Writing Courses
“It’s none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.” Ernest Hemingway
Do writers need to study writing?
Obviously the answer here must be yes. It would be impossible to write something publishable without ever having read any books, or spent serious time thinking about and analysing their appeal, and how they work.
As Stephen King said in his brilliant memoir/writing manual, On Writing -
If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.
If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.
Stephen King
A more difficult question to answer, is whether writers need to formally study writing.
As usual on any complicated question, I am firmly on the fence. So my answer would be… maybe.
I’ve done a whole range of different courses in my time, from old fashioned correspondence courses with the Open College of the Arts, to the Undergraduate Creative Writing courses, with the Open University - A215 and A363, I think.
Since then I have dabbled in various different short courses. The Self Editing Course, via what is now Jericho Writers, for instance, was brilliant and helped me to enormously improve the manuscript of The Witch House.
I still dream of one day pursuing a Creative Writing MA, or even a PhD. There are specialist Crime Writing ones now, too.
Formal Writing Courses
By this, I mean courses which have a properly participative element.
The Open University undergraduate courses were by far the most useful of those I’ve actually completed, and not just yearned over. The courses themselves are well structured and cover a good, inclusive syllabus - from The Creative Process module, through the elements of writing fiction, memoir or ‘life writing’ and poetry. The Advanced course also includes fiction and poetry, as well as writing plays and scripts.
(I had a quick look and it seems that the same courses are still on offer, although they may have been updated)
Of course you could learn a great deal by just buying copies of the course book and working through it - but the real value is in doing the work, submitting stories and reflections on what you’ve written and getting feedback from tutors. The tutors are all different, of course - I was lucky to have two whose approach was very different but still incredibly helpful. I know some students were less happy with theirs.
The other brilliant part is being part of a tutor group, and learning to give - and take (ouch) - feedback on your writing. I learned so much from that - not just the feedback from my fellow students, but learning to analyse other student’s writing.
It was where I really started to learn about editing. In many ways it’s exactly the same skills which I needed studying English Literature - only then I was analysing the writing of the greats. It’s much more difficult to do a careful critique of fellow students - where the writing ability can vary to say the least.
When I look back on stories I wrote in 2007 and 2008, I am astonished by how much my writing has improved - even when I look at the short story which was shortlisted for the Asham Award.
Did the writing courses help my writing improve?
Yes, I think they did. But I think the improvement is not entirely a conscious process. As Stephen King says (quoted above), we have to do a lot of a reading and a lot of writing. My working theory is - stuff as much as you can into your head, novels and poetry and TV and film, and lots of courses where we learn about writing techniques and theory and read about how other writers work. And then spill it all out, in thousands upon thousands of words. Spend time editing and revising and polishing. And somehow, unconsciously, the writing improves.
The other benefit of these participative courses - we may be lucky enough to make writing friends who will stay with us over the years. People who will read and critique our work, and people whose work we can also read.
It’s really a very good way to find our own writing family, as it were. When I was young and first started to write, there was nothing like this. Writing was much lonelier.
Of course, we still have to sit down and write on our own, but it’s so much better to have all the support around the whole writing life - from times we are blocked, to dealing with rejections, and even better, to celebrating successes.
Not all participative courses are long - the brilliant Self Editing course I did a few years ago, now Jericho Writers, lasts six - quite intense - weeks. Again, it was a good way to meet sympathetic writers.
Other courses which fall under this heading are available from Curtis Brown Creative, and Faber, for example. I am constantly tempted by them, but the really worthwhile courses are very expensive, as as my health is currently variable. (ha!) I don’t want to commit as I can’t be sure I could make the most of a six months course. The less expensive ones obviously have less tutoring and less participation - and also seem unlikely to provide me with anything new.
Writing friends who have done the six months courses with Curtis Brown have found them very good, though, so I suspect if you didn’t want to commit to the Open University Undergraduate courses, they might be a very good choice.
There are now loads of Creative Writing MAs available, some online, some on campus, part time and full time. I shall leave you to google.
If money and energy were in plentiful supply - alas, neither is - these are the two which would seriously tempt me -
The Master of Studies (MSt) in Crime and Thriller Writing - at Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education
or
The MA Creative Writing Crime Fiction, at UEA
”Imagine writing a full-length novel under the guidance of award-winning crime writers and experienced creative writing tutors. All without relocating or giving up work.
UEA’s part-time, low-residency MA Creative Writing Crime Fiction gives you unique flexibility with a distance-learning course supported by residencies. You’ll take the course via a specially designed, highly inclusive online platform, with three two-day residential periods per year.”
I do, occasionally, torment myself by imagining…
Presentation Courses & Webinars
These very much vary in quality, I find - not simply between particular platforms, but between courses offered on the same platform.
A couple of years ago I enjoyed a year’s subscription to the Masterclass courses. They have lots of courses by writers but they seem to vary a lot in quality and also in how much each particular writer has put into it - some seem far more personal than others.
