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This intensive fiction workshop is open by selective application to a maximum of ten fiction writers working at the advanced and professional levels. You will receive rigorous constructive feedback on your novel or short story as you develop it with a view to publication, and participate in detailed tutor-led discussions on advanced elements of fictional craft.
Before booking on this course, please register or log in to your account to complete a short online assessment. We need you to do this to check that this course is the right level for you. Why do I need an advice session
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Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
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.
This course is designed to support advanced and professional fiction writers who are working on long or short form fiction projects with a view to publication. The course offers an opportunity to share and receive constructive critical feedback, network with other writers, and discuss elements of advanced fictional craft. You will receive rigorous constructive feedback on your novel or short story as you develop it with a view to publication, and participate in detailed tutor-led discussions on advanced elements of fictional craft.
What will we cover?
- Constructive workshopping of short stories and novel excerpts - Advanced craft issues that arise from the material under review - The process of revision.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Assess and respond to pieces of writing with acumen and sensitivity - Identify complex issues involved in writing fiction, short stories, novellas, novels, etc. - Apply your critical and editorial skills to your own work - Produce submissions for comment on a regular basis.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
You will be an enthusiastic reader of fiction, able to commit to attending regularly and participating fully, and fluent in English. This course is suitable only for fiction writers who have advanced workshop experience and/or a history of publication. Writers are invited to submit details of their writing background and workshop experience, and a sample of prose no longer than 500 words.
Please use the assessment link on this page to apply. All applicants will be contacted with the outcome of their application, after the deadline has passed.
Application deadlines: For the course beginning 23 September 2025 (HW220), the application deadline is Sunday 31 August 2025.
For the course beginning 20 January 2026 (HW221), the application deadline is Sunday 21 December 2025.
For the course beginning 20 April 2026 (HW222), the application deadline is Sunday 22 March 2026.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Through discussion, peer evaluation and tutor feedback. You will be expected to read your peers' workshop submissions closely at home and to provide them with constructive written feedback that will then be shared verbally during your live online session. The tutor will not provide feedback to any member of the workshop who does not attend regularly and/or participate fully.
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?
There are no additional costs. Writers will be expected to submit manuscripts in advance of class.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
The next step will be discussed individually with each participant.
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.
Jonathan Barnes is the author of five novels in the genres of horror, fantasy and SF. His sixth - Frankenstein’s Monster - will be published by Titan in the autumn of 2025. His literary journalism has appeared in the TLS, The Critic, the Spectator and the Literary Review. He has written numerous scripts for audio drama, including adaptations of H G Wells’ The Invisible Man, starring John Hurt, and an award-winning Sherlock Holmes drama, The Seamstress of Peckham Rye.
Ayanna Lloyd BanwoSee moreSee less
AYANNA LLOYD BANWO is a writer from Trinidad and Tobago. Her debut novel When We Were Birds was the 2023 winner of the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award, the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, and the American Book Award. It was also shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize, the Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award, the McKitterick Prize and named one of the UK Observer’s Best Debuts and The Economist’s Best Books of 2022. Her short fiction and non-fiction have been published in Moko Magazine, Small Axe and PREE, among others and shortlisted for the Small Axe Literary Competition and the Wasafiri New Writing Prize. She is the 2023 winner of the Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer’s Award and recently chosen by The National Centre for Writing and The British Council as one of one of ten Rising Stars in UK writing. She currently lives in Norwich and is at work on her second novel.
Toby LloydSee moreSee less
Toby Lloyd is the author of the novel Fervour. His stories and essays have appeared or are forthcoming in Somesuch Stories, Carve Magazine, the Los Angeles Review of Books and elsewhere. He has been longlisted for the V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from NYU, and his work has been translated into several languages.
Bob SchultzSee moreSee less
As a screenwriter, Bob Schultz has focused on high-concept stories told on a budget, finding success writing on spec, working for hire, ghostwriting, and providing consultation for independent producers in Los Angeles, New York, and London. His screenwriting portfolio includes more than 20 credits either produced, in production, or in development, and his series of Christmas shorts (Advent) will release throughout December 2025. Beyond screenwriting, Bob has cultivated a significant body of prose fiction work, with award-winning stories published in American newspapers including The Ravena News-Herald, the Greenville Record, and The Paper (Fort Pierce, Florida), international magazines (Script magazine, Daily Grindhouse), and short story anthologies (most recently Twisted, Volume 3: The Final Chapter, 2024). His latest anthology of short stories (The Athenaeum Club Mysteries) is set to be published in the winter of 2025, and his first novel (Operation: Coronation) in early 2026. Bob has served as an instructor and mentor at colleges and universities in the USA, England, and Sweden, as well as worldwide at festivals, conferences, and through private instruction.
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.
