Writing about food: getting started

What is the course about?

This practical course has a bit of everything and will appeal to anyone who is enthusiastic about food, whether they have written before or not. You'll learn how to write about a memorable meal and come up with ideas for blogs and articles.

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?

- The range of opportunities out there from more traditional media to online and niche publications.
- Coming up with ideas for articles.
- How to pitch to editors.
- Restaurant reviewing & the language of food.
- Blogging.
- Recipe writing.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Demonstrate a wider understanding of the world of food writing.
- Identify opportunities in the market.
- Identify a project to take forward from the course.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is an introductory course. You will need a reasonable standard of English to keep up with the course and an enthusiam for writing about food.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

Tutor inputs, based on her experience; activities; discussion; exploring examples of food writing.

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?

If possible bring along a piece of writing by a food writer you admire.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

City Lit offers a range of courses in journalism, autobiographical writing and biography writing.

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.