Beginners' Writing Courses Beginners' Writing Courses Beginners' Writing Courses

Beginners' Writing Courses

Whether you've always wanted to write fiction or are looking for an introduction to poetry, we offer a range of creative writing classes for beginners – from one-day workshops to longer twelve-week courses, online and in our London offices.

Our beginners' writing courses: an overview

Many of our beginners’ classes require no experience at all – if you’ve always wanted to write but never known where to start, you’ll find a supportive, welcoming environment with an experienced tutor and a group of fellow aspiring authors.

Our online courses are accessible wherever you are in the world, and many of our online beginners’ courses are self-paced, meaning you don’t need to be online at a set time and can work through the course materials at a time that suits you.

You’ll leave with a clear idea of the requirements of your chosen genre and the technical tools you’ll need to carry on writing.

Who are these courses for?

Complete beginners

Avid reader ready to start creating fictional worlds of your own? Looking for a new hobby or taking the very first step on a new creative path? These courses are designed to show you how to start writing – and how to carry on after the final session.

Writers looking to refresh their skills

If you've written before but feel you're lacking in confidence after a break, a short course can be a great way to brush up your knowledge and get those ideas flowing again, with a supportive group to cheer you on.

Writers exploring a new genre

An experienced non-fiction writer looking to try your hand at poetry? Or a poet who'd like to experiment with fiction? Our beginners' courses are a great place to test out a new discipline

Beginners' Writing Courses (35)

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Fiction Development, Novel Writing

Writing YA

Spend three months in expert company, learning the key skills any YA writer requires.

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Improving

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Online

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12 weeks

Tutors

Penny Joelson

Start Date

Monday 25 Mar 2024

£695
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Fiction Development, Novel Writing

Getting Started: Beginners' Fiction

Everything you need to call yourself a writer – discipline, craft skills and a great group of people to work with – in one online writing course experience.

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Starting out

What do these levels mean?

Location

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Online

Length

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12 weeks

Tutors

Ashley Hickson-Lovence

Start Date

Monday 01 Apr 2024

2 more start dates available

£395
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Details
Close-up of someone writing in a notebook in a sunny park
Fiction Development, Novel Writing

Kickstart Your Novel

Take your writing to the next level, and develop both the technical skill and the narrative momentum to really get stuck into your novel.

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Improving

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Length

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12 weeks

Tutors

Katherine Stansfield, Judith Bryan

Start Date

Monday 01 Apr 2024

£595
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Details
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Poetry

Writing Poems

A playful, supportive three-month poetry course for beginners and aspiring amateur poets, with two of the best practitioners and teachers in the country.

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Starting out

What do these levels mean?

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Online

Length

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12 weeks

Tutors

Richard Scott, Julia Copus

Start Date

Monday 15 Apr 2024

£595
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Details
Fiction Development

Getting Started: Beginners' Fiction

An introductory course for the writer who is ready to commit to beginning to write seriously. Start your story today!

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Starting out

What do these levels mean?

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London

Length

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12 weeks

Tutors

Mick Jackson

Start Date

Thursday 18 Apr 2024

£1095
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Details
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Fiction Development

Getting Started: Beginners' Fiction (Daytime)

A twelve-week creative writing course for beginners. Playful, serious and fun, it asks what writing is and why we do it.

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Starting out

What do these levels mean?

Location

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London

Length

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12 weeks

Tutors

Sue Gee

Start Date

Wednesday 24 Apr 2024

1 more start date available

£1095
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Fiction Development

Start to Write

A no-excuses, let’s-get-going, beginners' creative writing course to kickstart your writing life.

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Starting out

What do these levels mean?

Location

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London

Length

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1-5 days

Tutors

Richard Skinner, Sarah May

Start Date

Saturday 27 Apr 2024

8 more start dates available

£100
Book Now

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Details
Close-up image of a notebook open in a woman's lap, with her pen poised to start writing on a blank page
Poetry

Start to Write Poetry

Kickstart your writing life with a specially designed day of learning, writing and discussion from the home of British poetry.

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Starting out

What do these levels mean?

Location

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Online

Length

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1-5 days

Tutors

Victoria Adukwei Bulley

Start Date

Saturday 27 Apr 2024

1 more start date available

£75
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Beginners' Course Tutors

The tutors on our beginners' writing courses are all experienced teachers and published writers themselves, with a wealth of experience in introducing new writers to the craft.

