Creative Writing
Postgraduate Diploma
awarded by the University of Sussex
1 academic year full-time or two years part-time
MA Creative Writing
awarded by the University of Sussex
1 calendar year full-time or a part-time equivalent
CREATIVE WRITING – CRAFT INTO ART
Creative writing is a craft. It is best taught through example and practice. Yet it also relies on each writer bringing something unique and original to their work. This dual goal is the bedrock for the new postgraduate studies in Creative Writing at West Dean College.
Successful students of Creative Writing learn in ways similar to students of drawing or sculpture, through experimentation and refinement. The process is sometimes sudden, like revelation. More often it comprises a sequence of subtle authorial judgments. The cumulative result of this process – together with the distinctive and authentic contribution of the individual writer – is art.
PROGRAMME TUTOR
Greg Mosse (BA Hons Drama & English, PGCE Modern Languages, MA Creative Writing) is programme leader. He has taught for six years at West Dean College, collecting many tributes for his enthusiasm, breadth of knowledge, drive and – above all – for the clarity of his methods.
ASSOCIATE TUTORS
Rachel Holmes is Director of Literature & the Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre. She has detailed experience of higher education studies, was a founder member of Amazon.co.uk and has a strong record as a published author. Her knowledge of contemporary authorship in the UK and overseas is unrivalled.
Sam North is an experienced fiction author with broad experience of adult, children’s and dramatic writing. An educational innovator, he established the MA Creative Writing courses at Falmouth and University of Portsmouth. He also brings a sensitive, intuitive editorial understanding.
DELIVERY
Postgraduate study in Creative Writing at West Dean College is available full-time or part-time.
The full-time programme of study is delivered over 36 weeks in one academic year. A minimum of 35 hours study per week is made up of two days of direct teaching, one day of follow-up seminars, peer review, tutorial and other literary events, plus two days of independent study. The additional MA component can then be completed over the summer vacation, with a submission deadline of early September.
The part-time programme of study is delivered over 36 weeks in two academic years. A minimum of 18 hours study per week is made up of one day of direct teaching, a half day of follow-up seminars, peer review, tutorial and other literary events, plus one further day of independent study. The additional MA component can be completed full-time in the summer vacation of year two or part-time during a third year of study.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Throughout the Postgraduate programme, students are encouraged to use their own writing as the basis for their study. All twelve units can be completed using fragments of the students’ work in progress. Equally, these units can be exploited as a playground for more open-ended experiments. At every step, there is room for constructive failure.
PUBLICATION & ASSESSMENT
At the end of the first term of study, West Dean College will publish a collection of works in progress from the Postgraduate Creative Writing students. This publication will be part of an informal review of the students’ studies to date.
In mid-February in term two, there will be a first formal assessment of each student’s progress. The second publication of collected works will take place at Easter, alongside a second informal review. The second formal assessment will then take place at the end of the summer term.
Editorial advice, tutorial meetings and script review will be available over the long summer vacation (in year one for full-time students and year two for part-time students) while students complete the long piece of Creative Writing that makes up their additional MA component. Formal assessment of the MA component will take place in early September.
EXPERIENCE & OUTCOMES
This postgraduate Creative Writing programme is designed around twelve units of study, plus the additional long MA component of individual study and creative writing. The programme is 61% Practical, 17% Theoretical and 22% Professional.
The Practical element of the programme includes units designed to define and develop the writers’ craft skills, for example: Character & Back Story; Drafting & Redrafting; Structure & Suspense; Creating an Imaginary World. These units are taught over six or twelve weeks, allowing plenty of time for experiment and refinement.
To master the broader aspects the Practical craft – such as management of suspense, development of character, integration of plotlines, consistent style and imaginary chronology – requires an understanding of the whole sweep of a novel or screenplay or long dramatic work and experience of trying to write long works of fiction. Students will already be able to show an understanding of the fine detail of composition – for example, the balance of sentences, choice of vocabulary, historical accuracy, authentic speech, manipulation of point of view.
The Theoretical element includes units such as Structure of an Original Novel and Reflections on Practice. This element is based on critical deconstruction of successful fiction in lectures and workshops. The Professional element includes units such as Online Author and Professional Project & Treatment. This is supported by contact, through the lecture series and the Chichester Writing Festival, bringing together successful agents, editors, scouts and authors from all genres of fiction and non-fiction writing. Among the many authors who have spoken are Simon Brett, Jason Goodwin, Joanne Harris, Anthony Horowitz, Marian Keyes, Andrea Levy, Kate Mosse, William Nicholson, Adèle Parks, Ian Rankin, Sandi Toksvig, Julie Walters, Minette Walters, Sarah Waters and Jacqueline Wilson.
CONCLUSION
The postgraduate programme in Creative Writing at West Dean College is designed for writers who wish to publish long fictional works – novels, plays, screenplays. It is underpinned by probing study of successful published works and by purposeful individual experimentation and editorial refinement. The programme is delivered in an unparalleled creative setting, surrounded by artists and makers from an extraordinary range of disciplines. The facilities offered are designed to liberate the imagination and deepen understanding.
FEES
Full-time PGDip
Tuition: £2,500 per term (£7,500 per academic year)
Accommodation: £1,750 per term (£5,250 per academic year)
Total: £4,250 per term (£12,750 per academic year)
Full-time MA Fees (ten-week extension to Postgraduate Diploma):
Tuition: £1,500
Accommodation; £1,460
Total: £2,710
Part-time PGDip
Tuition: £1,125 per term (£3,375 per academic year)
Note: Student accommodation is only available for full-time students. Part-time students may stay at the College the night before or after their chosen day of study, subject to availability, bookable two-weeks in advance. Full-board from £60 per night.
For more information please contact the Communications Office at communications@westdean.org.uk.
