Writers' Group

Our Writer’s Group is designed to give opportunities for class members to share any of their writing in a safe enabling environment. The sharing of writing, and the offering of positive and constructive critiquing is an excellent way for people who write to improve their skills.

Week one introduces the course and asks questions like what participants want to gain from a course like this; exploring the reasons why you wish to write.

The rest of the sessions will cover a variety of topics relating to the techniques used when writing creatively. These will include:

• How to create vibrant fictional characters.
• Plot and structure in narrative: How to craft a story narrative looking at historical development of plot, and examples from literature.
• Descriptive language – using sensory language. The technique of ‘show don’t tell’ – with examples from literature. Active/passive writing
• What makes realistic, engaging and purposeful dialogue when writing fiction. Who are some of the best authors (from classical and contemporary fiction) with examples from great literature
• Setting – why is setting so important to story. How to create an immersive, living setting in stories. We will look at various classic settings from literature and examine the techniques used.
• Point of view – what are the different perspectives used by authors – from first person ‘I’ to third person ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they,’ etc. Which POV fits a narrative most successfully.
• We will also explore meta techniques like voice, tone, style, pace…Comparing different writers’ styles in fiction, non-fiction. What is your style? And how can you develop it.

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