Photo of Penny Joelson, Writing YA tutor at Faber Academy

Penny Joelson

Penny Joelson is a multi-award-winning author, currently working on a new Young Adult thriller. Among twelve published books...

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Penny Joelson
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Ashley Hickson-Lovence

Ashley Hickson-Lovence is a novelist and Creative Writing lecturer based in Norwich. While working as a secondary school English teacher...

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Ashley Hickson-Lovence
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Katherine Stansfield

Katherine Stansfield is a multi-genre novelist and poet. Her historical crime series Cornish Mysteries has won the...

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Katherine Stansfield
Judith Bryan 2020 – Edited

Judith Bryan

Judith Bryan’s 1998 Saga Prize debut winning novel, Bernard and the Cloth Monkey, was...

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Judith Bryan
richard-scott-tutor

Richard Scott

Richard Scott was born in London in 1981. His pamphlet Wound (Rialto) won the Michael Marks Poetry Award 2016 and his poem...

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Richard Scott
JULIA COPUS-black&white

Julia Copus

Julia Copus has published four collections of poetry, the latest of which, Girlhood (Faber 2019), was winner of America’s inaugural Derek Walcott Prize for best...

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Julia Copus
mick-jackson-tutor

Mick Jackson

Mick is a Booker Prize–shortlisted author of four novels and two collections of short stories. His novels – The Underground Man...

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Mick Jackson
Sue Gee – Faber Academy's Getting Started with Fiction tutor

Sue Gee

Sue Gee is a novelist and short story writer who ran the MA Writing Programme at Middlesex University from 2000 till 2008...

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Sue Gee
richard-skinner-tutor

Richard Skinner

Richard Skinner is a novelist, poet and critic. His most recent book, The Mirror, was described as ‘beautifully written...

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Richard Skinner
sarah-may-tutor

Sarah May

Sarah May is the highly acclaimed author of seven novels, including The Nudist Colony, (shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award...

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Sarah May
vab photo

Victoria Adukwei Bulley

Victoria Adukwei Bulley is a poet, writer, and artist. Her work has appeared widely in publications including The White Review...

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Victoria Adukwei Bulley

Inspiring surroundings, excellent tutor, supportive fellow participants. I learnt a great deal about character, plot, voice, narration and language.

Inspiring surroundings, excellent tutor, supportive fellow participants. I learnt a great deal about character, plot, voice, narration and language.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I start writing?

There’s no “right” way to start writing – it really is about taking that first step and writing that first line! It could be that you start straight away with a project of your own; a poem or a short story or a novel. Or you can use creative writing exercises and prompts to provide some structure (you can find ours [here]). In either case, the most important thing is: don’t be afraid of it not being perfect. No-one’s first draft of anything ever is. You hone your voice and prose over time, by continuing to put words on the page and experimenting with techniques and styles to find what works best for you. Beginners’ writing courses will offer a good introduction to those technical elements, as well as a constructive place to start getting feedback on your work.

What skills do you need to be a writer – do I need any particular experience to take these courses?

You don’t need any experience to take these courses – they’re designed as an introduction to your chosen discipline and are suitable for complete beginners. In terms of skills, being an enthusiastic and eclectic reader will always serve an aspiring writer well – when you read a book you enjoy, try and think about what in particular you liked about it, and whether there are qualities you might also like to see in your own work. And paying attention to the world around you is also a good habit to have. Listen out for interesting snippets of overheard conversation and watch out for images or scenes that catch your eye – you never know where inspiration may strike!

I've done some writing before, but I still feel like a beginner – are these courses right for me?

Absolutely. With all of our courses, we usually say that the level is something of a confidence thing rather than based entirely on experience. If you feel like you need to get a solid grounding in the foundations of your chosen genre before moving on to something more advanced, these courses will help you do that.

Can't find the right course?

Manuscript Assessment

Get comprehensive editorial feedback on your manuscript from our experienced readers – whether it’s still a work-in-progress or you’re preparing to submit to literary agents.

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Mentoring

We offer a range of mentoring options if you’d prefer to work one-on-one with an established writer to help you shape your project and realise your writing ambitions.

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Browse the Reading Room

From author interviews and writing tips to creative writing exercises and reading lists, we've got everything you need to get started – and to keep going.