Writing Fiction from Facts - Nottingham Trent University

About

7th - 11th August | 2023 | Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week
Nottingham Trent University
£435

On this course you'll draw upon your own personal experiences and the experiences of others to create a powerful and engaging piece of creative writing.

It's great for both new and experienced writers who would like to develop their skills and techniques in writing effective fiction from facts.

You'll be offered advice and feedback in a supportive, seminar environment to help your writing develop and progress.

Classroom discussions and critiques will be combined with a variety of practical homework exercises.

These will be the stimuli to aid the creative process and exploration of your writing skills, offering new insights and inventive approaches to your individual projects.

The course will cover these key themes:

• getting started – creating a real sense of place
• understanding your subject to create a piece of engaging writing
• events and experiences - exploring different narrative viewpoints
• the influence of the media and exploring real life situations
• forgotten and unsung stories – how to bring awareness to an unknown event
• viewpoints and angles to create a believable fictional character
• artistic freedom and using sensitivity when portraying real people and subject matter
• evoking images of real events through stories and poems
• the power of the combining education and entertainment when recreating reality.

You'll practice writing creative fiction through a series of stimulating writing exercises using short stories, poetry, playwriting, TV and scriptwriting, and forming a structural plan to write a novel.

During this course, you will:

• develop writing inspired by real life events and experiences
• consider essential research tips on subjects that aren't your own lived experiences
• discuss how to write fiction based on a true story
• looking at how writers have been inspired by facts to create notable works
• create a sense of place and interesting characters using dialogue and description
• use your own life experiences to create fictional writing
• re-tell and adapt true stories using dramatic license
• plan a well-constructed synopsis for a novel.

What will you gain?

You'll be challenged creatively with the support of a small group of like-minded people, with lots individual attention from the tutor to support your projects.

By the end of the course, you will have a variety of writing projects in development, and a network of fellow writers and potential collaborators with whom you can progress your work further.

You'll leave with an understanding of how to structure and plan your writing, build dramatic tension, create believable characters and instil a sense of time and place, based on real-life events and experiences.

A certificate of attendance will be awarded upon completion of the course.

Level: Beginner / Intermediate

Entry requirement: No previous creative writing experience is required.

Where you'll learn: You will be studying creative writing in a UNESCO City of Literature, and be based in the School of Arts and Humanities on the City Campus.

You will find modern teaching spaces and quiet study environments to develop your ideas and writing.

You'll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can't reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.

Tutor profile: Tina Jay is an award winning playwright, having won both the Kenneth Branagh Award for New Drama Writing for her play 'Walking' and the International Student Playscript Competition (judged by Sir Ayckbourn) for 'Rotten Apples'.

Her plays have been performed in London, at venues including Tristan Bates, The Park Theatre, Lost Theatre, Greenwich Theatre, Barons Court, Rich Mix, and The Royal Exchange in Manchester.

Her most recent play 'Syndrome' completed a two-week run at Tristan Bates Theatre in February 2020, with the production having been described as a 'Masterpiece' and 'Pitch Perfect', receiving 5-star reviews and 2 Offie Nominations.

Three of her short stories from her audiobook 'Love Light Betrayal' were also performed at Quad Cinema in Derby.

Tina has taught creative writing in a variety of disciplines, and has an MA in TV Scriptwriting (with Distinction).

She is currently working on a number of new TV, Film and Theatre projects.

Need accommodation?

You can book a self-catered, single room with private bathroom on our city campus, right next door to our studios and classrooms.