Our annual programme of creative writing courses, events and writing retreats is designed to support writers at every stage of their journey, from the complete novice to the seasoned wordsmith.
Our core course is Get Writing, which covers the basics and gives writers plenty of opportunity to learn, develop their skills and confidence and to share their work. Although Get Writing isn’t a prerequisite for joining our other courses, our experience is that it will supercharge your writing, meaning that you’ll get even more out of the other programmes.
We then focus on genres, with specific courses on writing crime, fantasy, sci-fi, memoir, nature writing and literary fiction.
Our day-long intensives are opportunities for more focussed work around these areas.
Writing retreats provide time away to write and to learn with a group of like-minded people in some incredible settings.
We asked writers what they wanted from a creative writing learning experience and the overwhelming response was feedback, feedback and more feedback. So, we make giving feedback a huge priority. For our weekly courses, feedback will consist of inline comments, a written summary and then discussion in class, all delivered with kindness.
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Our Philosophy
Writing can be a lonely business, fraught with self-doubt, creative blocks and attacks of imposter syndrome. We’ve all been there.
It can also be a challenging business, because writing gets to the heart of a great many things. Writing can make us feel vulnerable, unskilled and shy. The first time we ever share a piece of writing with a group can be daunting, nerve wracking and exposing. Not everyone has had the benefit of a good education. Some people struggle with dyslexia or worry so much about their spelling and grammar that they never quite dare put pen to paper.
At Word After Word our philosophy is that everyone has a story to tell, whether it’s something made-up or something from life. Our job is to help writers develop the skills and confidence to overcome blocks, to get writing and to keep writing. Our experience is that whatever the background of the writer, by week two of our core course, there’s no stopping people: the ideas come and the words flow.
In our community of writers, we are each other’s critical friends. Our mission is to cultivate an environment of trust and mutual respect in which everyone, no matter where they began, can be on their own creative path supported by their peers.
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Keep Writing
We’re not just here for a one-off course or workshop, we’re here to support writers at every stage of their journey.
Our Word After Word private facebook group is open to all alumni, so if you’ve attended any of our courses, retreats or events, you’ll be invited to join and to stay a part of our community. We’ll post regular writing prompts, competition information and inspiring ideas. It’s a place for our community to hang-out, support each other and share their work.
Whilst writing groups are a brilliant way to feel part of a community, sometimes a different approach is required. If you need some more focussed creative feedback, our flexible 1-to-1 Feedback Session provides just that, and includes an assessment of your writing, written feedback and a 1-hour tutorial, either face to face, or by phone or Skype. This is a great way to get some bespoke support. Our 1-to-1 Coaching for Writers programme is there to help you over specific blocks, find new creative direction and set goals towards achieving a more substantial project. Typically delivered in around 4-6 1-hour sessions, either face-to-face, or by phone or Skype. These sessions focus on your process as a writer and don’t involve critique or feedback on your work.
We like to use Scrivener as a platform for writing and having got used to all of the ins and outs we’re offering 1-to-1 Scrivener Tutorials to help get you set up and using this powerful tool. We’ve no affiliation to Scrivener or Literature and Latte, we just think it’s a great toolkit!
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Finally, our annual programme includes one-off workshops and events in response to feedback and requests from our community. If there’s something you’d like us to focus on, let us know!
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For information on any of our courses, events, retreats and tutorials, get in touch today!
Call +44 (0)1206 625010 (24hrs) or use the form below!