Totleigh Barton

Are you close to finishing a manuscript? Maybe you’re stuck, or looking at a manuscript that somehow still doesn’t work? This course, led by a novelist and an editor, will guide you through the necessary re-writing, re-thinking and revision from the beginning to the end of your novel. We’ll also help you to understand the process of publication, from submission [read more...]

Two of the most difficult things to master in non-fiction are voice and structure. During this week we will help you to find authentic ways to articulate your story, rooted in your commitments and experiences as much as your knowledge and research. What role does quotation play in longform non-fiction, and how can the words of others, from interviewees to [read more...]

How can we refresh our seeing and ‘green up’ our writing? What is nature writing, and how does it differ from, say, a field guide to orchids? We’ll think about the self and the subject and how to balance the two, and explore how to write positively about wildness at a time when the natural world is so vulnerable. Paying [read more...]

What stories will emerge from this era of ecological and social upheaval? What kind of fiction can include the natural world, of which the human story is only a part? This course is for writers who feel challenged and inspired by the times ahead. We will consider old and new ways of writing about our predicament – including dystopia, but [read more...]

In the life of any performed play, there’s a moment when the writer meets the director. This course will shine a light on that collaboration and encourage you to write with that future life in mind. What are the building blocks of a new piece of theatre, and how do you keep faith with your ideas throughout the writing process? [read more...]

If you’ve been writing for a while and have built up a substantial body of work, you’re no doubt asking yourself what your poems might add up to if you gather them into one manuscript. What makes for a successful, cohesive collection? How do you select and order your poems in your own unique way? Learn to become your best [read more...]

This course is designed to help those interested in writing the uncanny to unlock their fictional ghosts. Ghosts make their way into all genres of fiction, and good writing is always haunted in some way. We will explore the many forms ghosts take in literature, how to create one, write fear, build suspense and haunt your reader. We will encourage [read more...]

A course for writers who have a partially developed piece to work on. Whether you are working on a first draft, in the middle of development or polishing up your work, our aim is to build confidence and skills and to help you to write to the very best of your ability. During in-depth sessions we will provide honest criticism, [read more...]

Writing a novel can be a daunting process. Writing a chapter is a more achievable task. Writing a page is almost manageable. This course is for writers who have started novels but have had trouble finishing – or for those who are at the very beginning. We break down the novel into its parts of story, character, plot and setting, [read more...]