MA Writing Genre Fiction

The purpose of this module is to examine the changing role of the author over the years, as well as the realities of authorship in the 21st century. Throughout the trimester, you will develop your understanding of yourself as an author and of your place within the industry as a whole. You will do this by undertaking original research within a specific area of the publishing industry, and by defining how you might disrupt or invigorate it. You will begin by exploring the areas of professional practice that many authors pursue alongside their writing in order to build sustainable careers. These include teaching creative writing, self-publishing, digital platforms, community engagement, and live events. After selecting an area of professional practice to investigate further, you will decide upon a research question; carry out practical research; investigate relevant theory texts; and submit your findings in the form of a research essay. You will then be required to present concept documents for use within your chosen professional practice areas, describing problems you have identified and proposing potential solutions.

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This module focuses on concepts, skills and techniques for the pre-writing development of a professional quality, full-length narrative project. Each session examines a particular element of the pre-writing process, building into a complete process you can use to hone and shape a potential novel or novella. The first sessions interrogate the initial stages of your creative process, such as defining the purpose of your work and examining ways to develop ideas into stories. Next, sessions on characterisation will help you to build a unique, believable protagonist and supporting cast. In the following weeks, you will critically examine the roles of plot and structure, then explore thematic architecture and world-building to create a purposeful network of themes and ideas underpinning your narrative. The final weeks will be dedicated to troubleshooting techniques and synopsis writing sessions to give you the tools to shape a compelling journey for your project and its characters while embracing the challenges of effective pacing and elegant exposition.

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In this module you will work independently on a project or on projects of your own, supported by one-to-one mentoring. The focus here is on your creative development, so it's time to take risks, be ambitious, and push the boundaries of your process and practice. At the beginning of this module you'll attend a detailed induction. You'll then work with your mentor to craft a Learning Agreement that defines the purpose and goals of the work you intend to pursue. With your Learning Agreement in place, you'll embark on a journey of structured, self-directed creative development, supported by three one-to-one editorial mentoring meetings across the trimester, each lasting an hour. All the meetings will be documented and you’ll receive written feedback on your progress after each meeting. At the end, you’ll reflect on your learning and development, and decide on your future goals.

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Two core skills for a successful writing career are the ability to edit your own work and to develop creative partnerships with editors. In this module, you will further hone the critical self-reflection skills built in Creative Development to work independently on editorial projects of your own, supported by one-to-one mentoring. During group induction classes, you will build your knowledge of core editing concepts and tools, including the different stages and expectations of the editorial process within the publishing industry. You will then craft a Learning Agreement that underpins how you will work individually with your mentor to: explore how editorial approaches can enhance and refine your creative practice; build your capacity to collaborate efficiently and effectively in a professional editorial relationship; and gain the confidence and discernment to make informed editorial decisions for your own work. At the end, you’ll take a seat on the other side of the editor's desk, and produce an editorial package informed by industry practice for a section of your own creative work, preparing you for the demands of Major Project and the commercial market beyond.

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Major Project takes place across two trimesters and is the culmination of all your learning on the MA. It's an opportunity to begin your novel or novella in earnest and plan its path toward publication.

Each trimester begins with a detailed induction session to help you focus on the challenges ahead. You will then embark on intensive individual work, supported by three one-to-one supervision sessions of one hour each during both trimesters. A week before each session, you’ll send up to 2,000 words (totalling no more than 10,000 words across both trimesters) of work-in-progress to your supervisor for feedback, problem-solving and discussion. You can also use supervision sessions to discuss your reading, research, critical reflection, project management and personal development planning.

At the end of of the first trimester, you'll assemble a short portfolio of written work in the form of a literary agent query package, as well as presenting your progress to an industry panel, and receive formative feedback on the query package and your presentation.

At the end of the second trimester, you will submit your Major Project portfolio and attend a concluding seminar in the form of a celebratory showcase. Finally, following Major Project marking, you’ll have a one-to-one tutorial to discuss your Professional Development Plan, where the programme’s tutors will offer detailed advice on the next steps in your career.

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In this module you’ll focus on the practical application of a range of professional writing techniques, and on building the vital skills of pre-writing decision making, critical self-reflection and engaging with editorial feedback. The module is a development journey, beginning with an overview of narrative positions and key terminology. Next, you'll explore the foundational principles of various narrative positions, including condition of narration, device and register. You’ll then begin to practise more complex techniques, such as subtext and counter narrative, the unreliable narrator and positioning an active reader.

Through writing challenges and masterclass discussions, you’ll learn how to make fast, purposeful decisions about a story before writing, how to craft short pieces to briefs and deadlines, and how to critically analyse and improve upon early drafts. As well as gaining a detailed understanding of the opportunities and demands of different narrative positions, you will develop the core professional practices you’ll need to make the most of your Creative Development and Editorial Development modules, succeed in your Major Project, and advance the rest of your writing career.

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This module introduces you to and enhances your understanding of writing for the genres and sub-genres of science fiction, fantasy, romance, crime and horror. It begins by investigating the core techniques and current trends in these areas. You will augment writing practice skills developed in the first trimester by undertaking frequent writing challenges and honing your critical self-reflexivity, aided by formative masterclass feedback. Addressing, challenging and subverting audience expectations is the focus for the final weeks, alongside writing for particular markets. This module has an all fiction reading list from the forefront of current genre writing.

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