THE CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAMME

In-person in Brighton, Worthing or Eastbourne, or online October 2026-July 2028. This course will open for enrolment in January 2026 and the deadline is 16th September 2026. Our 10% early bird discount ends on 30th April 2026.

Two-years. One morning, or one evening a week for 25 weeks per year.

The Creative Writing Programme has been carefully designed to develop your understanding of the craft of writing, to provide you with the support and structure you need to push your skills to another level and to complete a planned writing project. Your course tutors will teach you the writing techniques you need to complete your work, offer you focused written feedback and help you set realistic deadlines.

The online version has been developed to allow writers who live outside of the UK or who cannot travel to our programme centres to benefit from this prestigious university-level writing programme.

Overview

In your first year you will reflect on the sources and themes of your own writing:

develop a greater understanding of your own creativity and the creative process
learn how to create dynamic fictional characters
discover ways of enhancing the dramatic impact of your fiction and explore the different ways in which stories can be told.

In the second year the focus will shift from short scenes to longer narratives. You will:

develop your understanding of plot, story structure and the ‘world of the story’
explore the complex relationship between characters, narrators and readers
discover the importance of theme, conflict and dramatic tension and gain further insights into language, technique and style.

Throughout the course you will deepen your understanding of the function and role of character as you move from short character sketches to multi-character scenes, to the complex interaction and character development of longer narratives.

You will hone your critical and editing skills and develop your eye for a good story. In the writing workshops, you will share, discuss and evaluate your work with the other writers in your writing group.

By the end the programme you will have developed a substantial body of work and have either finished your writing project or be in a position to bring it to completion.

What this creative writing course will do for you

This programme will help you:

develop your confidence and ability as a writer
organise and manage your work
evolve a strong individual style.

It is an ideal programme for writers who want to write a novel, a collection of short stories or a challenging piece of prose and are looking for structure, encouragement and feedback to help them achieve this.

All you will need to bring to the programme is your imagination, a love of reading, a passion to write and the determination to succeed.

"This is an excellent course with a robust content that takes you through the whole book writing process over two years. I had no idea if I could write a novel when I started but by the end I had a tangible draft - now I'm a published author! I would recommend this course to anyone."

Jane Crittenden, author of Worlds Apart and Summer Ever After

What is required of me?

Over the two years you will need to organise a minimum of twelve hours per week for classes and additional reading and writing time.

You will need to have access to a computer with email and an internet connection as the programme uses an online learning site to allow students to keep in touch outside of the taught sessions. For the online programme, your computer must have a built-in camera as the workshops are held on Zoom.
For writers joining the online programme from outside the UK a good grasp of the English language is essential as all the discussions and writing on the course will be in English.

How our creative writing courses work

The programme follows a structure of four terms over two years. Weekly seminars of 2.5 hours include a mix of practical writing exercises, discussions, group work, tutor-led feedback and taught sessions.

You will work closely with two of our experienced tutors, who will meet you for one-to-one tutorials. You can also take additional one-day masterclasses with visiting writers if you choose. You’ll have the opportunity to read your work – and hear from your peers – at termly online and in-person student and alumni reading evenings held both online and at Kemptown Bookshop, Brighton.

Once you have enrolled you will be taken to your course page on our website. When your course starts your tutor will add course outlines, supporting seminar notes, writing exercises and a Writers’ Forum where you can chat with other writers in your group.

The in-person programmes are taught at Kemptown Bookshop in Brighton, Jubilee Library in Brighton, Worthing Library and at Towner Eastbourne. The online programme is taught on Zoom.

We’re running taster sessions from April to September so you can see if the programme is for you. Find out more and book your place here.

Key Information

Programme length: Two years.

Maximum group size: 15

Venues and times

Mondays 10-12:30pm in-person, Kemptown Bookshop, Brighton

Mondays 10-12:30pm online

Mondays 6:30-9pm in-person, Kemptown Bookshop, Brighton

Mondays 6.30-9pm online

Thursdays 1.30-4pm in-person, Towner Eastbourne

More dates and venues to be confirmed soon, ready for enrolment opening in January 2026.

Term dates

Autumn term: Monday 28th September – Saturday 12th December (Half term 26th October to 30th October)

Spring term: Monday 4th January – Saturday 20th March (Half term 15th-20th February)

Summer term: Monday 19th April – Saturday 22nd May

2027-8 term dates will be provided later in spring 2027.

Entry requirements:

No formal qualifications required. All you need to bring to the programme is your imagination, a love of reading, a passion to write, a commitment to your writing group and the determination to succeed.

We’re running taster sessions from February to September so you can see if the programme is for you. Find out more and book your place here.

Fee:

Fee: £1,249.17 + VAT (total £1,499) per year

Early bird discount: pay your entire first year course fee by 30th April 2026 and receive 10% off.

The fees include:

Two-year programme. 25 weeks of taught classes per year. Pitched at degree level
Four one-to-one tutorials with an experienced tutor over two years
Four one-day masterclasses over two years
Publishing Day and meeting with an agent for market feedback at the end of the course
Several student and alumni readings/ social events across the year (small fee applies for refreshments for the in-person events)

Payment options:

A non-refundable 10% deposit (£149.99) is paid at the start of the first year by way of a deposit for the second year. This is then taken off the second year’s fees.

Students can also pay their fees in two instalments: £999.49 (half the course fees plus the second year deposit plus £100 admin fee) to secure their place on the course and then £749.50 at the start of the spring term in January. The second year course fees will then be £1,350 including VAT if paid in one instalment or £1,450 if paid in two instalments.

By booking a place on one of our courses, you are deemed to have accepted our terms and conditions. Please take time to read these.