I really enjoyed the Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood masterclasses, but was a little disappointed in the Salman Rushdie.
I don’t think anyone is going to learn to write a novel from one of these classes - but really there is still a lot you can learn. Gaiman and Atwood are both very good on topics such as where to find inspiration, and I think a writer who lacked direction could find some help there, for instance.
In theory there are forums where it’s possible to participate. In practice, I don’t think they really work - because everyone is working at their own pace and so there’s no sense of belonging.
I also found Jed Mercurio’s class on BBC Maestro was very entertaining, and introduced me to some new skill and techniques that would certainly help in writing novels, not just scripts.
The most useful, I think, were Lisa Cron’s courses on Creative Live - especially Wired for Story. That’s the only one I’ve gone back and worked through again - and Creative Live allow you to keep the courses you’ve paid for.
I did try others from the Creative Live writing courses which were less useful - but each to their own.
One bittersweet gift from the pandemic is that there are many more webinars of all kinds available now. Some are free, and some not. My most recent was with Anne Lamott - and although there was very little in it which was new to me, it was very inspirational.
One thing I do is try to find something of the kind every month - something to spark my imagination.
Other kinds of courses & Webinars
As writers, I think it’s always important to stay open and to learn about all kinds of other things.
I mean, one of the great joys about writing is that anything and everything in the world can spark our imagination and become a new story, right?
I’ve done various MOOCs on Archaeology and Forensics, for instance. There are historical courses which tempt me. Anything you want to research and Coursera and Futurelearn can be procrastination central.
But if I could, should I?
I would still love to do a Masters in Creative Writing, but the truth is, it’s not necessarily a good choice for me.
As I have already said, I have limited resources when it comes to energy (let alone the financial cost of an MA, these days).
And my comfort zone -oh how I hate that phrase and the judgemental implication that we should not be comfortable, should not focus on what we do well, but what we do badly - is always to turn to education, to courses, as a means of procrastination, when I’m avoiding the hard work that I know I should be doing.
Do I need an MA in crime fiction to write the next novel, and make a brilliant job of it? The simple answer is that I don’t.
I just need to do it.
That’s all.
And counter-intuitive as it is - the one course which helped me more than any other with my writing was an Open College of the Arts Textile Arts course.
I am an enthusiastic amateur textile artist. I love to embroider and weave, but I had no formal art education at all. I loved the course and learned a great deal, but at the end of the year, my tutor apologised to me. She said she knew how hard I worked and yet she was unable to award me more than a bare pass. Her actual words, “Even so, you made the most progress of all the students I’ve ever taught.”
I laughed, and acknowledged, “That’s because I started so far back, right?”
I hadn’t even known what a colour wheel was…
So she was right, and was not being unkind - she encouraged me to carry on and I have done do.
But the lesson I learned from doing that class was the most important lesson I have ever learned. I did well at school, because I was naturally academic. I had, until that point, not done well with writing - to the point that I’d given up.
I didn’t know then that “all writing is rewriting.” So if I wrote a story it either worked or it didn’t. The amazing part is I wrote some stories which almost worked.
I didn’t know that it was possible to get better at something by working on it until that moment.
And that was what gave me a reason to go back to writing, and to do those Open University courses, and to completing two novels…
It’s by far the hardest work I’ve ever done, and I really do love it.
So yes, I would very much recommend that we all continue our education and pursue our interests.
But also, I would say, that there comes a point where you just need to put what you know into practice.
So, back to the writing of Novel 3.
I would love to know what experiences any of you have had with writing courses, so please do share in the comments!
Ann
Resources
Open College of The Arts
Curtis Brown Creative Courses
Jericho Writers Courses - I did the self editing one a few years ago and it was excellent
Lisa Cron - Wired for Story
Syllabus for a DIY MA 2019 - Andrew Wille
Ann
I really enjoyed getting to know you in your articles I read today.
I am a complete Newbie in this field.
A friend told me about Substack a couple of days ago. I’ve been devouring the info and subscribed to a couple of writers.
I have yet to write anything. I really don’t know how to start.
I have one self published novel I wrote in 2010. I have several short stories I’ve written but have done nothing with them.
Sorry to infringe upon you but I guess I am asking for a little advice.
Thank you for reading this.
June Wood
Excellent fencing. I'm very much with you on the possibilities and the drawbacks.
One thing you don't mention is the sad fact that some of the power of the expensive/formal/academic course is networking. Courses often offer access to agents and other professionals - who in turn have a ready-made supply of well-trained authors. Hey ho.
I remember when I (accidentally) became involved with spoken word poets, Jo Bell, one of the best teachers, pointed out that she still goes to as many poetry workshops as she can manage because it's a way to find a spark, even if not new methods. I feel a bit like that. I was lucky enough to spot a few free or ridiculously cheap (subsidised) things back then and they really kick-started my live gigs. Now I just lurk online and chat, tch.