Introduction
The Edinburgh: City of Inspiration Creative Writing Retreat course is a two-week course held at the Centre of Open Learning.
Throughout the course, students will draw inspiration from the City of Edinburgh: its history, landscape, and literary legacy, through tours, visits and a performance session, to explore the story they wish to tell. In the second part of the course, students will attend sessions which will focus on one format of creative writing of their choosing (prose, scriptwriting and poetry). Students will nurture their creative talent in a supportive environment, by learning from highly experienced, expert teachers, and gaining specialist, individual feedback during one-to-one sessions on their developing creative work.
Course description
Classes will focus on examining creative processes and the role of revision in the writing process. In the second part of the course, students will choose a format to express this with, whether it be through prose fiction, poetry, script or playwriting. Students will be organised into small tutorials and workshop groups led by specialist teachers, who are experts in their field of creative writing. Students will receive individual feedback on their developing work during class and through one-to-one sessions with a specialist tutor. Students will have the opportunity to discuss their own process in a reflective journal that will accompany their final piece/s of creative work.
Throughout the course, students will visit unique locations and learn how to harness different sources of inspiration within the City of Edinburgh for students’ own creative writing. In the first half of the course, students will develop a distinctive voice/style (by examining examples of contemporary work) in student’s chosen format of creative writing. This will be informed by studying the formal qualities of modern and contemporary creative writing as well as characterisation, narrative, plotting, dialogue as appropriate for different formats of creative writing (poetry, script and prose). In the second part of the course, students will focus on creative writing in the format of their choice including practical instruction on editorial, revision and selection skills to construct a coherent portfolio of writing. Publication and performance will also be discussed with relation to manuscript presentation, literary consultancies, agents and submitting to editors or engaging with film and theatre production.
Teaching methods will include lectures, listening to examples and analysis of clips/script excerpts as well as giving and receiving peer feedback. Students will be given practical exercises to work on individually and in groups to master the skills demonstrated. Workshop sessions will allow students to read, analyse and feedback on each other’s work. Students will be encouraged to write, share and discuss creative work.
Key information
Subject: Creative writing
Teaching fellow: Douglas Dougan, Caroline Dunford and Dr nicky melville
Credit level: SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate)
Credits: 20 SCQF/10 ECTS/4 US
Eligibility: Students must be aged 18 or over. An academic transcript must be provided to certify at least 1 year of Undergraduate study.
Language requirements: Evidence of English language ability equivalent of IELTS 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
Course fee: £1,810
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.