Advanced Course

Workshop Dates/Times:

TBC. Issues with venues and scheduling mean the writing courses will most likely return in the summer term of 2023.

Email jamie@writingcourses.org.uk to be kept informed.

 

Perfect for anyone wanting to:

– wanting to make progress on their creative writing – fiction or memoir
– connect with other writers 🍀
– make space in your life for creativity

 

Tutor: Alice Adams is the author of Invincible Summer (Picador/Little, Brown), published in over ten countries and seven languages, which got great reviews around the world from the likes of The Times, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Location: The Groucho Club, 45 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D 4QB

(The Groucho is a private members’ club but you do not need to be a member to attend the workshops.)

Varied writing prompts and a supportive atmosphere will help you to make progress on your writing and get comfortable sharing short pieces of your work.

Cost (including tea/coffee): tbc

Max Group Size:  12

Sample Topics:

– getting under a character’s skin: secrets, longing and core wounds
– keeping things moving: conflict, pace and narrative momentum
– submission and publication: who, when and how?
the psychology of writing: perseverence, writer’s block, procrastination
‘debugging’ your own work: what to do when it’s just.not.working
– writing sparkling ✨ dialogue
– advanced plot structure: the story arc, sub-plots and complex narrative structures
– setting goals – how, what, why
cognitive load: noticing where you spend your energy
– techniques for boosting creativity

Everyone will have an optional slot to workshop a 1,000-2,000 word piece of their work for constructive feedback from the tutor and group.

The Advanced Course has a flexible format tailored to the needs and interests of the attendees, and can be repeated as many times as you like. We agree during the first class what topics the group would like to cover.

This course is for anyone with any experience of creative writing, such as:

– attending a previous course
– working on their own writing
– reading relevant books eg Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird or John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction

For beginners, we have the Original Course.

Book now:




(You do not need a PayPal account – you get the option to pay by credit/debit card when you click)

 

All bookings will be acknowledged by email within 24 hours of payment to the email address on your PayPal account. Please check your spam folder if you don’t receive confirmation. If you would like us to use a different email address, email jamie@writingcourses.org.uk

Request a Callback: email jamie@writingcourses.org.uk with your phone number

Booking as a gift? Email jamie@writingcourses.org.uk with the course and recipient’s name and email address, and we’ll email a gift certificate. We will email you a Paypal invoice which can be paid via PayPal/credit card/debit card/BACS transfer. Gift certificates can be used on any course within 9 months of issue.

Cancellation Policy: If you wish to cancel, we will refund the fee less £75 up to 21 days before the course starts. After this we regret we cannot offer refunds. This does not affect your statutory rights; however, all cancellation rights end when you begin the course.

Occasionally a substitute teacher may be employed. In the unlikely event of a class being cancelled, a suitable alternative date will be arranged or a refund for that session given.

Coronavirus Guarantee: If for any reason the in-person courses can’t go ahead, we will give you the option of either:

– receiving a quibble-free refund within 48 hours (pro rata if the course has already begun)

– transferring to a two-hour online course with the same start time and dates and receiving a £100 refund

What previous attendees say:

“A unique, fresh and honest course. Alice is generous with her insight and attention, not only facilitating riveting discussions about the elements of creative writing but also about who we are as writers.”

– Nadia, Advanced Course, October 2022

“Very inclusive.”

– Ben Gareh, Advanced Course, October 2022

“Lovely tutor! Alice was brilliant at everything. Supportive group, constructive feedback.”

– Natalie, Advanced Course, October 2022

“Open conversations about writing and life. Really good advice for beginning writers and writers who have trouble getting started. Inspired by Alice’s journey and process. Learned a lot about myself as a writer.”

– Anonymous, Original Course, October 2022

“I feel I’ve made a major improvement in my ability to take any project forward with enthusiasm and trust the process. Alice’s plotting tools are superb. ”

– Lisa Sanfilipo, Original Course, October 2022

“This course gave me back my joy of writing, and with the guidebook I was missing.”

– Donna, Advanced Course, October 2022

“I now think of writing all the time thanks to this course, and am writing regularly.”

– Moya, Original Course, October 2022

“The course was very informative and opened me up to thinking creatively in a very supportive way to discover the delight of creative writing.”

– Lesley Wilson, Advanced Course, October 2022

“I enjoyed the dynamics of the group and the diversity of interests and stories. I loved the exercises!”

– Jenny Ridgewell, Original Course, October 2022

“Strong on encouragement and analysis.”

– Jonny, Advanced Course, October 2022

“What did I like about the course? Everything! Perfectly balanced. One of the most liberating weeks of my life. Thank you.”

– Catriona Mills, Weeklong Summer Workshop 2022

“Just a quick note to say that today I finished my second draft of the novel I started writing after one of your fantastic courses.

