This Level III creative writing course runs for 8 weeks from 3 May – 21 June 2023. The course meets Wednesdays 19:00 – 21:30 at Boekhandel van Rossum, Beethovenstraat 32, 1077 JH Amsterdam (map). Class size is 6-9 people.

Please see our page on the measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 that we are putting into place and associated requirements for participation in this course. If you are unvaccinated or you or any members of your household are in a higher risk category, we recommend one of our online courses instead.

REQUIREMENTS

This course is open to writers who have completed at least two terms of our Level II or equivalent courses. If you’re new to our school or are not sure if you qualify, please reach out before registering.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

In Level III, writers bring together the skills acquired in Levels I and II. The focus is on deepening the emotional connection in your writing and further developing your own voice and material. We will no longer be using set exercises or writing prompts. Instead, you’ll be reading a variety of pieces during the term and participating in craft discussions in order to identify the techniques you could choose to apply to your writing – in a sense, creating your own “exercise”.

You can use these self-defined exercises to kick off something new or feed a pre-existing project such as a story, novel, poem or essay you’d like to develop. We encourage those working on longer forms to stick with a single project. For those working on shorter forms, such as poems or flash, you may want to complete more pieces or spend more time on revising one or two with an eye towards publication.

HOW IT WORKS

You’ll need to upload your work to our online platform the day before the next class. Critiquing is done in class. You will need access to a printer or device (phone, tablet, laptop) that will allow you to read your fellow student’s work during class.

There may be one or two texts for the term. We will let you know in plenty of time to order copies.

OUR REFUND POLICY

No matter how early you register, if something changes and you can’t join the course, you can let us know at least 72 hours before the first class (so we can offer your spot to someone else) and we’ll give you a complete refund. You can find the full details of our generous refund policy in our terms.