“Write the kind of story you would like to read…if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.”
—Meg Cabot
London Four-Day Intensive Writing Course
This course is held in historically bohemian Battersea, just across “the loveliest bridge in London” from Chelsea, near Battersea Park. The purposefully small group is an inclusive, supportive and constructive community of writers who grow into a creative family during their time together. The Course focuses on the tools every writer needs to free their imagination and improve their writing. Through discussions, readings and workshopping our own material, we will explore the craft of fiction and creative non-fiction (including memoir and personal essay). All are welcome, regardless of experience. Scholarships are available—contact me for information. There is a strict Course maximum of six students.
Course Maximum: 6 Students
£675/session
To visitors, it’s sometimes called “South Chelsea.”
To residents, locals and the literati, the green and leafy Battersea Park area is simply “home.”
The urban oasis of Battersea Park is fiercely beloved by locals and visitors alike. With its winding paths and dreamy vistas, people could (and do) often walk here for hours, letting their feet do their thinking for them.
The Pear Tree Cafe is always bustling. You could meet anyone here: hung-over rock stars, restless young poets, families with push chair inhabitants, and maybe even a stray egret or two.
One of London’s iconic landmarks, the Battersea Power Station (still pulling in those Pink Floyd fans) is now home to a huge new multi-use development…and it’s even got its own Tube station, too.
Curriculum
Day One
Introductions, discussion of expectations and workshop schedule
Sensory Details
In-class reading and writing
Rules of Good Workshopping
Exercise: Jumping right in.
Exercise: I Contain Multitudes
Discussion
Day Two
Characterization and Point of View; Setting—Detail and Description
In-class reading and discussion
Exercise: Characterization
Exercise: Setting
Workshop/discussion
Day Three
Plotting & Dialogue
In-class reading and writing; discussion
Exercise: Plotting
Exercise: Dialogue
Writing Workshop: critiques count!
Day Four
Writing Workshop
Manuscripts should be typed, double spaced, with page numbers and your name on the cover. These will be handed out at the class the day before you are slated for workshop. This will give us time to read and contemplate your piece before discussing it. Submissions for instructor review should not be sent electronically.
London: £575/session + Accommodation
Shropshire: £475/session + Accommodation
The Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park is one of 80 around the world, built as part of Buddhist monk Nichidatsu Fujii’s (1885–1985) advocacy for world peace and non-violence.
Battersea is home to a thriving creative community, and residents champion its existence (and are often part of it, too)!