Our programme of online ‘Writing Fiction’ classes for summer begins soon. Here are some quick thoughts about the forthcoming term …
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It’s always an exciting moment right before a new set of classes begins, because I know that over the next couple of months I’ll get to read a lot of new work. Who knows, maybe some of it will even be published by thi wurd in the future. I’ll also get to read writers experimenting. Perhaps the most exciting aspect is seeing writers improve their writing and hone their work.
Our online classes are open to writers anywhere in the world. We always have writers from Glasgow and Scotland (where thi wurd is based) but writers also come from around the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe, the USA and beyond. These are supportive groups that give excellent feedback, and I love the way that the groups gel together. Writers gain so much from the group critiques, in both giving and receiving feedback.
Occasionally I meet people who tell me they wouldn’t do an online class. I have to admit I used to be firmly in that camp: however, the pandemic meant the only way to keep the classes going during 2020 and 2021 was to head online. I was keen to keep the classes running, as they’d been going since Oct 2001, and I knew what they meant to people – what they meant to me. These days we do in-person and online classes, and I know how wonderful a well-curated online class can be. In fact, it can be much more focused than an in-person class. More discussion can take place in the time. Additionally, I believe ‘online’ can mean a more democratic and inclusive space for some people.
These aren’t ‘taught’ classes. Instead, they are groups in which we help each other. A place where narrative techniques can be discussed, where prompts and tasks create new writing. Another positive is that we have beginners and published authors in the same groups and it works for everyone.
So, this is just to say that no matter where you are in the world, and regardless of whether you are new to writing or very experienced, these classes are a genuinely creative space, delivered at a very low price. If you’re wary of online classes, I believe you’ll find these to be quite an incredible experience in terms of feeling like an in-person class with a really strong community. And online there is the added bonus of working with writers resident in many different places.
Hopefully see you there.