Writing Courses for Beginners
Unlock your creativity and start your writing journey with City Lit’s beginner-friendly writing courses. Whether you dream of penning short stories, crafting compelling novels, or simply improving your writing skills, our expert-led courses will give you the confidence to get words on the page.
Taught by experienced writers, our courses cover the essentials of storytelling, character development, structure, and style. You’ll receive supportive feedback in a relaxed and inspiring environment, helping you develop your voice and refine your craft.
No prior experience? No problem! These courses are designed for absolute beginners, offering a practical and accessible approach to writing. Join a community of like-minded learners and take the first step towards bringing your ideas to life.
Explore our beginner writing courses today and start telling your story.
- Autobiography into fiction: getting started
Course start date: Sat 31 May 2025 (and 4 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vicky GrutLearn how to turn real-life experiences into gripping fiction in this fun short course for fiction writing beginners and experienced writers. Develop your writing skills and explore techniques for transforming personal stories into strong narratives.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing and rewriting fairytales Course start date: Sun 27 Jul 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Eleanor PennyOnce upon a time there was a City Lit workshop all about writing fairytales. The quest: to inspire writers to pen stories of love, fear, forests, revenge, dragons, witches, kings, queens, frogs and magic.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - How to write a novel Course start date: Mon 28 Jul 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Thomas McMullanThis course deals with all aspects of novel writing technique and prose style. Ideal for fiction writers about to begin a novel or those with a novel at early draft stage.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £45.00 - Autobiographical writing: intensive Course start date: Mon 28 Jul 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Paul LaffanThis shorter version of our introductory autobiographical writing course covers the basic elements of the genre, drawing on memories, diaries, photos, dreams and fantasies with a focus on the forms of autobiography, memoir and the personal essay.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Writing about food: getting started Course start date: Sat 2 Aug 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Laura SilvermanWhether you’re keen to review dishes, interview chefs or write about sustainable eating, now is your chance. This introductory course will cover the basics of writing about food.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing flash fiction: getting started Course start date: Sun 3 Aug 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lucy PopescuA sideways glance: succinct, powerful. This short workshop on the essential components of flash fiction will teach you to tell a complete story in very few words.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Poetry and the moving image Course start date: Sun 3 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayBoth film and poetry explore imagery and have the capacity to capture and expand a single moment in time. On this fun short course you will learn how write poems inspired by the world of film and cinema.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - How to write a short story Course start date: Mon 4 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vicky GrutThrough a series of inspiring and practical exercises, you'll be encouraged to tap into your imagination and draft a short story from beginning to end in four days. - Screenwriting for feature film Course start date: Tue 5 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sharmila ChauhanHave you ever wondered what goes into writing a screenplay? How is it different from theatre, radio or prose? Learn the basics of the craft and develop a script of your own in this creative and analytical workshop. - How to write a memoir Course start date: Wed 6 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie GartonDo you have a personal story to tell that will move, delight, stir and inform readers? This short course guides students in planning and crafting a memoir. - Micropoetry: small poems, big ideas Course start date: Fri 8 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Suzannah V. EvansExplore the emerging art form of micropoetry in this fun but informative day workshop. Compose your own poetry and learn how to make every word on the page count. - Writing for podcasts Course start date: Sat 9 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Eleanor PennyPodcasts are growing rapidly in popularity, and more and more people are making their own. Find out more about all the different kinds of writing involved in producing a podcast, hone your skills and, with support from your tutor, develop your own ideas for audio.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing haiku poetry Course start date: Sat 9 Aug 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Pearl MayLearn how to write haikus that resonate, move and entertain on this fun day workshop.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Creative nature writing Course start date: Sun 10 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jennifer WongDo you enjoy being in nature and want to capture that on the page? Learn how to write about the natural world in this fun course, which encourages you to step outside into the urban 'wild' to seek inspiration for your poetry or prose. - Writing the city Course start date: Sun 10 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas McMullanThrough a combination of close observation and texts both old and new, you'll explore the depiction of inner city life in fiction, and write your own fiction inspired by the urban landscape in this short course.
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