MA Creative Writing

at University of Winchester

• Refine your writing across a range of styles and genres
• Understand where your work fits in the diverse world of publishing
• Be inspired and encouraged by guest writers, editors and literary agents 
   

Creative Writing at Winchester offers you the opportunity to evaluate and improve your creative writing in a dynamic, supportive environment. The programme is taught by professional writers and highly experienced practitioner-academics in Creative Writing, specialising, especially, in prose fiction, poetry and literary non-fiction. There are opportunities to meet agents, editors and published writers, and as your knowledge of the publishing industry expands, find out where your work fits within the market. 
 

You study twentieth century and contemporary literature, which allows you to explore different styles and genres and gain a critical foundation for your own writing while increasing your knowledge of the publishing world. The structure of the programme enables you to focus on one or more genres (for example, fiction, creative non-fiction or poetry) during the year. 
 

Throughout the course, you create and workshop your work in an encouraging group of peers, starting in the first semester with a module that focuses on contemporary fiction alongside a module about research and what this means for you as a writer. In the second semester focus moves to literary non-fiction, publishing, and preparation for Independent Study. 
 

In the Publishing Project, you will engage with writers, agents and editors through readings and workshops, exploring publishing opportunities for your own work. 
 

The Independent Study Preparation module is designed to help you prepare for your Creative Writing dissertation – an independent project of your choice of up to 25,000 words which constitutes nearly half of the MA. This could be the first part of a novel, a collection of short stories, the opening to a work of literary non-fiction, or a portfolio of personal essays or poetry, completed with tutor support.