There loads of things to pick at but I got there and it’s most definitely thanks to your course and your kind encouragement.

Didn’t think I could enjoy blood, sweat and tears quite so much.

A huge thank you!”

– Margaret, Advanced Course, Spring 2022

“Excellent professional tutoring by Alice. Very useful to hear from a published writer about all the aspects of getting published. I loved the writing exercises and used them to advance my novel.”

– Robin Wills, Weeklong Summer Workshop 2022

“It has pushed me to actually create ideas and move them forward. It’s like I have broken through the wall of ‘I want to’, and now ‘I can and I will’. Love the varied exercises and gained confidence in reading my work out, which I’m rubbish at. Wish I could be doing the course all the time, frankly.”

Jessica Bumpus, Weeklong Summer Workshop 2022

“The course opened my eyes to new ways of approaching my writing. Great exercises. I felt it has really helped my confidence. Very inspiring to hear others in the class as well.”

Russ Mullan, Weeklong Summer Workshop 2022

“I highly recommend this course!

It ran for five days and covered the essential elements of writing a novel. The critiques I received were very insightful, and it motivated me to think about flow and edit a piece to make it more impactful.”

– Nadia, Weeklong Summer Workshop 2022

“What did I like about the course? Everything!

The wide range of exercises that made me approach writing problems in different ways. The tutor’s observations about writing, and feedback and insights into the industry.”

– Jonny, Weeklong Summer Workshop 2022

“I am so grateful to the course.

It has given me confidence as a writer, and most importantly I learnt so many techniques in such a short period time, all of which have been applied to my writing.

The group has been incredibly supportive, and I felt so comfortable reading my work, even though the thought of it originally filled me with dread. I learnt a lot just listening to others.

I really loved the writing prompts, and at first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to write on the spot but they really work. I have even used some of the prices i wrote in my first draft.

Thank you so much for this amazing course.

I will be back in the future and will recommend!”

– Daniel Magson, Autumn 2020

“Alice has a natural talent for teaching and facilitating the development of writing in a kind of invisible way – don’t know how she does it. She creates a very safe environment where you feel able to express yourself even in the shitty first draft stage. Learnt so much.”

– Janette, Advanced Course, Spring 2020

“Great group of colleagues. Alice is a lovely teacher, thoughtful and responsive to the needs of the students. She shares personal experiences, which is really helpful.”

– Carolyn Housman, Advanced Course, Spring 2020

“Setting and content are good. Plenty to do – exercises are appropriate and useful. Clear tuition, kind and thoughtful.”

– Michael Butler, Advanced Course, Spring 2020

“Alice is a terrific tutor. Also enjoyed the company of others on the course – it was altogether a very supportive and positive environment.”

– Abby, Advanced Course, Spring 2020

“Excellent as usual. I always feel I grow as a writer after each course.”

– Yasser, Advanced Course, Spring 2020

“It was a really encouraging environment but also pushed me to work towards my personal goals.”

– Eleanor Philpott, Advanced Course, Spring 2020

“I’ve attended the course several times before over the last few years and always find it incredibly beneficial to my development as a writer. The encouraging and constructive feedback from reading your work is highly useful, as are the exercises.”

– Yasser Saffar, Advanced Course, Autumn 2019

“The spotlight sessions are awesome! The breadth of technical feedback I received was good for me and gave me clarity in my project.”

– Leke, Advanced Course, Autumn 2019

“I really liked the sense of support, both from the teachers and other students. Safe space for writers!”

– Anonymous, Advanced Course, Autumn 2019

“Really motivating and helps me actually make progress. Also a great opportunity to meet people with a shared interest who are supportive and encouraging. I’ve learnt a lot and feel like I‘ve really developed.”

– Becky, Advanced Course, Autumn 2019

“I liked the encouragement and direction – I now know what to do and how to do it, or how to work out how to do it. I gained confidence in my writing. Thank you so much!”

– Deborah, Original Course, Spring 2020

“Beautifully presented. Enjoyed the relaxed style. Made a shy person like me immediately feel at ease. Very inspirational and opened the door to creativity.”

– Anonymous, Original Course, Spring 2020

“I liked the techniques to get started and avoid writers’ block. Group reading was most useful.”

– Gareth Williams, Original Course, Spring 2020

“The location was great – the artistic connections and accessibility. The tutors (being writers themselves) are witty, creative, fun, experienced and knowledgeable.”

– Shammy Batra, Original Course, Autumn 2019

“It was great to add some structure and process to my writing, and to have feedback on my work. I enjoyed the tips and guidance around structure, process, character and plot. It was really lovely to meet other budding writers, and share challenges and successes with them.”

– Joshua, Original Course, Autumn 2019