Tell your story with the WEA

Whether you are just starting out as a budding writer, or already have lots of experience expressing yourself through writing, our creative writing courses will provide you with a platform to develop your talent. All our creative writing courses look at different audiences and genres such as scriptwriting, non-fiction and poetry. 

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You can choose to tap into your storytelling abilities alongside other creative writers in a fun and supportive environment, telling your story through your very own writing style. You’ll have the opportunity to explore what it is that you want to write about as well as time to investigate how to find your own voice and the style that you want to write in. 

Our poetry courses immerse you in the works of famous poets and literary greats, exploring the techniques they use and their famous pieces of work. All this acts as the perfect inspiration for when you craft your own style. This learning style means you build the core foundations to progress further, becoming a better writer in the process. 

A creative writing class near you 

Whether you prefer online creative classes or learning face to face in a venue, we have something for everyone to choose from. Our learning experience is one of the things that sets us apart, with many of our learners going on to achieve incredible things.  

The support you’ll receive on your creative writing course 

You'll get support from your tutor whichever option you choose, as well as the opportunity to build a network of peers who have a passion for creative writing just like you.  

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Creative Writing: Inspired by the 7 Different Plots

Are there really only 7 different plots? A fun, friendly and structured approach to gain fiction writing knowledge and written word skills and, importantly, aid you in finding inspiration, putting pen paper and getting writing. Mystery, thriller, noir, hardboiled crime, a touch of the ghostly and gothic or something far more salacious – find inspiration as we consider the kind of words, characters and styles which suit a tale exploring one or more of the seven different plots, will it be Rags to Riches or Voyage and Return – which might yield your future best seller or lead you down the wrong path to the bargain bin?
Dates:
Tue 22/04/2025 -
Tue 20/05/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00020288
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
8 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Every Photo Tells a Story: Creative writing from photos

Feel the power of the photograph. Ease into writing a story. The photo mesmerises, it unlocks your imagination, transports you to other worlds, to memories forgotten until now. This creative writing course aims to boost your imagination, help you to generate vivid ideas that will have you drift from image to pen. You'll be introduced to a range of photos - portrait, street, nature, city and more - to activate and tease out a story. In class you'll stories and share with others to further spark your imagination and feel inspired. The tutor offers verbal feedback and also written feedback on one submitted piece over the course. Short published stories will also be shared to flex your storytelling muscle!
Dates:
Tue 22/04/2025 -
Tue 13/05/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00021169
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Creative Writing: Writing for Blogs, Magazines and Publications

A friendly and accessible guide to feature writing, both in print and/or for digital media – blogs, online reviews etc. How to write, research, style and structure an article, either/or factual and creative. Taking time to identify a suitable publication for a proposed article and making first contact. This course also explores the online possibilities of reviews and blogging – how to blog consistently and maintain a readership. This course will make use of a mix of informal feedback, lecture using PowerPoint slides, some focused group discussion/creative tasks in breakout rooms and feedback. Suitable for beginners or improvers and those with a passing curiosity!
Dates:
Thu 24/04/2025 -
Thu 22/05/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Stephen Joseph Theatre (Scarborough)
Westborough
Scarborough
YO11 1JW
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00020293
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00

A History of Gardens & Garden Literature from the Seventeenth to the Nineteenth Century

During this five week course you will discover the significant connections that exist between garden design and literature. Through an examination of gardens and literature, we will establish the history, philosophical, aesthetic and political ideas which underpin gardens and the literature generated by them. Gardens are as you will realise our dangerous and incendiary things. The course will be supported by images and extracts on Canvas, which aim to enrich your understanding of a fascinating period. Each week will focus on a number of gardens or design movements and literary extracts, which will be analysed and discussed. Come along and enjoy a lively and informative exchange of views.
Dates:
Fri 25/04/2025 -
Fri 23/05/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00021479
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Creative Writing: Memory is a Muse: Creative Writing

This eight week course will explore the part that memory and personal experience play in the creation of poems, short stories and autobiographical fiction.
Dates:
Sat 26/04/2025 -
Sat 14/06/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00021474
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £59.20

Creative Writing: Writing to Music

Explore the connection between music and writing with our Creative Writing: Writing to Music course. Learn how to use music as inspiration for creative writing projects. Ideal for writers looking to experiment with new techniques and find fresh sources of inspiration.
Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 19/05/2025
Location:
Krowji (Redruth)
West Park
Redruth
TR15 3AJ
Course code:
Q00017002
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Creative Writing: Writing for Pleasure

This course is to help you enjoy developing your creative writing ability There will be an emphasis on individual development with some flexibility to meet the needs of the group. We will look at aspects such as getting started, shaping stories, writing modern poetry, creating rounded characters, using imagination and publication guidelines. All forms are included; short stories, feature articles, memoirs, plays and novels. We will have short projects during the class and optional suggestions for homework. There will be reading and discussion of your work in a friendly, constructive setting. Suitable for improvers and beginners.
Dates:
Wed 30/04/2025 -
Wed 18/06/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stella Stocker
Course code:
Q00021171
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £59.20

Creative Writing: Bootcamp: Essentials of Story

Aimed at those who have stories or working on a longer project, this course set over 5 hours in in one weekend, gives you dedicated time for writing and reflecting on your optimum creative process. You’ll set a daily achievable goal, refresh an element of story craft through the tutor’s stimulating exercises and extracts from published texts and write! We’ll immerse ourselves in short and longer writing exercises and get feedback from the tutor and peers when you share in pairs. Imagine the amount of work and momentum you’ll build over these two mornings. Set yourself up for success with dedicated time for writing.
Dates:
Sat 10/05/2025 -
Sun 11/05/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
2 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00021874
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £18.50

Creative Writing: Story Surgery

For writers with a collection of stories or well into a memoir or novel to bring to the course for doctoring! This surgery helps you see the bigger picture, patch up those plot holes and feel re-energised about the body of work you have! There’s nothing more frustrating than writing a lot and then not knowing how it coheres or where it’s heading – and no, it’s not the bottom drawer! A mix of sharing, reflective questions to help you see the piece anew and craft notes. The tutor shares mentor texts to inspire you with ways to resuscitate the text: from chronological, novella-in-flash, linked stories and more to stimulate your best thinking and writing.
Dates:
Wed 14/05/2025 -
Wed 04/06/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00021877
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Creative Writing: From Fact to Fiction: Stories inspired by headlines

Unleash your imagination by responding to the headlines with your own fictional version of events. This is a highly stimulating course and fascinating to see where you take the prompt, as well as how others respond. The tutor provides a wealth of headlines from diverse media sources and offers published mentor texts to stimulate your imagination and analyse elements of story craft. You’ll have dedicated writing time, the opportunity to share in pairs and receive feedback from peers and the tutor provides written feedback on one piece. What’s great is this is an excellent creative practice to keep up, long after the course has finished.
Dates:
Wed 14/05/2025 -
Wed 04/06/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00021878
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60