Different types of writing classes in London are aplenty.
And if it’s a creative writing class you’re looking for, continue reading.
Below you’ll find 16 top creative writing workshops in London.
1. Half-Day Writing Workshops with Creative Writing Workshops London
Hosted by Diane Chandler, the winner of the 2016 People’s Book Prize for Fiction, Creative Writing Workshops London is currently offering half-day writing workshops through the months of March, May, and June of 2020. These writing workshops are available for a flat fee of £40.00, and includes provided coffee and baked goods. Based out of Chiswick, London, classes primarily take place in the morning.
These classes will help you create better characters, develop page-turning plot, help to create engaging dialogue, and assist you with writing captivating description. Each workshop takes roughly three hours and accepts up to eight people per class, so be sure to reserve your place as soon as possible. For more information or general inquiries, you can contact Diane via email.
2. Space to Write Wednesdays with Creative Writes
Creative Writes is a creative writing and poetry reading workshop that was founded by Nichola Charalambou. Based out of Muswell Hill, London, Creative Writes offers Space to Write Wednesdays, a creative writing workshop hosted between the months of April to June of 2019. Each class takes place between 7:30PM to 9:30PM.
This creative writing workshop in London is designed to help you with free flow writing, as well as to help develop your work in progress. The fee for this course is £25.00 per class, with included refreshments. For more information or general inquiries, you can contact the team at Creative Writes through their website’s online contact form.
3. Write Better Short Stories with Jane Rogers
Led by award-winning novelist and short story writer Jane Rogers, Write Better Short Stories is a creative writing course offered through London’s very own Faber Academy. This course takes place between May 2nd, 2019 to July 18th, 2019, and costs a flat fee of £995.00. Classes take place between 7:00PM to 9:00PM every Thursday evening. Tea and coffee will be provided!
This 12-week course will help you develop your writing skills, increase your knowledge about the short story genre, provide you with individual feedback, and will even help to take three of your stories and prepare them for submission. There are only two places left, so it’s imperative that you register for the course as soon as possible to reserve your spot. For more information or general inquiries, you can contact the team at Faber Academy either through their website’s online contact form or call 0207 927 3868.
4. Folk Tales in New Fiction with London Lit Lab
The London Lit Lab is a creative writing group that offers a wide range of writing resources and workshops for both professional and aspiring authors. They are currently offering Folk Tales in New Fiction led by Zoe Gilbert, who is a published author through Bloomsbury and a PhD candidate for Creative Writing. The course itself will look at symbolism, how to develop recognizable characters, use preexisting tales as jumping off points for your own fiction, and examine what makes successful re-imaginings.
The course takes place on May 11th, 2019 between 10:00AM to 4:00PM and costs a flat fee of £115 for early bird registration, or £139 for regular registration. The class will take place at the Keynes Library, Birbeck School of Arts located at 43 Gordon Square, London. Class size is limited to fifteen students, so be sure to register right away. For more information or general inquiries, you can contact the team via email or visit their Facebook page.
5. How to Write A Poem with Richard Scott & Maurice Riordan
How to Write a Poem is a creative writing workshop currently offered by Faber Academy, led by poets Richard Scott and Maurice Riordan. This is a three-month poetry course designed for beginners looking to develop their poetic skills. The course takes place between April 30th, 2019 to July 16th, 2019 and costs a flat rate of £480.00.
All classes take place between 7:00PM to 9:00PM on Tuesday evenings and will explore topics like voice, self-portraiture and objects, drafting, line breaks, genre mixing, and more. There are only seven spot left, so it’s imperative you register right away.
6. Write & Shine with Gunnersbury Park & Museum
The Gunnersbury Park & Museum offers a program known as Write & Shine, an early morning writing workshop that offers several classes in London and online. Led by Gemma Seltzer, a talented writer who’s worked with organizations like Age UK, BBC Radio 3, Tate Modern, and the Venice Biennale, Write & Shine offers 90-minute writing workshops based out of central London.
The next session is schedule to take place on April 14th, 2019 between 10:15AM to 12:00PM. A light breakfast will be provided for those who attend. If you’re interested in this writing workshop, you can apply for a spring membership for a flat rate of £129. For more information or general inquiries, you can contact the team at Write and Shine through their website’s online contact form.
7. Fiction Skills: Plot with Tom Bromley
Tom Bromley is currently hosting Fiction Skills: Plot through Faber Academy. He is an author, editor, and ghostwriter with a ton of experience writing both fiction and nonfiction books. The course itself takes place between June 3rd to 30th, 2019 and actually takes place online for the convenience of his students.
The course will go over tips and strategies on how to plot, provide a creative and supportive writing group to help you nurture your writing skills, as will provide you with the opportunity of writing a 2k word piece to be critiqued and worked on over the duration of the course. There is a flat fee of £120.00 and there are currently twenty-eight places left to register!
8. One to One MasterClass with Creative Writes
Creative Writes offers one to one masterclasses to assist you in your writing career. They offer one-hour masterclasses for a flat rate of £60.00 and two-hour masterclass for £110.00. All classes are located at their Muswell Hill location, and you can book the course based on your schedule availability. In this workshop, you will be guided through how to adapt your work structure and truly organize your thoughts to help give your writing clarity and a unique voice. You will work closely with Nichola Charalambou, the founder of Creative Writes, who will guide you through the writing process. For more information, you can call 079 4109 1313.
