SS119 Creative Writing: Poetry and Fiction

This course will explore the writing of fiction and poetry from first steps to final polish. How do poems begin, what can we use as a starting point for our stories, how do we sustain a poem or a story to its proper conclusion. Through various reading and writing exercises this course will road test several experimental techniques which can be used to spark new work and ideas. The course will work towards having the student complete a significant piece of work to a high degree of finish.

Classes will consist of a short writing exercise followed by a close reading of a classic text. In the workshop section, students can expect to have their work discussed at least twice by the class over the duration of the course. Feedback will be given by the tutor - two thirds of the way through the course, and upon receiving the final grade. The final portfolio of work will be graded on its imaginative skill and originality.