The course consists of three modules that can be taken in succession or independently of each other.

MODULE 1 – The heart of telling a story

MODULE 2 – Brave new worlds: Writing, genre, place

MODULE 3 –  Shaping reality: Creative non-fiction

Register HERE

For questions: afeas2016@gmail.com

Dr. Tom Phillips is a poet, playwright, translator, journalist, editor, and university lecturer with a PhD in creative writing from the University of Reading. As a translator, he has translated everything from the poetry of Geo Milev to the autobiography of Hristo Stoichkov, from business and government reports to marketing materials. His own writing has been published in numerous magazines, anthologies, pamphlets and books and he has taught at the universities of Sofia, Reading, Bath Spa and Portsmouth, as well as for Sofia Writing Challenge and Bristol Folk House.

The course is aimed at both experienced writers looking to try something new and absolute beginners – the only requirement is that you’re prepared to go wherever your imagination takes you. Through prompts and exercises and with the guidance of writer and lecturer Tom Phillips, you’ll come up with ideas, learn how to develop and shape them, have the space to try out different approaches and techniques and get feedback on what you write. You’ll benefit too from one-to-one feedback on your work as well as the opportunity to discuss your writing with other students. Even if you’ve never written anything before, this is a chance to explore your creativity in a friendly and supportive environment.

1. The heart of telling a story

Happy, sad, comic, tragic – love stories are among the greatest ever told. But how do you go about writing one? Where do ideas come from? How do you bring characters to life on the page? What makes for a truly memorable and moving story? On this fun and inspiring course, writer and lecturer Tom Phillips will guide you through the process of writing a short story or script from beginning to end with writing exercises and prompts to fire up your imagination and help you hone your writing skills.

2. Brave new worlds: writing, genre, place

Fantasy, sci-fi, magic realism, fairy tales, utopias and dystopias – writing of all kinds takes us to imaginary worlds. Some resemble our own with only a few things changed, others are the product of an author’s wildest imaginings. Join writer and lecturer Tom Phillips for an engaging exploration of ways to create a vivid, consistent and convincing imaginary world, no matter which genre you like to write in or want to try. Using prompts and writing exercises, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practise your own writing, get feedback and explore ideas and approaches to writing you may not have considered before.

3. Shaping reality: creative non-fiction

Everyone has a story tell and writing down our personal experiences is one way we can try to understand them – what they mean to us, how we feel about them, what we learn from them. Whether you’re interested in autobiography and memoir, travel writing, family history, journalling, blogging or simply keeping a diary, Dr. Tom Phillips will introduce you to the fundamentals of creative non-fiction – the art of turning reality into narrative.

Additional one-on-one sessions available upon request.