Course Catalogue

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Short stories create complex characters and worlds in just a few pages. They are exciting to read and this course enables students to build on their previous experience to improve how they write short stories with drive, depth and ambition. Examples of short stories will be examined to identify further key techniques and structures such as plot pacing, characterisation and narrative focus that can be applied to our own writing. Writing exercises will allow us to practise these techniques and share them for written peer feedback. We will also reflect on our writing practices, creative decision making and engagement with the short story form.

Block 4

2 hours per week for 10 weeks

Monday, 19.00-21.00

While there are no prerequisite courses that need to be taken in advance, some prior experience of creative writing (familiarity with short story writing) and sharing work for peer-review feedback would be beneficial.

None

None

Practical Feedback sample: submission of editorial feedback on a fellow student's creative work (2,000 words), including minor annotations and a short constructive commentary of up to 300 words tailored to the literary form (10%).

Portfolio: submission (3,000 words) of short story or in the form of several shorter pieces, extract(s) from a longer work or one singular complete piece (75%).

Self-reflective essay: submission of a short self-reflective essay (1,000 words) identifying the literary form and techniques chosen by the student for their portfolio and their personal creative process during composition and redrafting (15%).

This course aims to

■ Provide students with the opportunity to study in greater depth the literary characteristics and conventions of the short story form such as plot pacing, characterisation and narrative focus

■ Encourage students to further develop individual, creative approaches to short stories through practical writing exercises that enable them to apply more in-depth key techniques to their own writing

■ Further develop students' confidence in submitting their creative writing for peer and tutor feedback, including building their editorial skills through written peer feedback

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Identify in-depth key literary characteristics and conventions at work in specific short stories

■ Compose persuasive, artistically coherent and technically proficient written work that demonstrates key techniques in the short story form such as such as plot pacing, characterisation and narrative focus

■ Appraise and reflect upon their own creative process and that of others including offering written editorial feedback to other students

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.