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https://www.citylit.ac.uk/masterclass-fiction-a-one-term-intensive-workshop175388Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/m/a/masterclass_fiction_ayanna_jonathan_toby.jpg399399GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Writing/Novels and short stories/Courses/vm/Writing Courses/Novel Writing/Courses/vm/Writing Courses/Fiction Writing/Courses/vm/Writing Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Writing/Learn to write short fiction at City Lit/Courses/Writing/Creative writing masterclasses/Courses/Writing/Courses/Writing/Novels and short stories228515882039204820181337913469135811359912285117712051653201813581This intensive fiction workshop is open by selective application to a maximum of ten fiction writers working at the advanced and professional levels. You will receive rigorous constructive feedback on your novel or short story as you develop it with a view to publication, and participate in detailed tutor-led discussions on advanced elements of fictional craft. <div data-content-type="html" data-appearance="default" data-element="main">This online course is designed to support advanced and professional fiction writers who are working on long or short form fiction projects with a view to publication. The course offers an opportunity to share and receive constructive critical feedback, network with other writers, and discuss elements of advanced fictional craft.<br />
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This online course is suitable only for fiction writers who have advanced workshop experience (e.g. Masters level) and/or a history of publication. Writers are invited to submit <b>one</b> document containing details of their writing background and workshop experience <b>and</b> a one-page sample of prose to writing@citylit.ac.uk . Please include the course code (HW220) in the subject line. Writers will not be authorised for enrolment except by way of this process. The deadline for applications is Sunday 23rd August 2020.<br />
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Please note: City Lit operates a waitlist for this selective course. If your application is waitlisted, you will be contacted in the event a space becomes available.<br />
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City Lit reserves the right to change course tutors from those advertised in this outline. In line with our refund policy we are unable to grant a refund on the grounds of a change of tutor. <br />
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This is a live online course. You will need:<br />
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.<br />
- 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.<br />
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.<br />
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.</div>54.82532016Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)399399https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/m/a/masterclass_fiction_ayanna_jonathan_toby_2.jpgInStockEveningMonKeeley StreetAvailable courses11 weeks or longerWeekday2026-04-20T00:00:00+00:00AdvancedApr 2026WritingHW222399399Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)399399399Toby Lloydmasterclass-fiction-a-one-term-intensive-workshop/hw222-2526This intensive fiction workshop is open by selective application to a maximum of ten fiction writers working at the advanced and professional levels. You will receive rigorous constructive feedback on your novel or short story as you develop it with a view to publication, and participate in detailed tutor-led discussions on advanced elements of fictional craft.0000-Available|2026-04-20 00:00:00virtual332913Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)399399https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/m/a/masterclass_fiction_ayanna_jonathan_toby_3.jpgInStockEveningMonKeeley StreetNo longer available11 weeks or longerWeekday2025-04-28T00:00:00+00:00AdvancedApr 2025WritingHW222399399Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)399399399Bob Schultzmasterclass-fiction-a-one-term-intensive-workshop/hw222-2425This intensive fiction workshop is open by selective application to a maximum of ten fiction writers working at the advanced and professional levels. You will receive rigorous constructive feedback on your novel or short story as you develop it with a view to publication, and participate in detailed tutor-led discussions on advanced elements of fictional craft.0020-Started|2025-04-28 00:00:00virtual1188022Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)399399https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/m/a/masterclass_fiction_ayanna_jonathan_toby_4.jpgInStockEveningTueOnlineAvailable courses11 weeks or longerWeekday2025-09-23T00:00:00+00:00AdvancedSep 2025WritingHW220399399Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)399399399Jonathan Barnesmasterclass-fiction-a-one-term-intensive-workshop/hw220-2526This intensive fiction workshop is open by selective application to a maximum of ten fiction writers working at the advanced and professional levels. You will receive rigorous constructive feedback on your novel or short story as you develop it with a view to publication, and participate in detailed tutor-led discussions on advanced elements of fictional craft.0000-Available|2025-09-23 00:00:00virtual1188031Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)399399https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/m/a/masterclass_fiction_ayanna_jonathan_toby_1.jpgInStockEveningTueOnlineAvailable courses11 weeks or longerWeekday2026-01-13T00:00:00+00:00AdvancedJan 2026WritingHW221399399Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)399399399Ayanna Lloyd Banwomasterclass-fiction-a-one-term-intensive-workshop/hw221-2526This intensive fiction workshop is open by selective application to a maximum of ten fiction writers working at the advanced and professional levels. You will receive rigorous constructive feedback on your novel or short story as you develop it with a view to publication, and participate in detailed tutor-led discussions on advanced elements of fictional craft.0000-Available|2026-01-13 00:00:00virtual399399399HW222,HW220,HW221ASSXMon,Tue23/09/25 - 02/12/2519:00 - 21:0019:0021:0011 sessions (over 11 weeks)1111 weeks or longerWeekdayOnlineKeeley Street,OnlineToby Lloyd,Bob Schultz,Jonathan Barnes,Ayanna Lloyd BanwoAdvancedAvailable courses,No longer available2026-04-20T00:00:00+00:00,2025-04-28T00:00:00+00:00,2025-09-23T00:00:00+00:00,2026-01-13T00:00:00+00:00EveningApr 2026,Apr 2025,Sep 2025,Jan 2026Writing399399Masterclass: fiction (a one-term intensive workshop)masterclass-fiction-a-one-term-intensive-workshop/hw222-2526,masterclass-fiction-a-one-term-intensive-workshop/hw222-2425,masterclass-fiction-a-one-term-intensive-workshop/hw220-2526,masterclass-fiction-a-one-term-intensive-workshop/hw221-2526This intensive fiction workshop is open by selective application to a maximum of ten fiction writers working at the advanced and professional levels. You will receive rigorous constructive feedback on your novel or short story as you develop it with a view to publication, and participate in detailed tutor-led discussions on advanced elements of fictional craft.0000-Available|2025-09-23 00:00:00configurable
15881205Novels and short storieshttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/history-culture-and-writing/writing/novels-and-short-stories1/2/285/1177/1205/1588/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Writing/Novels and short stories
