Tell your story with the WEA

Whether you are just starting out as a budding writer, or already have lots of experience expressing yourself through writing, our creative writing courses will provide you with a platform to develop your talent. All our creative writing courses look at different audiences and genres such as scriptwriting, non-fiction and poetry. 

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You can choose to tap into your storytelling abilities alongside other creative writers in a fun and supportive environment, telling your story through your very own writing style. You’ll have the opportunity to explore what it is that you want to write about as well as time to investigate how to find your own voice and the style that you want to write in. 

Our poetry courses immerse you in the works of famous poets and literary greats, exploring the techniques they use and their famous pieces of work. All this acts as the perfect inspiration for when you craft your own style. This learning style means you build the core foundations to progress further, becoming a better writer in the process. 

A creative writing class near you 

Whether you prefer online creative classes or learning face to face in a venue, we have something for everyone to choose from. Our learning experience is one of the things that sets us apart, with many of our learners going on to achieve incredible things.  

The support you’ll receive on your creative writing course 

You'll get support from your tutor whichever option you choose, as well as the opportunity to build a network of peers who have a passion for creative writing just like you.  

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Summer Writers Online Retreat

Promised yourself writing time this summer? Get it in early with this stimulating writing retreat! Over 5 consecutive days, you’ll set an achievable goal, immerse yourself in 45 minutes of writing and get feedback from the tutor and peers when you share. Imagine the amount of work and momentum you’ll build over 5 days.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 28/07/2025 -
Mon 28/07/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00021165
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
0 places remaining
Status:
Waiting list (Waiting list)
Fee range
Free to £46.25

Creative Writing Workshop: Be Inspired by Fiction, Poetry, Memoirs & All Forms

This friendly workshop will cover all forms of writing – fiction, including novels, short stories and plays, also poetry and autobiography and memoirs and will foster the use of imagination The aim is to help develop and channel your writing ability, whether as a hobby or for publication. We will discuss many aspects of writing, including getting started, short stories, novels, poetry, memoirs and plays. You will be invited to read your work in a constructive and friendly setting. We will have short writing projects in class. The emphasis is on individual development. For improvers and beginners. All you need is an interest in developing and enjoying your writing skills.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 17/09/2025 -
Wed 19/11/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stella Stocker
Course code:
Q00022370
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £160.00

Creative Writing: Creating Five Poems

This five week course will enable you to create five poems, and will provide inspiration to you each week to generate subjects and approaches to different styles of contemporary poetry. Guidance with be given by Stephen Smith, Bloodaxe poet and winner of a major Eric Gregory Award, who has experience of teaching and working as a writer in residence in schools and prisons. All examples of poems will be provided on Canvas, but the course will concentrate on developing your voice through stepped writing exercises, in which you will be supported and encouraged. You will be encouraged to develop your own critical eye, responding intellectually and emotionally to what you see and feel as you negotiate today’s world. At the course’s end you will feel confident about taking your discovery of poetry further.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 20/09/2025 -
Sat 18/10/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00023018
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £80.00

Creative Writing: Writing Detective Stories

We will consider characters in murder mysteries and how to make them alive. The detective can be portrayed with much about their background and problems or be mainly a problem-solver with little about their personal life. Both work well. We will consider how to create suspense which is reflected in a number of suspects all with possible motives. The perpetrator should not be the most obvious, though often a double twist where they were eliminated early on, can create an unexpected denouement or the least likely. We will look at the amount of descriptive detail needed at the murder scene, with information showing both the method and clues that will develop the story.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 02/10/2025 -
Thu 30/10/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stella Stocker
Course code:
Q00022371
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £80.00

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Creative Writing: Finding Your Voice (Day Course)

Whether you want to write memoirs, a novel, stories or poetry or for personal development come along and join this friendly day course. We will explore creative writing as therapy and the development of your writing skills, imagination and confidence. We will look at different ways of writing about life experience, memory, incidents and details that illustrate a narrative and how the use of imagination creates many forms of writing, such as stories poem and memoirs. We will have short writing projects and discussion of various ways of writing, with some published examples of autobiographical writing, memoirs and poems.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 18/10/2025 -
Sat 18/10/2025
Times:
10:00am - 3:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Stella Stocker
Course code:
Q00022372
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £48.00



The courses below have already started, but are still available to book.

Creative Writing : Introduction to Writing Your First Novel: Advanced

This course is a follow on to the previous ‘Writing Your First Novel: Next Level’ course, but suitable for newly enrolling students with experience writing fiction. 'Writing your first Novel: Advanced' is all about the deeper craft of creative writing—those elements that will make your work really stand out when you are making your first steps into the world of writing, regardless of whether you are planning on submitting your work, or if you are just writing for fun. Giving you the opportunity to develop an effective creative writing practice, and further personal development, especially if you want to get that first novel out of your head and onto paper.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 10/07/2025 -
Thu 24/07/2025
Location:
Online
Course code:
Q00009233
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20