Six-Week Story Creative Writing Course with Mel Parks & Julie Corbin

This course is for six weeks - two hours each Saturday (10-12) from 18 January 2025 to 22 February 2025.

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You have an idea (or plenty!) for a story but you’re not sure how to take it from a spark to a full narrative. Or you tend to begin writing and then run out of steam, leaving strands of unfinished stories.

In the six 2-hour Saturday morning creative writing workshops in East Grinstead, experienced and published writers, Mel Parks and Julie Corbin will guide you through the elements of story writing.

We will explore: planning, character development, narrative arcs, story building blocks, self-editing and sending your story out into the world.

The course is aimed at beginners as well as those who have been writing for a while and there will be a chance to get written feedback from the course tutors on an extract of your work.

This is a guide to what we plan to cover, though the content may change, depending on the course participants.

Week 1: January 18
Mel
Developing your story idea and planning.
Introduction to creating a story world.
The difference between a situation and a story.

Week 2: January 25
Mel
Creating believable characters who drive the story action forward.

Week 3: February 1

Julie

The big picture.
Story structure, plotting.
Narrative and character arcs.

Week 4: February 8
Julie

Story structure - the building blocks.

The difference between scenes, exposition, description and dialogue.

What to use when.

Submit your writing (up to 2000 words) for feedback.

Week 5: February 15

Julie

Receiving feedback on your work.

Tips and a system for self-editing.

Week 6: February 22

Mel

Sending your story out into the world.
An overview of the current publishing landscape.
Review of the course and next steps.

It will be nine years since we first ran this course together and it feels more important than ever to support and encourage others to be able to tell their stories.

In the past few years, we have both continued to develop our writing craft. Mel has created and delivered hundreds of writing workshops. And following an MA in Creative Writing (Distinction), she has been invited to work on university research projects valuing creative methods and storytelling. Building on her wide-ranging publishing track record, she has had autobiographical academic writing published as well as a fictional short story longlisted for the Bridport Prize. She is currently working on a series of moon-inspired personal essays following an Arts Council Developing Your Creative Practice award.

Julie continues to read widely, visit book groups, run workshops and write novels. Her ninth domestic suspense novel, , was published by Hodder and Stoughton in October 2024.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Mad Dog Coffee Lounge, 14 High Street, East Grinstead, United Kingdom