Turn your real-life story into a narrative masterpiece
…with our Creative Non-Fiction course
Key information
Start date: Multiple dates available Duration: 6 weeks
Format: online No. of students: 12 (max)
You will learn a wide range of techniques to help you write and edit your ideas for non-fiction of all kinds.
This includes help with generating and refining ideas to decide what kind of writer you want to be; guidance on how to apply journalist techniques to researching, interviewing and reviewing; support on creating a solid structure for your book; feedback as you find your unique voice and tips on writing a professional pitch.
Book the ‘Writing Creative Non-Fiction’ course
An online tutored course designed to help you tell a true story using the best tips and tricks from fiction.
Got questions? Then drop us a line.
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Overview Summary
What does the course offer?
This course will help you define your idea and find your own voice to communicate your story. It will teach you to apply techniques that cover research, interviewing, and create a structure within which to place your writing. There is an inspiring reading list associated with this course, which can provide fertile ground for ideas and examples of the techniques you will learn.
Why this course is special
This course gives you the opportunity to explore non-fiction writing in all its guises with the mentorship of an industry expert. You will learn from how to express your ideas and hone in on your subject, through to how to edit your work. All alongside real industry advice on how to get your work to a publishable standard.
Syllabus
Week 1 – Getting off to a flying start
Where do ideas come from? Which ones work? How do you develop them into a substantial work?
We’ll begin to find a way into our writing and make sure we aren’t daunted by that blank first page. We’ll also look at ways to test our concepts and make sure we know where they’re heading.
And we’ll look at a few other writers and ways they can give us useful models.
Week 2 – Effective communication: finding your voice and reaching your audience
Who will read your book and why? We’ll discuss different audiences and different ways to reach them – and why it’s okay if you just want to write for yourself.
We’ll have fun looking at a few distinctive voices and authorial presences – and we’ll find out some more about the most important character in your own work: you.
Week 3 – Making progress: moving things forward and keeping them moving
Good storytelling is as important in non-fiction as fiction. We’ll find out how to spin a really good yarn. We’ll talk about when to show, when to tell and when to do a bit of both. We’ll talk about techniques for moving things forward and maintaining momentum. We’ll also look at a few good journalistic techniques for passing on facts quickly – and making those facts interesting.
Week 4 – Making it talk: effective dialogue, gripping drama, and harnessing your research to good effect
Just as in fiction, dialogue and drama are crucial to many forms of non-fiction – and the rules are very similar. We’ll take some useful hints from Elmore Leonard, a top crime writer.
We’ll also look at how to make your research really work for you – and how to make sure you can always see the wood as well as the trees when it comes to gathering and conveying information.
Week 5 – Making it real: sensory responses
How do you bring alive landscapes, objects, memories, different times and places? We’ll look at close observation of and sensory responses to the world around us and within ourselves. We’ll also look at being creative with non-fiction, putting flesh on bare bones and when your own imagination can help you tell your story.
Week 6 – Wrapping up – and tying a nice bow + SPECIAL GUEST!
It’s time to assess our work and achievements over the past six weeks – and also to think about how to take things even further. We’ll talk about the fine art of editing and redrafting, how to keep going when the going gets tough and what do when you get to the end. We’ll think about how best to pitch your work. And how to put together a professional submission pack.
Publisher and Editor Eloise Millar will take part in an online Q&A
A wonderful opportunity to gain insight into the industry and advice on approaching publishers.
Tutor bio
Sam Jordison
Sam Jordison is an author, journalist and tutor. As a publisher he is the co-director of the award-winning Galley Beggar Press. He writes regularly about books and publishing for The Guardian. He has taught courses on publishing, journalism and creative writing at UEA, Kingston and Greenwich Universities. He is the author of several non-fiction books including the best-selling Crap Towns series, a book on literature and London called (aptly enough) Literary London, and the I-Spy books for adults.
Guest Tutor bio
Eloise Millar
Publisher, novelist, and non-fiction author Eloise Millar from Galley Beggar Press will join us for a Q&A session in the last week of the course.
Eloise is the author of Wednesday’s Child, co-author of Literary London and co-director of (and brains behind) Galley Beggar Press, the award winning independent publisher and publisher of Eimear McBride’s A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing and Alex Pheby’s Playthings. She also teaches on publishing courses at UEA and Greenwich university.
How the course works
All course content, including videos, exercises, tasks and reading lists, will be uploaded to the course platform on the same day each week. You’ll be able to have full access to all that content permanently, so there’s plenty of time for you to fit the course around your everyday life. Each week, you will be set a ‘homework’ task to be completed by the following week if you can (but if you can’t, just let your tutor know – they’ll understand!) This homework will enable your fellow students and your tutor to give you feedback on your writing.
The course platform is easy-to-use, friendly and yours to access whenever is most convenient for you. We suggest dedicating a minimum of three hours a week to the course, but like anything – the more you put into it, the more you get out!
Many of our learners leave courses having made life-long friends and a clear idea where to take their writing. Just take look at a few of the testimonials below.
Build a strong underlying story structure