The Hurst

If you want to write creatively, but aren’t sure where to start, this course will give you the tools and confidence to get you past that challenging blank page. We’ll begin at the source – inspiration – and travel through the alchemical life of an idea to the moment it reaches its readers. We’ll ask what makes a poem a [read more...]

This course is for anyone who wants to get better at writing fiction, from the complete beginner to someone with a finished novel under their belt. Writing well means striking a paradoxical balance between instinct and judgement. The course will address both aspects: the spontaneous, free, instinctive impulse towards self-expression; and the complementary need for understanding the goals of storytelling. [read more...]

Swap your pen for a box cutter and get ready to unpack your writing and peel off labels for this wild and wideranging exploration of forms and hybrids. Over the week, we will slip across slashes, reading and writing new ways into the spaces between poetry and prose, essay and fiction as well as image, sound and performance. Expect to [read more...]

‘The role, the rise, the carol, the creation’ (Gerard Manley Hopkins). Writing poetry is a joy, but sometimes our fires need feeding. Through detailed, sympathetic and challenging responses to your current work, we will help you rediscover the absorbing pleasures of developing and honing the poems that only you can write. We expect you to be productive, to have fun, [read more...]

We want your film to get made. We’ll strengthen your project from inside and out, giving you a process to dig deep into your story, raise the stakes and test your characters to breaking point. At the same time we’ll arm you for the real world: you will learn about the market, audience and the importance of genre. We want [read more...]

You’ve finished your first draft: now what? Time for the challenging task of editing, polishing and honing your own work. How can you look at it with fresh eyes when you’ve sweated blood over it? Over the course of a week, we’ll offer practical advice on a range of frequently encountered problems and help you to stop feeling snow-blind, redraft [read more...]

How do you take the seed of an idea and make it a story or poem that will capture the imagination? If you are new to fiction and poetry and wish to take your first steps into writing, come and be nurtured by two experienced tutors. This inspiring and lively course will give you the ideas and building blocks you [read more...]

Suspense lies at the heart all good storytelling. This three-day fiction course, tutored by writers of thrillers and crime fiction, is for those who might already have an idea – from notes on the back of an envelope to a first draft manuscript – for any kind of genre fiction and are looking for fresh ways to develop their story. [read more...]

An up close and personal course aimed at the experienced short story writer, entirely made up of tutorials with an optional masterclass. We’ll set tasks and exercises focused on each writer’s particular practice and help you mine theme, character and emotional development. We’ll also discuss the role of place in fiction, routes to publication and the resources that can help [read more...]