CREATIVE WRITING COURSES IN EAST SUSSEX
See feedback from students at the bottom of page.

FICTION WRITING WORKSHOPS – NEWHAVEN
20 week course starting Friday 1st October 2010.
A welcoming, supportive workshop, suitable for beginners and more experienced writers. Exercises are set and work read in class and feedback given on basic techniques and larger structural issues.
Credits: 24
Length: 20 sessions
Time: Fridays, 10am-12.30pm
Dates: Term 1 -1st October 2010 to 18th March 2011. Term 2 – 24th April to 1st July 2011.
Venue: Hillcrest Centre, Hillcrest Road, Newhaven, BN9 9EA.
This course is offered jointly by the University of Sussex and the WEA.
To enrol, phone Val McLeish of the Seaford WEA on 01273 540146
These courses fill up fast so register early to be sure of a place.


FICTION WRITING WORKSHOPS – EASTBOURNE
10 weeks starting Tuesday 5th October 2010
Have you always wanted to write? Do you have a story to tell?
Learn about and develop your writing skills in a friendly, supportive class. You will practice all the basic techniques of fiction, learn about structure and plot and develop your ability to give constructive feedback on different aspects of writing. This course is suitable for anyone writing long or short prose fiction and autobiography.

Time: 10 am to 12 noon.

Leaf Hall Community Arts Centre, Seaside, Eastbourne, BN22 7NB

Cost: £85 or £75 concessions
To register email me


NOVEL WRITING WORKSHOPS
These run for one day a month between Sept and June each year (10 sessions in total) from 10am to 3pm. TO discuss your project and find out more please email me.
These are dedicated whole day workshops held once a month where six writers email out up to 5000 words of their long project – novel, autobiography or collection of stories – in advance to the group and tutor for reading and comment. Half an hour is dedicated to discussion of and feedback on each person’s work during each session. Feedback given is on larger structural issues, e.g. plot development, point of view, narrative time, and pacing, as well as on technical aspects such as sense of place, characterisation, dialogue, imagery, use of language, description, etc. The workshops are an opportunity to commit yourself to your project and gain experience in both structural overview and detail by analysing and discussing others’ work and getting feedback on your own.
Cost: £45 per monthly session or £420 if paid in advance.
To enrol, please email me


FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS
The workshops are excellent and Umi is a brilliant teacher: honest and respectful, critical, but kind!  I hope next year we can go ‘right through’ to June, so that we can squeeze more sessions into the year. The venue, although a long way from where I live, is great.  Lovely food in the café and nice workspace.

Linda McVeigh

I thought [the sessions] were well-paced and timed, intense where they needed to be, and usually very thorough. Group members seemed to all take time and care in reading and commenting on one another’s pieces. Umi’s feedback is always more technical and editorial, which is perfect, and in contrast the other group members tend to respond more as ‘readers’ than critics, which is again very useful and a good counterpoint. I think the two slightly different perspectives compliment each other very well.

Loretta Riordan

Being forced to meet a deadline made me very productive. I thought the group management was excellent. It was gently done but well controlled – a delicate balance and you have a gift for it Umi! Everyone got a fair crack of the whip and, rather than having a free discussion, making each of us have our say forced everyone to do their homework and gave equal weight to everyone’s opinion and everyone’s work as well.

Mike Liardet