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.
- Writing haiku poetry
Course start date: Sat 1 Aug 2026 (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 - Writing the city Course start date: Sun 2 Aug 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Thomas McMullanThrough a combination of close observation and texts both old and new, in this short course you will explore the depiction of inner-city life in fiction, and write your own fiction inspired by the urban landscape.
Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - What the poem wants: drafting and editing workshop Course start date: Mon 3 Aug 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Christina DunhillWrite fast and edit fast in this poem-blitzing workshop. Learn to step back, look at your poem and think about the different directions it might take. Practise ruthlessness as well as care in the poem’s service.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £105.00 - Jump start your play Course start date: Sat 8 Aug 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Brian MullinHave you got a script idea but not yet put pen to paper, or a script you started but never finished? This intensive short course will help you inject new energy into your idea – and get started writing. Only suitable for those with playwriting experience.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Screenwriting: a taster Course start date: Mon 14 Sep 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alan NixonGive screenwriting a try in this fun and supportive one-off taster session. Ideal if you want to unlock your imagination and express yourself, but need a bit of encouragement to get started.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Ways into screenwriting Course start date: Mon 14 Sep 2026 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Nico MensingaLearn to write for the screen on this practical, introductory course. Writing exercises, presentations and screenings will teach you key skills, and you’ll begin to produce work and an outline for a full-length project.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £269.00 Concession £175.00 - Craft focus: grammar, syntax, and style for creative writers Course start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: William BradyGreat poetry and prose begin when the writer puts the right words in the right places. Learn how and why the rules and conventions of language matter in this new course, which combines creative writing with a review of essential points of grammar.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £229.00 Concession £149.00 - Developing your novel Course start date: Mon 14 Sep 2026 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah LeipcigerHave you started work on your novel? This course is suitable for experienced creative writers who want to make progress with a novel draft. Learn more about the art of novel writing and move your project forward in a supportive workshop environment.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £181.00 - Starting your novel Course start date: Wed 6 May 2026 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sophie McKenzieGot a great idea for a novel? Jump start your project in this supportive course that covers craft basics such as character and plot. Ideal for writers of fiction with some experience who have an idea for a novel.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £125.00 - Ways into playwriting Course start date: Mon 14 Sep 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Explore the fundamental techniques of writing for the stage in this introductory course. Get to grips with dialogue, character, story and structure, and start work on your own play.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £269.00 Concession £175.00 - Ways into creative writing Course start date: Mon 14 Sep 2026 (and 11 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire CollisonWant to have a go at creative writing in a supportive environment? Join one of these introductory courses. Guided exercises will give you the tools to explore language creatively and find your own writing voice.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £269.00 Concession £175.00 - How to write crime and thriller fictionCourse start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Learn how to master pace and tension in this course on writing crime and thriller fiction, from detective-led noir to espionage action.
Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00 - Advanced creative non-fiction: turning experience into art Course start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alice RobbWeave the rich strands of your personal experience into an intricate story that will entertain and educate readers. Ideal if you've attended 'Writing creative non-fiction' or already have a specific project planned out.
Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £181.00 - Writing creative non-fiction Course start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026 (and 11 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul LaffanExplore practical and imaginative approaches to creative non fiction, including travel writing, life writing and the essay. Analyse published work, produce your own pieces, and benefit from detailed feedback.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £181.00 - Writing fiction Course start date: Tue 15 Sep 2026 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Bob SchultzDevelop your creative writing skills on this practical intermediate course. You'll explore the fundamentals of fiction-writing craft, such as character and structure, and unlock your imagination to produce compelling prose. Suitable for those with some creative writing experience.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £181.00
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