Introduction
To introduce you to the key skills and knowledge that underpin fiction writing and the development of the novel. These will include the organisational skills required for plotting, character development and narrative technique. It will also introduce you to constructive and focused critical reflection of your work and support the development of rewriting/drafting skills.

Skills Development 
The course will offer a stimulating and varied learning environment to enable writers to develop their skills around characterisation, point of view and narrative drive. Writing exercises, along with discussion and textual analysis, will be the key modes of learning.

It will facilitate constructive critical thinking/reflection and cover redrafting, narrative drive and the development of voice.

Contextual and Critical Studies 
The course will offer insight into the traditions, theory and responsibilities of the writer and enable you to make clear authorial and editorial choices about your developing work.

Unit 1: Character and Point of View | Tutor: Laura Wilkinson
21–23 February 2025 | Weekend | Intermediate | SWE33233  

Unit 1 will include:  

• Ideas generation, testing ideas and thinking like a writer (Friday evening) 
• Building character 
• Point of view 

Pre-course preparation:
A reading pack of PDFs will be sent to you prior to the course. For How-to reading, Francine Prose’s Reading Like a Writer is a great place to start, if you wish. You can submit 500 words from a work-in-progress to Laura for feedback during your individual tutorial.

Unit 2: Plot and Place | Bethan Roberts
6–8 June 2025 | Weekend | Intermediate | SWE33236  

Unit 2 will include:  

• Structure and plot
• Sense of place (and time)
• Narrative drive

Pre-course preparation:
A reading pack of PDFs will be sent to you prior to the course. You can submit 500 words from a work-in-progress to Bethan for feedback during your individual tutorial.

Unit 3: Writing Your Book | Tutors: Bethan Roberts and Laura Wilkinson 
5-7 September 2025 | Weekend | Intermediate | SWE33237  

Unit 3 will include: 

• Show, don’t tell
• Dialogue and pacing
• A writing workshop in which you will get feedback on your work from your colleagues and tutor

On completion of the course, students will submit the first 5000 words of a piece they have developed on the programme.

Submission date for 5000 words: 7 November 2025 (two months following the final unit).

Feedback from the programme tutors: the following month by 7 December 2025.

On successful completion, students will receive a Certificate of Completion and be offered an interview for the MA in Creative Writing and Publishing, should you want to continue your studies and project. The MA is set up to facilitate the production of a completed novel.