Creative Writing: The Streets of London

In this course students will learn how to write thought-provoking, detailed and professional essays, reportages and short stories using the theme 'The Streets of London.' They will be required to choose an area and in particular a street in London that inspires them. London is a vibrant city with a multi-cultural lifestyle that is evident in many of the popular areas such as Camden Town and Lock, Islington and its squares, Chelsea, Kensington, their small independent shops in Shoreditch, Brick Lane, etc. But a specific street is an in-depth study of what happens early morning, in the afternoon, and at the end of the day as the population changes and evening activities begin. Who are the shopkeepers and the clients, what schools and universities are on the street, what is the flavor of the local cafés and restaurants, what kind of jazz clubs or other venues are there? At different times of the day a street can take on different meanings and is occupied by very diverse populations. Students will therefore be required to identify a specific part of London and then a street, which will in effect be a character in their short stories or part of a series of 'snapshot' essays, where the reader can visualize clearly where the writer is describing. The work should be colorful, precise and of course, well-executed.

In preparation for this course, students should procure a collection of short stories, either American, Irish or British, of which there are many. Read them carefully, find out why you like certain stories and not others. Take notes on these points. How does the author create characters that you immediately feel close to? Close reading of other short story writers is essential in particular those who write about cities like Bill Bryson, Virginia Woolf, or Zadie Smith. The course will focus more on the short story as a way to learn creative writing because the scope and the precision of the form allows the student to study and learn method, use of vocabulary and character, all within a short text.