Writing Creative Non-Fiction Writing Creative Non-Fiction Writing Creative Non-Fiction

Writing Creative Non-Fiction

Explore the craft of writing about real-world events, experiences and ideas by taking this deep dive into one of our most expansive genres.

Level

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Improving

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Location

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Online

Length

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12 weeks
  • Start Date
  • Time
  • Flexible (see Course Schedule)

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£795

£200 / month for 2 months and a £395.00 deposit

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Do you have a true story to tell?

Creative Non-Fiction is a genre as capacious as it is shape-shifting. In this twelve-week, co-tutored course, we’ll throw our scope wide – interrogating what we know and how we know it, and how to write striking, memorable true stories. Digging into the foundational elements of creative nonfiction writing, we’ll grapple with practical and theoretical questions of truth, trust and purpose, and find novel ways of exploring aspects of the world that matter to us most through writing.

You'll spend twelve weeks with critically-acclaimed writers Helen Jukes and Marianne Brooker, who will help you to engage deeply with published works and your own research material; to follow what fires your imagination, and develop creative and critical approaches to your craft. Each fortnightly workshop will be based around a themed reading list and writing exercises, traversing forms and disciplines.

Between sessions, supplementary resources and writing tasks will help you to build your understanding and technical skills; you’ll also have the opportunity to submit and respond to each other's work in online forums, and be invited to attend a dedicated 1:1 tutorial with one of your course leaders. This tutorial will offer time to reflect on your own practice and the publication process, and to receive feedback on a 5,000 word piece of your own choosing.

Is this the right course for me?

This is an intermediate course, suitable for students with new or established ideas, or who are looking to refine their practice. You don’t need to have studied writing before, or published any work, but should note that the course isn’t designed for people who are at the very beginning of their writing journey; it’s best suited to people who are keen to deepen their knowledge and engage creatively with others. Workshops will be collaborative and nurture active participation, shared reflection and experiment.

    The course lasts for twelve weeks. Each session will last for a fortnight, with materials becoming available on a Monday morning followed by a Zoom on the first Tuesday.

Course Programme

Session 1

Opens Monday 31 March 2025

Voice...

Session 2

Opens 14 April

Research...

Session 3

Opens 28 April

Character...

See remaining sessions

Course Programme

Writing Creative Non-Fiction

Session 1

Opens Monday 31 March

Voice

In this first session we’ll look at how to make use of ‘voice’ in creative nonfiction. Reading work by two authors, we’ll compare the merits and complexities of different styles of narration. Through a series of short writing tasks, you’ll also have the opportunity to experiment with your own voice; to consider the barriers that exist to self expression, and to test out some of the techniques used by authors to articulate their ideas in novel ways.
Indicative reading: Truman Capote and Maggie Nelson

Zoom session: Tuesday 1 April, 18:00–20:00 BST

Session 2

Opens 14 April

Research

On what materials do our stories depend? How can we get into (and out of) research? What’s the relationship of what was, to what could have been, or might yet be? We’ll discuss access and ethics, and experiment with techniques for unearthing, organising and representing research materials on the page.
Indicative reading: Saidya Hartman and Tiya Miles

Zoom session: Tuesday 15 April, 18:00–20:00 BST

Session 3

Opens 28 April

Character

Characters can help bring a text to life. In this workshop, we’ll look at how to recognise and write about the experiences of others; following on from the last session, we’ll respond to two books that make use of transcribed interviews, considering questions of empathy and relation, as well as practical technique. A series of short exercises will help you explore these aspects in your own writing.
Indicative reading: Julia Blackburn and Elizabeth Rush

Zoom session: Tuesday 29 April, 18:00–20:00 BST

Session 4

Opens 12 May

Perspective

How can different perspectives create a sense of affinity or antagonism? How do we move between individual and collective feeling? We’ll explore relational questions of doubt, risk, and reliability, and dive deeper into the effects of writing in the first, second, or third person.
Indicative reading: Annie Ernaux and Vivian Gornick

Zoom session: 13 May 2025, 18:00–20:00 BST

Session 5

Opens 26 May

Setting

In this class we’ll bring ‘setting’ into the foreground, exploring the complex and subtle interactions that exist between people and the places they inhabit. We’ll study two essays by authors who pay particular attention to the more-than-human world, and investigate how you can bring aspects of their striking ecological awareness into your own work.
Indicative reading: Michael Malay and Kathleen Jamie

Zoom session: 27 May 2025, 18:00–20:00 BST

Session 6

Opens 9 June

Structure

What holds our stories together? What does narrative structure reveal and conceal? We’ll experiment with structural models and metaphors, interrogating the traditional hero’s journey to explore how narrative can hold multiplicity and complexity, and how structure relates to time and feeling.
Indicative reading: Preti Taneja and Maggie Nelson.

Zoom session: 10 June 2025, 18:00–20:00 BST

Tutor

helenjukes

Helen Jukes

Helen Jukes' writing has appeared in The New York Times, Port Magazine, Aeon and others. Her first book...

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Helen Jukes
94fe3d9e-1e5c-4577-9afa-d7b34d2219b6

Marianne Brooker

Marianne Brooker is a writer and campaigner based in Bristol. Her first book, Intervals, explores...

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Marianne Brooker

Location

Faber Academy's bespoke online classroom has been built from scratch specifically for helping writers develop their craft. Through this platform you will access your weekly sessions, watch video lessons, join any Zoom sessions, download class materials and interact with your fellow writers in dedicated forums at a time that suits you. Our online learning model prioritises interaction, lively discussion and workshopping in small groups to help you get the most out of your learning experience.

Working with Helen proved to be the first and most important step in my being able to look with a critical and more objective eye at my work. She presented us with specific skills and gave us the confidence to experiment.

Former Student

Helen gives such extensive feedback, taking so much into consideration, with professionalism, direction, and warmth. I have asked Helen to stay on board for my second draft because I feel so safe in this process, I trust Helen, and am beyond grateful for her guidance.

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.

For more information, message us or call 0207 927 3827