Want to get into outlining but not sure where to start? Here is a one-hour free introduction to the subject, covering many elements in the full paid course and how to get started with outlining. This session will introduce you to the specifics of outlining and provide an overview of the purpose and the different ways Eri teaches outlining through practical step-by-step gradual development, focusing on developing the three visual elements: skeletons, skin, and the whole body. You will learn:

• How to go from an idea to a polished, ready-to-write outline and start the process! 

• The effectiveness and versatility of the outlining process and why every writer outlines (even if they don’t admit it!)

• You will walk away with an outline in development

Ever wanted a quick one-off taster of critical disability and Queer theory? This session leads onto the full course nicely, providing an introduction to what both of these critical approaches do, how they function, and a critical theorist from Queerness and Disability studies to help introduce students to the ideas surrounding these approaches. Take the first step on your journey to becoming a critically engaged creative writer. You will learn: 

• The meaning of critical engagement with Queer and Disability theory

• How and why to become a critically engaged writer in this exciting field 

If you enjoy this, then the full twelve-week course “Disability and Queerness in Contemporary Creative Writing” is available to further develop your knowledge and create some writing based upon the topics here.

WRITE THIS

Whose truth is it anyway? It is a session which uncovers and gets to grips with the realities of misinformation and provides education on identifying and understanding the field of misinformation.  This one-hour session combines critical theory insights with creative writing practicals, allowing you to effectively understand how to approach the use of information for artistic effect. You will learn:

• How to effectively define key terms relating to the field of critical media literacy (for example, misinformation and disinformation)

• How to critically engage with theories of misinformation and use these in our creative writing to effectively deconstruct dominant narratives of “truth” 

“Deadly Dystopias writing at the end of the world” considers many different dystopian representations across media, from the visual to the novel and the narratives of dystopian fiction. In an hour and a half (due to the interactive elements), you will walk away understanding the overarching narratives, popular genre tropes, and some bold creative writing to start a portfolio. You will learn through this session:

• The definition and tropes of dystopian fiction

• How to effectively subvert these tropes in a text and create your own bold, socially-conscious fiction

This session critically engages with the poetry of the songwriter, Tyler Joseph, and considers how he disrupts the expectations of the poetry genre through ‘mini rebellions’. You will learn: 

• The basics of poetry writing (including key terms: rhyme, rhythm) and how Joseph uses these to disrupt the status quo

• How you can use techniques that Joseph uses in your own poetry work to create socially engaged, disruptive writing 

Situating your personality within storytelling is a tough challenge for new writers, who are still learning the craft. 

This session will consider what makes personally compelling writing, and how you can use these ideas to create your own personally engaging writing. You will learn:

• Hallmarks of personally engaged creative Writing and how to draw interesting narrative events from it

• Why writers value personal exploration through creative writing, and how to do this yourself 

This session considers narrative non-fiction, provides some critical examples, and discusses how to write our own. This one-hour practical session will allow you to craft and understand the requirements of quality non-fiction writing and start the journey to crafting your own. You will learn:

• The definition and wide variety of narrative non-fiction styles out there

• How can we use the tools of the trade to write our own 

This session is designed for aspiring teachers and instructors (and anyone wanting to run a Writers Room, better known as the critique circle).  Although writers, artists, and anyone who wants to learn how to run a feedback session is welcome, you’ll need to reconsider what “power” means. That’s a big hint. 

This interactive in-person session deals with constructing a “Writers Room” and how we can redistribute power relations within this structure. All you’ll need to bring is your work in progress (but you might want to reconsider if they’ll get feedback - there is no need to bring your gems. We’re all human (mostly). You will learn: 

• How to redistribute power within the critique session setting and effectively engage individuals within the critique process

• How to effectively run a Writers Room session, including diversifying the delivery of the critique format 

Stuck with a blank page? This hour-long live session will effectively be a quick crash course on neurodiverse planning, writing, and editing, and provide one strategy for each of these. This will also ask students to consider their experiences with neurodiversity and work with, not against, their brain.  You will learn:

• How to consider your neurodiversity in the writing process

• How to use one strategy for each stage of the writing process: plan, write and edit

This hour-long session will consider how we can take elements of intersectional approaches to subjects (such as Humanities and Social Sciences) and infuse them into our creative writing practice. This one-hour session will teach you how to use a variety of ways to think across disciplines and use this in your next creative project. You will learn:

• How to use the many different influences to create new writing

• How to write and synthesise these differing elements together 

Ever wanted to consider the responsibility authors have to their readers? Ever wanted to understand writers' responsibility over their readers, of representation and the notion of “telling a good story”? If so, this one-off session on authorial responsibility, critiquing the ideas of Philip Pullman and Death of the Author, will work wonders. You will learn:

• How to navigate the ethical quandaries that come with writing fiction

• Who the responsibility is to create and consume thought provoking fiction