Writing for Young People

Entry requirements

We offer places on the basis of our assessment of your quality, potential and commitment as a writer and your ability to benefit from the course.

Usually, but not invariably, you will have a degree. This may be in subjects other than Creative Writing.

This is not a beginner’s course, so we will be looking for evidence of originality in your writing for young people, and a sense of audience.

You will have read widely in the field of contemporary children’s literature.

Months of entry

October

Course content

• Excellent links with authors, agents and publishers, and a programme of visiting speakers.
• Annual prize for the 'most promising writer for young people' awarded by a leading literary agent.
• Excellent track record of graduates achieving publication.

This Creative Writing course is for writers for children of all ages, from the picture-book age through to young adult (YA). Prose fiction is likely to be the main area studied, but you'll have the chance to look at writing in all forms, including poetry, picture book texts and narrative non-fiction for young people.

The course supports you to create a significant body of writing, with practical plans for its place in the real world of publishing. It is based on the principle that most writers learn and benefit from working closely with their fellow writers, in a disciplined, supportive setting, and with tutors who are practising and published writers in their field. Most of our students aim to complete a novel by the end of the MA.

The writing workshop is at the heart of the course. With tutors and your fellow writers in a workshop setting, you'll learn to see your work through objective eyes and to think clearly about the different strategies you might adopt. You'll learn from each other’s mistakes and successes, as well as your own. You'll be urged to try things out, take risks and experiment, and reflect on and discuss the writing process. The context modules help you to see your own writing in the wider context of published children’s writing. The course encourages you to read widely and analytically.

Information for international students

For further information visit our website.

Fees and funding

For more information on funding please refer to our website.