Course description
This course is about bringing whole worlds into existence right in front of the child’s ‘eyes of the imagination’. A children’s writer needs to be a safe and genuine maker of wonders, someone who can create a world that is marvellous, mysterious and unaccountably enchanting, yet always provide an underlying sense of security. The course will help you to develop your writing in this specialised field. It pays careful attention to the main age bands recognised by publishers and you can choose to specialise within one of those bands. As well as writing your own stories and experimenting with form, style and technique, you will be looking at the work of well-known children’s writers and at their own notes and thoughts on their work. You will also have the opportunity to read widely within the genre. We advise taking Writing 1: Starting to Write before embarking on this course but direct entry is possible for more experienced writers.
- The art of storytelling
- How to enthral a listener
- The psychology of children’s stories
- Making sure that stories are ‘safe’
- Drafting, texture and form.
Postal tuition
You are allocated a tutor and receive their details in your course pack. You work from the course materials and send regular assignments to your tutor. These are returned to you with comment and advice. The course fee includes tutor feedback on your set assignments, but you can purchase feedback and comment on additional pieces of work if you wish.