9. Getting Started: Beginner’s Fiction with Helen Shipman
Getting started on a brand-new project can sometimes be tricky, but with a guiding hand, you may be surprised at just how quickly your words find a blank page. Helen Shipman is a writing coach with over 30 years of experience. She is currently offering Getting Started; Beginner’s Fiction, a creative writing course offered through Faber Academy. This 8-week course takes place between June 3rd, 2019 to July 28th, 2019 and costs £300.00. There are currently seventeen places left, so it’s important to register as soon as possible if you’re interested.
The course will go over how to develop your creativity and discipline, point of view, character development, setting establishment, dealing with time, structure, and how to organize your writing time. This is actually an online course, which means that students can participate regardless of location!
10. Creative Writing Through Art with Gina DeCagna (Studio 73)
Studio 73 present Creative Writing Through Art, lead by writer, editor, and visual artist Gina DeCagna. The workshop will take place April 23rd, 2019 between 7:00PM to 9:00PM at the Studio 73 Gallery in London. This workshop is intended for novice and expert writers alike, and will go over development of writing techniques in the genres of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and more. The workshop itself costs a flat fee of £16.58 and will be located at 73 Brixton Village, London. You can register for the course here. For more information or general inquiries, you can contact the organizers via email or call 020 7274 7773.
11. Start Your Novel in Five Days with Kathryn Heyman & Mark Haddon
If you’re an aspiring author looking for guidance on how to start your very first novel, consider checking out the Star Your Novel In Five Days workshop led by authors Kathryn Heyman and Mark Haddon. This course will take place between June 17th to June 21st, 2019 and costs a flat rate of £550. There are only eleven spots left, so be sure to register right away. This workshop was designed to guide you step by step to help get your novel from idea to reality. This intensive course will take place at Faber Academy located at 74-77 Great Russell Street, London. For more information, you can call 207 927 3827 or email the organizers for general inquiries.
12. Film and Creative Writing Workshop with Amir Darwish & Adam Skup (Hikayetna)
In collaboration with Hikayetna and Near Neighbours, Film and Creative Writing Workshop is a free workshop lead by Amir Darwish and Adam Skup. This course is intended to help creative individuals develop their ideas through visual, oral, and written forms of art. Refreshments will be offered. The course will take place on April 6th, 2019 between 12:00PM to 4:00PM at Noel Rd, London. For more information or general inquiries, you can contact the event organizers via email.
13. Free Your Creativity and Get Started on Your Book with Guardian Masterclasses
The Guardian is a renowned newspaper that also offers writing courses at their London location. They are currently hosting the Free Your Creativity and Gest Started On Your Book masterclass, which will take place between May 18th, 2019 to May 19th, 2019 from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. Led by Philippa Pride, who has been running the course since 2006, the workshop will go over how to set up a consistent writing schedule, how to practice your creativity, how to develop your narrative, create compelling plots, characters, and dialogue, and more. The course costs £499.00 plus a £7.80 registration fee. For more information, you can contact Guardian Masterclasses via email.
14. Introduction to Creative Writing (Goldsmiths, University of London)
Goldsmiths University of London offers several creative writing programs that can help you develop your skills and put you on the right track to starting your writing career. They are currently offering Introduction to Creative Writing May 1st, 2019 between 6:30PM to 8:30PM (10-week duration), and November 9th, 2019 between 10:00AM to 3:00PM (5-week duration). The flat fee for the course is £295. The course is led by Dr. Catherine Humble, a writer, lecturer, and journalist with experience as a creative writing teacher. For general inquiries, you can contact the organizers at Goldsmiths via email.
15. Write Here with Emma Filtness (Cultural Connections Christ Church)
Cultural Connections Christ Church is currently hosting Write Here led by author Emma Filtness. The workshop will take place on May 18th, 2019 between 2:00PM to 4:00PM at the Clapham Library, located at 91 Clapham High Street, London. No previous writing experience is necessary.
The workshop is designed to help writers develop their short story, poetry, life writing, and flash fiction writing techniques. It is a free event, but space is limited. If you’re interested in participating, be sure to sign up as soon as possible! For more information, you can contact the Cultural Connections Christ Church via email or call 020 7498 4625.
16. How to Write Compelling Memoir with London Lit Lab
The London Lit Lab is currently offering How to Write Compelling Memoir led by novelist and creative nonfiction writer Lily Dunn. This class will take place on October 5th, 2019 between 10:00AM to 4:00PM at the Keynes Library, Birkbeck, University of London, at 43 Gordon Square, London. Early bird registration starts at £115, and regular registration starts at a rate of £139.
This workshop will help budding memoirists in their pursuit of recounting personal experiences, discuss confidentiality and ethical issues, as well as explore the use of creativity in memoir. Space is limited to fifteen members, so be sure to register if you’re interested! For more information, you can contact the organizers via email.
Do you know of any other creative writing workshops in London, England? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
K. Z. Kwan is a freelance writer based out of Halifax, Canada.