THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL. SOMETIMES A SPOT DOES OPEN UP – CONTACT US TO JOIN THE WAITING LIST.
This Level I creative writing course runs for 8 weeks from 7 May – 25 June. The course meets Tuesday mornings from 10:00 – 12:00 at Boekhandel van Rossum, Beethovenstraat 32, 1077 JH Amsterdam. Class size is 6-10 people.
A Level I course is a great place to start whether you’re just getting going or you’ve been writing for a while and would like more formal instruction. The focus is on giving you mastery over techniques fundamental to both fiction and poetry, supporting you in establishing a writing routine, and encouraging you to try new things and stretch your imagination.
During the 8 weeks you’ll learn how to:
- Read like a writer, so you can see how your favourite authors and poets work their magic—it’s a skill that will serve you well throughout your writing life.
- Construct a compelling narrator to tell your story.
- Use elements of craft such as tone, mood, description and action to reveal your characters and pull readers in and make them want more.
- Give your fellow writers useful feedback.
- Revise your own work—as any professional writer will tell you, writing well is all about revising well.
Plus you can look forward to a weekly dose of inspiration and to meeting great people.
There are no special textbooks required, although we highly recommend the following anthologies: The Art of the Story (ed. Daniel Halpern), The Ecco Anthology of Contemporary American Short Fiction (ed. Joyce Carol Oates), and the 2018 Pushcart Prize XLII (ed. Bill Henderson). You will need access to a printer.
The Level I curriculum is designed to give you a toolkit of techniques foundational to good writing over the course of two to four terms, depending on your goals, focus and experience.
We currently teach four core levels of courses—each level (usually completed over multiple consecutive terms) builds on the skills and techniques taught in the level before, and at the end of every term your instructor will help you decide on the best path forward.
HERE’S WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY:
“The workshops really encouraged me to write – something I’ve been talking about for years but never had the time or confidence to pursue. I’ve absolutely loved it and plan to continue with it, I really think if I am going to make a go of writing these workshops will be what helps me to do that.” – Jo Matthews
“If you like reading you should absolutely take a workshop. They are insightful into the craft of writing and hugely stimulating. It changed my life in so many good ways…” – Claudia Calori
“I have been writing since I was seven years old. In a very real way it is my oldest companion, yet though I have tried at different periods of my life, I’ve never managed to give it a steady and credible role in my daily life and for the last decade or more I simply did not write. The workshops have changed all that. I am writing all the time now, and am more and more at ease in feeding my daily experience through the internal wordmill and into my notebook for later.” – John Carnegie
“Being part of a community of writers has enriched my life beyond the actual workshops—I’ve made some great friends.” – Mirja Post
You can view more student feedback here.
OUR REFUND POLICY:
If something comes up and you can’t take the course, let us know at least 24 hours before the first class (so we can offer your spot to someone else) and we’ll give you a complete refund. If you decide to drop out after the first class, let us know within three days, and you only pay for the first class—we’ll refund the rest. And if at any point in the term something unforeseen happens that makes it impossible for you to complete the course (e.g., serious illness), we can offer you a credit voucher based on the number of classes remaining that you can apply to another course within a year.
