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: Return of the Short Story

The short story is making a comeback - varied, rule-breaking and fun, interest in this once side-lined form is expanding. Writing a compelling short is a craft within itself and sometimes regarded as a ‘dark art’ - Does every word really need to count? When does the story really start? When should it end? We explore the varying forms, cross the genres and consider the outlets. There’s never been a better time to find inspiration and get motivated, if you have an idea for a story - now is the time.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 16/01/2025 -
Thu 13/02/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Stephen Joseph Theatre (Scarborough)
Westborough
Scarborough
YO11 1JW
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00020085
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00

Creative Writing: Nothing Rhymes with Orange - Writing in Rhyme

This course will explore how to produce poems which rhyme. In the twentieth century, particularly post-war, vers libre and syllabic verse have proliferated, yet poets persist in writing rhymed and rhythmical poetry. During these five weeks, we will examine how modern poets deploy rhyme and integrate it into the rhythms of ordinary speech and a demotic vocabulary. Each session will be a workshop, which examines and puts into practice your own experiments in rhyme, allowing you to develop first drafts and then finished versions of at least three new poems. The workshops will be mutually supportive at all times, supportive and inspirational.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 18/01/2025 -
Sat 15/02/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017942
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
3 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Creative Writing for Wellbeing-Body and Earth stories

This friendly creative writing course will invite you to enter into relationship with your bodies and surroundings. The session will be held in a supportive way and will integrate some simple meditation (adaptable to all bodies), prompts for creative and reflective expression through writing, and even some environmental science! You will be guided to a holistic understanding of person and place. This course is ideal for people who like to write and to contemplate how to live more skilfully as individuals, as a community and in relationship with their surroundings. There will be time for sharing small parts of your writing towards the end of the workshop but no pressure, it’s about an unfolding individual/shared creative process and participants need to feel at ease to write freely.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 22/01/2025 -
Wed 19/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Shekinah Endeavour House (Torquay)
Endeavour House, 228 Union Str
Torquay
TQ2 5QS
Tutor:
Ione Harris
Course code:
Q00017176
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £88.20

Creative Writing: Wellbeing and Writing Skills

Are you interested in creative writing as a tool for well being? We will explore creative writing as therapy or personal memoir as a tool for well being and developing writing skills, imagination and confidence and look at different ways of writing about life experience, memory, incidents and details that illustrate a narrative and how the use of imagination can often lead to the development of a story or poem.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 25/01/2025 -
Sat 25/01/2025
Times:
10:00am - 3:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stella Stocker
Course code:
Q00018503
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £20.35

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Creative Writing: Journaling for Writers: Taster Workshop

This course will introduce the learner to accessible and generative journaling exercises to explore their writer’s mindset and process and help them plan and think more deeply through expressive writing about their work in progress. Journaling can help with developing a positive mindset: to keep motivated after rejection; It can also help develop confidence as you free-write and keep up momentum rather than ponder and choose the right word. Journaling can also be used for planning and going deeper into your thoughts and ideas about your current piece of writing.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 05/02/2025 -
Wed 05/02/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00019612
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £11.10

Creative Writing: Creating Well Rounded Characters

What’s at the heart of any story? A well-rounded character! Discover ways to make your characters so engaging that the reader can’t put the story down. From expressing a range of emotions, contradictory behaviours, hidden desires, flaws and more. Learn how to create a character we care about, one the reader can root for. A multidimensional character is more lifelike and engaging for your reader. This workshop and course is intended for those who have some experience of writing.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 05/02/2025 -
Wed 05/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00019788
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

Creative Writing: Journalling for Writers

This course will introduce the learner to accessible and generative journaling exercises to explore their writer’s mindset and process and help them plan and think more deeply through expressive writing about their work in progress. Journaling can help with developing a positive mindset: to keep motivated after rejection; It can also help develop confidence as you free-write and keep up momentum rather than ponder and choose the right word. Journaling can also be used for planning and going deeper into your thoughts and ideas about your current piece of writing. This course is funded by the Education Skills and Funding Agency.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 12/02/2025 -
Wed 12/03/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00019787
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

Creative Writing: Written in the Style of...

Have fun, find inspiration and develop creativity as we put the focus on tapping into the styles, structures and themes of a selection of iconic writers. 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, romance, fantasy, hardboiled crime, or 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 written by a selection of famous authors.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 25/02/2025 -
Tue 25/03/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00020229
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Creative Writing: Written in the Style of...

Have fun, find inspiration and develop creativity as we put the focus on tapping into the styles, structures and themes of a selection of iconic writers. 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, romance, fantasy, hardboiled crime, or 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 written by a selection of famous authors.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 27/02/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Stephen Joseph Theatre (Scarborough)
Westborough
Scarborough
YO11 1JW
Tutor:
George Cromack
Course code:
Q00020219
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00

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?

Course Information

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:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00