Marian’s novels are known and loved for their unforgettable characters, and for their unique way of tackling serious issues with humour, warmth, romance and the lightest of touches. Across five weeks, Marian reveals her writing secrets in refreshingly frank terms – from the importance of writing for yourself and ‘digging for truth’ – to how to give your readers a ‘smooth experience’ – and the imperative of keeping going until it comes right. ‘If your novel drives into the sand – if it stops being interesting to you and you lose faith in it, does that mean you should abandon it and start writing something new? No! This is where the work begins. Shit just got real.’
Whether you’re writing a novel or shorter fiction, this course will help you develop engaging characters that readers will want to revisit, find your individual style, face your fears and keep writing.
Marian Keyes is one of the most successful Irish novelists of all time. Her debut novel Watermelon was published in Ireland in 1995, where it was an immediate runaway success. Marian went on to write further books on the Walsh family, such as the iconic Rachel's Holiday as well as a host of other novels including Anybody Out There and Grown Ups. Marian's multi-million copy, internationally bestselling works have been translated into 33 languages. Photo by Dean Chalkley.
Follow the course at your own pace. Our online courses are designed for flexible study – you can take part at times to suit you and from wherever in the world you are. To get the best out of it, we recommend spending four-six hours on the coursework, and to be progressing your own novel or story throughout the five weeks.
All students will be given the option to purchase feedback on their final task from a CBC editor.
Do you want to know more about the contents of our end-of-course reader reports? Click the button below to download and read an example report.
Encourage your friend or loved one to get creative! We have £190 digital gift vouchers available, enabling you to buy any five-week online course as a present.