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: 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: Writing Your First Novel: Next Level

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Everyone has a novel in them?’ This is your chance to get yours down on the page! Even if you don’t have an idea in mind at the moment, you can begin to develop your writing and experiment with different stories and genres until you find something you want to write.
Dates:
Thu 01/05/2025 -
Thu 03/07/2025
Location:
Online
Course code:
Q00009232
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Literature / Mythology: Solar Power

This ten-week course will present and explore a range of classical mythology and other traditions of myth by traveling through its different traditions paying particular attention to solar deities. Over the course of these sessions we will consider how the subject matter, style and context of texts and writers from a range of diverse mythologies contain and harness the sun in their ideas in ways that continue to powerfully impact on us in the modern world. We will examine the historical and literary specifics of each text and writer individually and as part of a collective tradition, along with reference to quality critical resources on the role, meaning and purpose of myth more widely. The sessions will combine close reading and audio-visual materials with lively, inclusive and hopefully invigorating discussion. Whether you are just coming into the world of classical and other mythologies or have been interested in these worlds for some time you will be welcome along to these sessions.
Dates:
Fri 02/05/2025 -
Fri 04/07/2025
Times:
12:30pm - 2:30pm
Duration:
9 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Simon Haworth
Course code:
Q00021583
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £66.60

Creative Writing: Writing Food

This 10-hour course will stimulate your imagination and palette for writing food stories from fiction, life writing and reportage. You will read published stories to provide inspiration and story craft techniques to embellish your own writing. You will share your writing in pairs to give confidence and courage to write more.
Dates:
Mon 05/05/2025 -
Mon 26/05/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00019290
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

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

Start the Month Write - Journaling Circle

Journaling is a great tool to help you start the month write. Learn easy techniques to help you set goals, tune into yourself to help better regulate your emotions and manage your state; build a positive mindset to better prepare for setbacks and be more resilient. These monthly classes introduce you to a range of techniques plus a variety of stimulating prompts using poetry, images, metaphors and thought-provoking questions to surface your hopes and aspirations.
Dates:
Mon 12/05/2025 -
Mon 07/07/2025
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00022152
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £22.20

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

Creative Writing

This inspiring and supportive course is designed to help learners explore the joy of storytelling, self-expression, and the written word. Whether you’re a beginner or someone looking to reignite your creativity, this course will guide you through the core elements of creative writing, including character development, dialogue, setting, poetry, and short stories. Through fun and imaginative writing exercises, you’ll build confidence in your unique voice and discover how writing can be both a creative outlet and a tool for personal growth.
Dates:
Fri 16/05/2025 -
Fri 25/07/2025
Location:
Donnison School (Sunderland)
The Donnison School Buildings
Church Walk
Sunderland
SR1 2BJ
Course code:
Q00022161
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

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 23/05/2025 -
Fri 20/06/2025
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