What courses are currently running?
Only whatever is on the front page of the website or listed in the menu. Other courses will appear on the website as soon as they’re scheduled.
If you’d like to be on our mailing list to be notified, please email alice@writingcourses.org.uk with ‘subscribe’ in the subject line or message body.
How do I contact you or book a place on a course?
To book a place on a course, please use the Stripe button on the relevant course page.
To contact us for more information or to request a call back, please email alice@writingcourses.org.uk
We will always respond within 24 hours, and usually much sooner. If you don’t get a response, please check your spam folder. If you would like us to phone you, please make sure you include the correct phone number.
We don’t publish a phone number because we are a small organisation and there is no one to answer the phone full-time, but we will always try to get back to you as quickly as possible.
I’m under age 18 – can I come on your course?
Sorry but no, our courses are adults only.
I’m a complete beginner. Do you have a course suitable for me?
The current online course is open to all levels, as is our Intensive Summer Workshop which runs in June each year.
What sort of people usually come on your courses?
Everyone! People from all walks of life and of all ages attend our courses, and all are welcome. Anyone’s life can be enriched by creative writing, and from joining a group with a wide range of experiences.
I am close to completing a novel and want to know more about how the publishing industry works and how to go about getting an agent. Can you help with this?
Yes. We keep the syllabus of our courses fairly flexible to cater to the interests and issues of the people on each course, but this is a topic that regularly comes up and we can answer all your questions and give you the information you need.
While not all of our students go on to become published writers, if that is your goal you can give yourself the best chance of doing so by understanding how to make a good submission.
Can I do more than one course?
Yes, many people return for more than one course and we keep the syllabus flexible to tailor it to the group’s interests so we’re not just repeating the same material.
I want to book a course, but I’m going to miss a session. Can I still book?
Of course. If you miss a session, email us and we will email you any handouts.
I’ve never shared my work with other people before and I’m nervous. Does this mean I shouldn’t come on a course?
Absolutely not! We’ve been there ourselves, and we know how you feel. We strive to create a supportive and constructive environment for feedback. Although we encourage everybody to read their work in class in order to get the most from the course, we understand that some people find this nerve-wracking and won’t put pressure on you to do anything you’re really not comfortable doing.
If you’re finding it difficult, you are welcome to ask the teacher or a fellow student to read your work out for you, or to pass over exercises if they simply haven’t worked for you.
Our only goal is for you to get the most out of the course.
Are your courses limited to people writing fiction? What if I’m working on non-fiction?
The courses are not limited to people writing fiction and almost all of the tools we use for writing fiction are also relevant for life-writing or memoir and other non-fiction narrative writing.
The most successful fiction and non-fiction both tend to have a strong narrative, interesting characters, compelling description, and so on. It’s for you decide whether the course will be of use to you.
English is not my first language. Can I still come on your courses?
Yes. We regularly have people on our courses who have a first language other than English. We are proud to have had visitors travel to attend our courses from other countries. We do our best to make everyone welcome and make sure everyone gets the most they can from the course.
To get the maximum benefit from the teaching elements of our courses you will need a good level of comprehension of spoken English.