Module overview
The Creative Writing Skills Workshop is the heart of the Creative Writing MA. It is a supportive, exacting space for mini-lectures on craft, guided group feedback, and individual mentoring.
It is a two-semester module that runs weekly. All students on the MA Creative Writing take part in this workshop.
The Workshop is based around close reading of a current draft of your work-in-progress, seeking to develop it in keeping with your aims as a writer. Through this, you will be encouraged to develop your awareness of the contemporary literary scene, and a deepen your understanding of genre.
You will also be encouraged to develop skills in critical reading and listening to the work of your peers. There will be in-class writing prompts, focussed homework exercises. All students will meet with their tutor for one-on-one mentoring during the semester.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- distinguish your aims as a writer from others
- identify the key features and their relation to readers of different styles, modes and genres work in a group to improve a piece of writing
- revise and edit creative writing to a professional standard
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- manage deadlines and make effective use of your time
- revise and edit your work effectively
- plan the extended development of a piece of writing towards a successful conclusion
- demonstrate interpersonal skills necessary for teamwork
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- write fluently in a range of styles
- present ideas effectively
- revise and edit creative writing to a professional standard
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- achieve originality, linguistic versatility, and structural control in your writing
- the process of development and revision involved in a creative project
- how to write in a range of modes
- relevant theories of writing and literature
Cognitive Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- make literary judgements in an informed way
- deal with complex creative issues in a systematic and analytic manner
- interact effectively with readers via your writing
- independently evaluate and apply compositional methods
- demonstrate originality through your writing
Syllabus
The Workshop is responsive to the needs of each cohort of students, and is tailored to the kinds of writing they are pursuing.
Over the course of the module, Workshop sessions may include sessions on contemporary literary forms and genres and narrative techniques (worldbuilding, point of view, dialogue, suspense). We will look at examples of successful published writing, and develop skills of close reading.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
This module will make use of writing exercises (in class and extended writing assignments), creative and critical reading, peer assessment, guest workshop sessions, and one-to-one tutorials. The writing tutor will work closely with you to develop your voice and hone your writing technique. Close and careful attention to your fellow writers' work will be key to your success on this module.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Teaching | 42 |
| Independent Study | 558 |
| Total study time | 600 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
John Yorke (2014). Into the Woods.
Anne Lamott (1995). Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor Books.
George Saunders (2022). A Swim in a Pond in the Rain.
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Creative writing
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback: Students will receive feedback on drafts throughout the module and in one-to-one tutorials
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Research proposal
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback: Students will receive feedback on drafts throughout the module and in one-to-one tutorials
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Portfolio | 75% |
| Critical commentary | 25% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Portfolio | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal