StudyQA — Master: Creative Writing

Description Contents Requirements Funding

If you want to make a career in writing, this course is for you. You already have talent and ideas: we will add the knowledge you need to approach your chosen market with confidence, originality and skill.

This course takes a fresh approach to the training and support of aspiring prose writers. In class you'll practice narrative technique, develop vocational skills and analyse the cultural context of your work. As your writing takes shape you'll have the opportunity to specialise in commercial genres, including crime fiction, science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Uniquely, the course also offers a dynamic range of cross-disciplinary options. In the second trimester, you can choose to extend your skills with options in creative non-fiction and writing for graphic novels, or a module in screenwriting at Screen Academy Scotland.

Your own creative work will receive ongoing attention, with regular one-to-one mentoring sessions. The course also hosts an exciting programme of lectures and master classes from award-winning visiting writers and high profile industry experts.

Each year, an internationally recognised practitioner joins us for twelve months as Writer in Residence, to develop new work alongside students, share experience, and offer one-to-one consultations on any aspect of craft and the writing life. Our Reader in Residence is also on hand to create personal reading lists, and to make sure that your influences match your ambitions.

The MA in Creative Writing is approved by PSAS as eligible for funded assistance. A limited number of funded places is available each year.

Writing is a freelance occupation, and building a sustainable career requires versatile professional skills. As well as working intensively on your own writing, you be trained in a variety of vocational techniques, including fiction editing, adaptation, abridgement and collaborative work. Equally importantly, you will develop the range of intellectual skills required to ensure that your future creative practice is original, purposeful, and of genuine cultural value.

* Writer
* Media

The course is studied full-time over one year and is divided into three trimesters with attendance of approximately two days per week. You'll learn through a variety of teaching methods including lectures, in-class exercises and discussions, group challenges and debates, and guided independent study. Regular one-to-one mentoring sessions will support the development of your individual creative work and encourage you in critical self-reflection. You will also benefit from the expertise of a wide range of visiting speakers, through a programme of tailored sessions with successful writers and publishing professionals.

Trimester 1

The three key strands of the course are introduced: vocational skills, cultural contexts and writing practice.

* Creating Narrative Writers Toolkit: Introduces the practical skills used by authors and screenwriters to develop their ideas into compelling narratives. This module takes you on a journey from initial inspiration to fully developed outline, with practice in self-editing.
* Innovation Concept and Technique: Investigates the culture, practice and purpose of innovative writing, with a range of experimental techniques to try, and a final challenge: what will you do thats new?
* Writing Practice First Person Narrative: In this module youll get to grips with the technical demands of first-person prose, with intensive writing exercises in both memoir and fiction.

On successful completion of trimester 1 you will be eligible for a Postgraduate Certificate.

Trimester 2

* Narrative Practice Vocational Skillset: Introduces the practical skills that can help you build a portfolio career from working with narrative, including editing, abridgement and adaptation.
* Authorship Culture and Practice: Current developments in technology and narrative practice challenge conventional definitions of the role of the author. Through a combination of analytical, creative and practical work, this module equips you with the critical awareness and industry knowledge you need to shape your own role in the culture.
* Writing Practice: For intensive writing practice, you'll choose one of the following - Writing for Graphic Novels, Writing Genre Fiction, Screenwriting, or Creative Non-Fiction.

On successful completion of trimester 2 you will be eligible for a Postgraduate Diploma.

Trimester 3

With mentoring and editorial support, you will work on your Major Project. This is typically around 20,000 words of creative work with an accompanying reflective essay and personal development plan.

After successful completion of the three trimesters, you will be awarded your masters degree.

As this is a postgraduate qualification, a first degree in any discipline is desirable. If you do not have a first degree, relevant experience will be taken into account. Applications should be made to the University in the first instance.Once your application is received, you may be contacted by the Programme Leader with an invitation to submit a sample of writing: this is the second stage in selection. Please do not send writing samples with your initial application, as a detailed brief and deadline will be provided. The final stage in the selection process is an interview: for international applicants, this is conducted by telephone.If your first language is not English you will usually have to take an English language test, unless you studied your undergraduate degree in a country where English is the official language. Otherwise, we ask for evidence that you have the correct level of English language competency. The English language tests and scores we accept are: * IELTS with a score of 6.0 with no element below 5.5 * TOEFL with a score of 75 or above * Pearsons Test of Academic English with a score of 50 or above English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6 TOEFL iBT® test: 75 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.