Online Advanced Writing Workshops 2023-2024

(A series of twelve writing workshops between October 2023 and July 2024)

The Online Advanced Writing Workshops have been designed for writers who have completed either the Creative Writing Programme, an undergraduate or a masters programme in creative writing, or, who have work in progress and are capable of discussing the creative process and contributing to workshops at an advanced level.

The aim of the online advanced writing workshops is:

• to provide a forum for writers committed to finishing novels or collections of short stories and who are looking for a critical and supportive audience for their work in progress.
• to act as a place where writers can meet regularly to discuss the creative process and inspire and energise each other.

The move to online learning

The technology is now available for us to move confidently into online learning. Video conferencing allows us to maintain the interactive element that replicates the experience of face to face sessions. To join your online class all you have to do is click on the link on your course page and the online classroom opens up. We are also excited at the prospect of working with writers from more diverse backgrounds both geographically and culturally. In the week before the beginning of your course you will be invited to attend a Zoom familiarisation session if you have not taken an online course before.

Use of email and computers on the online advanced writing workshops

It is now a standard requirement that writers on writing programmes use computers for communication and the production of work. Writers should ensure that they have access to a desktop computer with a video camera and good internet connection.

Overview of the online Advanced Writing Workshops

Every three to four weeks your group will meet to:

• workshop work in progress and discuss aspects of writing technique.
• the two-hour session will consist of group workshops, with two members submitting 5,000 words for constructive feedback each month.
• the focus of the workshops will be on critiquing and discussing work in progress, particularly on the coherence and integrity of plot, structure and characterisation.
• as well as the opportunity to workshop longer pieces of work you will also have the opportunity to submit three extracts of 2,000 words of work in progress directly to your tutor for feedback and guidance.

Your tutor may, from time to time, introduce practical exercises on aspects of technique that have been discussed during the workshopping process.

You will be encouraged to be supportive and critical readers of each other’s work.

You will be able to share and submit work, exchange information about books and events and raise questions about writing technique with other writers in the group through the interactive webpage for the course on the Creative Writing Programme website

Please ensure you have read our Terms and Conditions. For further information on this course or our other programmes contact

Mark Slater
mark.slater@creativewritingprogramme.org.uk