Writing about real life – in genres spanning everything from memoir to family history, travel writing, reportage, autobiography, biography and beyond – has never been more popular or more powerful. This practical course will show you how to harness, direct and develop your non-fiction writing. It will explore the tools you need to find your literary ‘voice’, expand your storytelling abilities, and hone your narratives in a vibrant, compelling way.

Learn a series of easy-to-follow techniques that will enable you to identify the characteristics and conventions of writing non-fiction. Practise applying these in order to structure and develop new works of creative non-fiction. Using real-life examples, and workshopping with others, you will explore how to bring your prose to life, how to develop a sense of place, time, character and dialogue, and how to avoid common pitfalls.

Over four weeks, this course will cover the use of research in non-fiction; the problematic issues of ethics, truth, privacy and representation; and crucial techniques to prepare your work for publication.

This course will fuel and enrich your storytelling skills and give you the confidence to evolve as a writer.

---

Expected Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will develop the tools needed to identify the key elements of non-fiction storytelling.
2. Participants will develop their narrative skills in form and voice.
3. Participants will gain confidence in cultivating writing projects and in pushing the boundaries of creative non-fiction.

---

Participant Requirements

Notebook and pen
Laptop (optional)
A project to work on – this can be at any stage of development