Creative writing made easy

Aims of the course

This course aims to 

1. Introduce you to the techniques of writing fiction and enable you to use these skills to improve your own writing;  
2. Explore a variety of novels, stories and films – including fantasy, horror and historical fiction – and to experience with a variety of form and genre in your own writing; 
3. Develop your own writing style and find your “voice”; 
4. Overcome writing blocks and be able to write with enjoyment and ease! 

Content 

The aim of this unit is to introduce you to the challenges and delights of writing longer fiction. The novel will be the main focus of this, although examples from novellas and short stories and films will also be employed. You will be invited to explore a range of works that reflect different aspects of these forms. The course will introduce techniques which could apply equally to both the ‘literary’ novel and the more ‘popular’ variety. These will include: researching and structuring a story; determining time and place; inventing convincing characters; conveying point of view; using dialogue effectively; describing different geographical and historical settings; sustaining suspense and creating drama; writing arresting openings, and providing satisfying conclusions. There will be an emphasis overall on ways of using language effectively, and on developing an individual writing style. 

Presentation of the course 

This week-long course will be taught through a series of informal seminars. You will use close reading, discussion and practical writing exercises to explore different approaches to long fiction in learning to write with ease and clarity of style. Each class is designed to expose you to new ideas or techniques and to encourage you to experiment in a relaxed, supportive and friendly atmosphere. There will also be the chance to share your own writing with the tutor and the class and develop it following group feedback, should you wish. Please note that no one will be asked to share their work if they do not wish to.  

Class sessions 

1. Brilliant beginnings: how to hook the reader 
   We’ll study a variety of dramatic story openings – focusing on the “Five W’s” – and examine how you can best start a story to ensure that your reader will want to read on. 
2. The dramatic hero and their fatal flaw 
   We’ll study the importance of the character arc and how you can create complex and flawed characters that readers will root for, as well as exploring the art of character description. 
3. Realistic dialogue 
   We’ll study dialogue in novels and films and examine how to write dialogue that is realistic, while also being gripping; and how to reveal exposition through dialogue while also moving the plot forward.
4. Un-skippable description 
   Description in novels are the paragraphs readers most often skip; and yet it’s essential for creating atmosphere and mood. We’ll examine six essential techniques to make sure your readers don’t skip your descriptive passages. 
5. Employing the five senses 
   Novels need to employ the five senses in order to create a fiction that feels real. We’ll look at taste, touch, sound and smell – in addition to sight – to bring richness and depth to your fictional worlds. 
6. Style and rhythm 
   Virginia Woolf said: “Style is all about rhythm and rhythm goes far deeper than words.” We will examine how you can create rhythmic prose with language as lyrical as poetry. 
7. The beating heart of the novel 
   There are many key elements to writing a successful novel and finding a central conflict is perhaps the most essential. We will explore how to situate your protagonist within a compelling plot, giving them an external desire and internal need that will see them (and the reader) through from beginning to end. 
8. The seven basic plots 
   In his magnum opus, Christopher Vogler outlined and investigated the seven basic plots in storytelling. We will study each of these and support you in deciding which would suit your story best. 
9. Writing to scare 
   Paying particular attention to films (and novels adapted into films) we will examine the three key elements to writing stories that will scare your readers. 
10. The elements of fairy-tales 
    Writing fairy-tales involves breaking all (or most) the rules of traditional creative writing. We will study this brilliantly effective form and go onto experiment with writing our own fairy-tales. 

Learning outcomes 

The learning outcomes for this course are: 

1. identify key techniques in writing fiction;  
2. demonstrate the ability to employ these techniques effectively in your own writing;  
3. apply the strategies you have observed in action to your own fiction writing.

Required reading

There is no required reading for this course. But the more you read of the supplementary reading, the better. (See VLE once accepted onto the course.)

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.