Starting to Write Fiction
Start Date
Package
Starting to Write Fiction
Start writing fiction on our eight-week course for beginners – with inspiring Zoom lessons and feedback from tutor Vanessa Gebbie.
Tutor
Vanessa GebbieLength
8 weeksLocation
Online,ZoomWriting Goal
Start writingFire up your imagination and learn essential fiction writing skills – this lively Zoom course is the perfect way to kickstart your writing journey!
Thank you for putting on such an enjoyable course! I loved it and hope to try out some more in the future after I’ve made a start with the tools I’ve learnt from this course.
If you’ve always wanted to write but don’t know where to begin or you need help to generate ideas for a new story or novel, this is the course for you. We’ll equip you with the tools needed to start writing your own unique stories with confidence.
Develop your craft in a friendly, supportive group of budding writers. Each week, you’ll join 15 fellow writers for lively 90-minute Zoom teaching sessions led by your tutor, acclaimed author Vanessa Gebbie. You’ll explore the essentials of fiction writing – from coming up with ideas and creating three-dimensional characters to plotting and crafting compelling stories that hook readers from the outset.
Vanessa will provide examples to read and discuss and set practical writing exercises designed to help you find your voice and explore your creative potential. You’ll also get feedback from Vanessa on two of your written tasks.
This course is suitable for complete beginners starting out on their writing journey as well as those looking for a burst of inspiration and to refresh their skills. It’s the ideal first foray into writing novels and short stories or a great next step for those who have taken our four-week Creative Writing for Beginners course or our 30-Day Writing Bootcamps.
Tutor
Vanessa Gebbie
Vanessa Gebbie is the award-winning writer of three collections of short stories: Words from a Glass Bubble, Storm Warning and A Short History of Synchronised Breathing, a collection of flash fiction, Nothing to Worry About, and a novella in flash, Ed's Wife and Other Creatures. Her novel The Coward’s Tale was selected as a Financial Times Book of the Year. She has won awards for short stories, flash fictions, poetry and travel writing, is an experienced creative writing teacher and mentor, and is the editor of Short Circuit: Guide to the Art of the Short Story. She also contributed a chapter to the Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction.
Photo by Claire McNamee.
WHAT DOES THIS COURSE GIVE YOU?
- Live teaching sessions on Zoom: On Monday evenings, Vanessa will welcome the group for a 90-minute Zoom class, covering topics that will be of interest to beginners such as how to create engaging characters, gripping dialogue and a strong sense of place. You’ll read examples of great fiction writing and discuss these as a group.
- A community of writers: Join a friendly and supportive group of 15 aspiring writers for weekly Zoom classes and share your work with your peers on our bespoke learning platform. You’ll be encouraged to read and give feedback on each other’s work and to discuss the week’s teaching topic in a warm, supportive space.
- Writing tasks: Weekly writing tasks, prompts and practical exercises will help you explore the teaching topics and develop your skills as you put pen to paper.
- Feedback on your writing: Each week, your tutor will give brief feedback to five students on their work, so that each student in the group receives individual comment on their work twice during the course.
- Guest author session: Join a special live Zoom session with a guest author. They will talk about how they got started writing fiction and give tips on setting goals, making time to write and progressing with a project. There will be an opportunity for students to ask questions.
Course schedule
Vanessa will lead weekly Zoom sessions on Monday evenings from 7.00pm to 8.30pm (UK time) unless otherwise stated. Please note that precise dates of sessions and details of course speakers are subject to change.
WEEK 1 – BEGINNINGS
Mon 6 Oct, 7–8.30pmWEEK 2 – CHARACTER
Mon 13 Oct, 7–8.30pmWEEK 3 – PLOT
Mon 20 Oct, 7–8.30pmWEEK 4 – SETTING
Mon 27 Oct, 7–8.30pmWEEK 5 – POINT OF VIEW
Mon 3 Nov, 7–8.30pmWEEK 6 – GUEST AUTHOR SESSION
Mon 10 Nov, 7–8.30pmWEEK 7 – DIALOGUE
Mon 17 Nov, 7–8.30pmWEEK 8 – ENDINGS
Tues 24 Nov, 7–8.30pm (bank holiday Mon 21 Apr)
ENROLMENT PROCESS
The 15 places on this course are allocated on a first come, first served basis. To secure your place on this course, click ‘enrol now’ and complete our payment process.
On receipt of payment, we will send you a link to our short registration form.
If you encounter any problems during the enrolment process, or have any more questions about the course, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk for assistance.
COURSE FEES
The course fee of £495 (inc VAT) per student is payable in full before the masterclass.
ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK
Students will be given the option to purchase feedback on their work from a CBC editor at the end of the course.
- CBC report: For an additional fee of £155, you can obtain a detailed 500-word report on your work (of up to 3,000 words) from one of our editors.
- CBC report + tutorial: For an additional fee of £260, you can obtain a 500-word report from one of our editors and have a 30-minute video or telephone tutorial with them to discuss your work.
