WEA courses

Starting a blog is easier than you think. If you have ideas, tips, or recommendations to share, this short blogging course can teach you the essentials to get your blog online. This beginner’s blogging course covers essential lessons in both writing and setting up your blog. You’ll learn creative writing techniques to make your blogs engaging, and digital skills to make sure you can set up and maintain your site. This course is aimed at beginners, so don’t worry if this is new to you. This beginners blogging course covers the basics of launching a blog. Become familiar with the Content Management System (CMS) where you will upload your blog. You will also receive CMS training to teach you how to set up and maintain your website. Learn to publish and promote your blog.

Show don’t tell – so often easier said than done – Just how does an idea turn into a script? How much info do I include in a script? Is it really more than just dialogue? In some ways writing a script requires a very different approach from the writer. We gain knowledge and understanding of the differing requirements of writing for the screen, both what works for TV and what approach is more cinematic, as well as writing for the radio. Radio, so often described as the ‘intimate’ medium, plays in a listener’s head offering scope for greater imagination and powerful emotional effect. We will also explore the creative process, just what is the correct format for each of these mediums, where to start, how to develop an idea into a script, allowing it to grow scene by scene (what even is ‘a scene’). The course will also cover writing/developing a TV series, comedy, writing for ‘soaps’ and feature some more general skills on developing story structure and character development of interest to any budding writer. With a mix of group and individual tasks, discussion, analysis of clips as examples, it is hoped that all will dabble and develop some writing whilst on the course. What makes a good script and what is a bad script? This is an informative and fun course, with some key first hand information, not to be missed.

Practice techniques for creating short stories, true or untrue. We'll apply the principles of short fiction to our writing, with the focus this term on developing character. There will be writing exercises, discussions, an optional weekly homework task and feedback. Guidance on feedback techniques will be provided. The course content has flexibility, and will be adapted to suit the needs of the group. Suitable for improvers.

For those interested in creative writing as a tool for well being, developing writing skills with increased enjoyment in writing and particular emphasis on writing therapeutically - describing and utilising personal experience

These creative writing workshops spotlight the much-written theme of love. From romantic love to family love, from love of a place or a home of long ago to the love of a pet or a ritual, we’ll learn from authors who have portrayed love in all its form – obsessive love, had and had to let go of love and soul-mate love. This workshop consists of a blend of activities: writing exercises to practice your craft; close reading of extracts from published inspirational writers and teaching points on creative writing techniques. There is an opportunity to share your fresh words in small groups and receive gentle, appreciative feedback.

Paris between 1870 and 1925, in the period known as La Belle Epoque, saw an outburst of artistic creativity in which music played a major role. Composers such as Bizet, Debussy, Ravel and Satie produced innovations which advanced western musical development by overturning Wagner and re-writing the rule book on harmony and form. After a lull since its Romantic hey-day in the 1830s, Paris was once again the centre of the musical world. The city was now a melting pot for artistic endeavour, transforming influences from Russia, Spain, the Far East and the USA into music which became uniquely and elegantly French. In this course, we trace a period, book-ended by two devastating wars, through its achievements in verismo opera, “total art” ballet, impressionism, avant-garde and jazz.

Practice techniques for creating short stories, true or untrue in fortnightly sessions. We'll apply the principles of short fiction to our writing, with the focus this term on thinking about how point-of-view impacts on structure. There will be writing exercises, discussions, an optional weekly homework task and feedback. Guidance on feedback techniques will be provided. The course content has flexibility, and will be adapted to suit the needs of the group. Suitable for improvers. This course uses the same content as the other fortnightly class, Creative Writing: Structure & Point of View Q00012330, the Thursday evening course, Structure & Point-of-View, and the Friday morning course, Creative Writing: Structure & Point-of-View, therefore you need only enrol on to one of them.

Practice techniques for creating short stories, true or untrue. We'll apply the principles of short fiction to our writing, with the focus this term on thinking about how point-of-view impacts on structure. There will be writing exercises, discussions, an optional weekly homework task and feedback. Guidance on feedback techniques will be provided. The course content has flexibility, and will be adapted to suit the needs of the group. Suitable for improvers. This course uses the same content as the Friday morning course, Creative Writing: Point-of-View, and the Thursday morning fortnightly course, Creative Writing: Point-of-View, therefore you need only enrol on to one of them.

Practice techniques for creating short stories, true or untrue. We'll apply the principles of short fiction to our writing, with the focus this term on thinking about how point-of-view impacts on structure. There will be writing exercises, discussions, an optional weekly homework task and feedback. Guidance on feedback techniques will be provided. The course content has flexibility, and will be adapted to suit the needs of the group. Suitable for improvers. This course uses the same content as the Friday morning course, Creative Writing: Point-of-View, and the Thursday morning fortnightly course, Creative Writing: Point-of-View, therefore you need only enrol on to one of them.

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.