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Our bodies carry us through our lives, but what do we carry in our bodies, or on them? Bodies are an essential part of fictional or nonfictional worlds, and writers can use biological knowledge of the body to create deeper characters and more immersive scenes. Join Amanda Niehaus for this online course exploring innovative approaches to writing bodies.

Is this online course right for you? Read our FAQ >

First, we will explore aspects of the body, including the evolution of bodily forms, the names of organs, and the regenerative capacity of cells, and discuss how writers can use them to frame and prompt new work, and improve their skills at writing characters.

For many of us, our bodies take on different roles over our lives: growth spurts, puberty, reproduction, disability, illness, ageing. In the second part of the workshop, we will look at the ways that our bodies mark our lived experiences, via our microbiota, shifts in the expression of our DNA, immunity, and the accumulation of scar tissue, microchimerism, and latent viruses. We will discuss the metaphorical and physical weight of lived experiences, their portrayal in literature, and experiment with literary and biological prompts to create new work.

Expected Learning Outcomes

1. An increased understanding of how biological principles can be used to create deeper characters and more-immersive scenes
2. Greater confidence in the use of biological principles as frameworks or prompts for writing
3. A deeper appreciation of and empathy for bodies of all forms.

Please note, this course will run online. Key details: 

• This course will run online from 11 to 17 May, with interactive lesson material, writing exercises and tutor feedback.
• There will be no live meetings sessions: you can complete the materials any time throughout the week of the course.

Participant Requirements

Internet access and confidence using basic computer software are essential for this program.

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