, exercises, and fun games
- Discussion and analysis of published creative writing
- Supportive constructive feedback from your tutor and classmates
You will be given optional homework assignments. You will also be invited to share your ideas and your writing in class.
All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.
For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
No additional costs. Please bring pen and paper.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Once you've built your confidence on this introductory course, why not try Ways into creative writing: an introduction or a term-long Ways into creative writing course?
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Sarah Leipciger’s debut novel, The Mountain Can Wait, was published in 2015 with Tinder Press in the UK and Little, Brown in the US. She has had short stories shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, the Fish Prize and the Asham Award, and is a past winner of THIS Magazine’s Great Canadian Literary Hunt. She has also written non-fiction for The Guardian and The Toronto Star. She has facilitated workshops at several literature events, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and has been teaching fiction and life writing to young people and adults in prisons since 2003; she is currently the Creative Writing tutor at HMP Brixton in London. Her second novel, Coming Up for Air, will be published in February 2020 with Doubleday UK and House of Anansi Press in Canada. Doubleday UK has also procured her third novel, with a release date TBA. She is a PhD student in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths University.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
