Writing Courses & Workshops
At City Lit, we offer a supportive and inspiring environment where you can enhance your writing and gain confidence. Our courses are designed to help you find your voice, sharpen your writing skills, and take your work to the next level. Whether you're writing short stories, poetry, or working on a novel, you'll receive expert guidance and feedback from experienced tutors.
Learn from Published Authors
Be inspired to write, and learn how to get published at the college where Andrea Levy, Malorie Blackman, Anna Burns, and other celebrated authors studied. Read our success stories to see what's possible for you as a writer.
Unheard Voices Scholarship
City Lit’s Malorie Blackman Scholarships for 'Unheard Voices' provide three annual awards to fund one year’s study within the Creative Writing department at City Lit. Learn more >
See what it's like be part a City Lit online creative writing course.
- Picture book writing
Course start date: Sat 7 Mar 2026 (and 7 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lou KuenzlerWould you like to write a picture book text for young children? This course is designed for children's writers and for illustrators wishing to write their own stories; a starter course to develop both your ideas and your technique.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - Submitting your short stories to magazines Course start date: Sat 7 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vicky GrutThis is a fast-track course to help you hone and prepare your short stories for submission to magazines and publishers.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing and rewriting fairytales Course start date: Sat 7 Mar 2026 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Victoria M. AdamsOnce 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: Thu 12 Mar 2026 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Judith BryanThis 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 - Micro-memoir: a taster Course start date: Fri 13 Mar 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie GartonA life is measured in moments as well as momentous occasions. This fun workshop coaches students in the art of micro-memoir. Can you write about an instant that changed you in 200 words or less?
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Writing autofiction Course start date: Sat 14 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Courttia NewlandBlurring lines between fact and fiction, blending the 'real' and 'imaginary', autofiction is a rich playground for writers. In this short advanced taster course, learn what 'autofiction' is, how it differs from other forms of life writing, and explore how to write it.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Postgraduate academic writing Course start date: Sat 21 Mar 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anne WilsonExplore the building blocks and strategies for good academic writing at postgraduate level. Ideal for those studying or contemplating academic writing beyond undergraduate studies.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Write your screenplay: from idea to first draft Course start date: Sat 21 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clive FordA good screenplay starts with a good story but it also needs structure, good characters and interesting twists. This is a course for writers who have an idea they think is ready to go. We’ll look at the best ways to grab the viewers’ attention from the off, and at the end of the course you’ll get a chance to pitch your ideas.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - How to get an agent Course start date: Sat 21 Mar 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rosie ChardThis intensive workshop offers students insider, need-to-know information on securing a literary agent.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Joke writing Course start date: Sat 21 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate SmurthwaiteUncover the workings of the classic one-liner, practise joke writing and find out what makes a good joke. Learn how to refine and develop your own writing skills for stand up, comedy writing and pleasure.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - Craft focus: narrative time in fiction Course start date: Sat 21 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vicky GrutAll fiction is bound by time: a story must begin and end. In this practical short course learn how time functions in fiction and, through practical writing exercises, how you can manipulate it to great effect. Suitable for those with some creative writing experience.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Ways into screenwriting: getting started Course start date: Sat 21 Mar 2026 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alan NixonWant to write scripts but don't know how to start? Discover the basics of screenwriting - character, conflict and more - on this short online course that will help you shape your ideas and get your story going.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing historical fiction Course start date: Sun 22 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anna RichardsDig into the past to craft historical fiction that speaks vividly to contemporary readers. From Hilary Mantel to C.J. Sansom, learn techniques writers use to turn historical record into compelling fiction.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Memoir writing: a taster Course start date: Thu 26 Mar 2026 (and 1 other date)
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.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Journalism: a taster Course start date: Thu 26 Mar 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Laura SilvermanWhat makes a great story? Discover what goes into a magazine or newspaper article from an experienced journalist - and be inspired to write your own.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00
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