What you will study
This module is the first part and a compulsory module of the MA in Creative Writing (F71). It is made up of four blocks, each of which will develop your understanding of different approaches to particular genres and will introduce you to a range of techniques and ideas. You'll engage in forum work and peer-to-peer feedback while honing your ability to read as a writer by analysing a variety of texts relevant to your chosen genres. Choosing from fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and script, you'll study a primary genre (your specialism) and a secondary genre and therefore define your own pathway through the module.
You'll start Block 1 writing in your primary genre, and in Block 2, you'll write in your secondary genre. In Blocks 3 and 4, you'll revert to your primary genre but reap the rewards of having widened your generic awareness. No matter which genre you opt to specialise in, the module will culminate with you writing a substantial piece of creative work.
Block 1: You'll study your primary genre by covering the essentials, reintroducing ideas and techniques that may be familiar to you from your undergraduate studies, and taking them further in terms of sophistication and complexity. Topics covered include point of view, plot and setting in fiction; figurative language, voice and structure in poetry; research, memoir and narrative-shaping techniques in creative non-fiction; and dialogue, scene and character in script. You'll engage in the exchange and critiquing of work within your peer group.
Block 2: You'll select a secondary genre. For instance, if your primary genre is fiction, you might now choose poetry as your secondary genre and work through topics such as figurative language, voice and structure, or you might choose script writing and cover topics such as dialogue, scene and character. You'll start thinking about your end-of-module submission and further develop your peer reviewing and critiquing skills. You'll also refine your approaches to commenting and writing reflectively on your writing process.
Block 3: The materials and activities in this block will advance your understanding of your primary genre, focussing on some of its finer points as well as introducing more challenging techniques and themes. Topics covered range from rhetoric, maximalism and minimalism, and subgenres in fiction; characterisation, experimentalism and personal poetics; the lyric essay, place writing and style in creative non-fiction; and collaboration, structure and adaptation in script.
Block 4: The final block is mainly composed of independent study, as you'll develop a substantial piece of creative writing as your end-of-module assessment. In the taught weeks of study, you'll reflect on issues of professional practice, as well as approaches to planning and editing.
Throughout this module, you'll encounter guided activities and prompts to stimulate your writing and thinking. However, there is a much greater emphasis on generating and developing your own ideas independently than at undergraduate level.
Online tutor-group forums will enable peer-group discussion of your work. Peer review is an essential element of all creative writing courses and you'll be expected to give informed and constructive evaluations of the work of your peers and submit your own writing for review. You'll be assessed on this work, as well as on your ability to generate, develop, write and edit your creative writing and on your ability to reflect upon, write about and contextualise your creative process.
You will learn
In this module, you will:
- develop writing skills and an awareness of approaches to writing in multiple genres: fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and scriptwriting for film, radio or stage
- develop and hone sophisticated writing skills in at least one of those genres
- engage in sharing, critiquing and reviewing work in a variety of genres
- prepare a substantial piece of work to a professional standard
- refine your reflective approaches to literature and your own practice.
Vocational relevance
Studying creative writing will equip you with an adaptable set of skills that can give you entry to a vast range of occupations and career directions. You’ll develop sophisticated writing, communication and editorial skills, and you’ll learn to evaluate and assimilate information when identifying and solving problems. Creative writing will help you to increase your critical and analytical abilities. Often, you’ll work independently as a creative thinker, but you’ll collaborate at other times too. You’ll also acquire flexible, fluent and sophisticated research and IT skills. All of the above are skills greatly valued in the workplace – whether you’re already working, volunteering, planning to work freelance or changing careers.
Entry
Please note that this is not a module for those who are just starting to write. You must hold a UK honours degree (or equivalent), preferably with at least a 2:1 classification and preferably in Creative Writing or a closely related subject as this module assumes all candidates have the knowledge and skills usually acquired by pursuing the subject at undergraduate level.
If you don’t have a Creative Writing degree, please make sure that you provide evidence of your experience of writing when you apply – whether through short courses, workshops, or publications. We also strongly recommend that you read the preparatory work indicated below. Alternatively, you could undertake our free open-access creative writing courses on OpenLearn (Writing what you know, Start writing fiction and Creative writing and critical reading to ensure your skills – writing, reading, editorial, reflective, analytical – are at an appropriate standard.
As this module is completed entirely online, you will need basic computing skills such as sending and receiving emails, using online forums, downloading and uploading documents, and participating in online meetings or events.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
Preparatory work
If you have not studied creative writing at university, you are advised to read the following:
- O’Reilly, S. and Jane Yeh (eds). (2023) Creative Writing: A workbook with readings Paperback: ISBN 9781032036731 eBook: ISBN 9781003189169
- Neale, D. (2008) A Creative Writing Handbook: Developing dramatic technique, individual style and voice ISBN 9781408109410