Short courses

Summary

From Agatha Christie to Ian Rankin and Val McDermid, we have a long-lasting fascination with how and why people break the law, and how they are caught (or not).  Scotland has become the home of crime writing festivals such as Bloody Scotland and several forms of “Tartan Noir”. Have you always wanted to write crime fiction but unsure where to start? What does it take to create compelling and believable crime stories? How do you keep the reader hooked without giving the game away? How can writers use the psychology behind criminal behaviour in their writing? 

Join this brief 5-week practice-based course to get a short guide to what crime fiction is and how to write it.  In particular, this course also offers a session on forensic psychology with a specialist tutor, and explores the ways this research could be used in your writing. With encouragement, support and guidance this course will decode inspiring examples, offer writing exercises to practise new techniques and the opportunity to share what you make to offer a welcoming first step or a reinvigorating new approach to writing gripping crime stories your way. 

Over a series of welcoming talks, close-readings and approachable writing exercises, our expert tutor will explain: 

• The key features of crime writing 

• how to apply these ideas and techniques to your own writing  

• how to share what you’ve written with others and improve with feedback  

You will also have the chance to discuss and reflect on what you learn with other students and the tutor in seminars. 

Choose this course if you want to:  

• learn the basics of how to write crime fiction well  

• make use of writing exercises to come up with new ideas   

• build your confidence by optionally discussing and sharing your writing with classmates and the tutor  

• (for those who submit for assessment) how to improve with written feedback, how to reflect on your writing process