English and drama

Writing Fiction

Module code: Q2021
Level 5
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Workshop
Assessment modes: Coursework

Why do we make up fictions? To tell lies and trick people? Or to discover and express deeper truths about ourselves and our world?

This module covers fiction – “that which is invented or imagined in the mind” and is used to label short stories and novels.

We study fiction’s structures, like plot, timing and point of view. You’ll also look at details such as scene, dialogue and word choice and ask how we make fictions believable or unbelievable?

You’ll examine works from different genres, such as detective fiction, horror fiction or fantasy, and:

• read examples of short fiction and passages from longer works, helping you practice the craft of storytelling
• be supported to compose your own short story
• explore openings, endings, suspense and characterisation through writing exercises

Readings vary each year but may include Franz Kafka, Lydia Davis, Isaac Asimov, Yasunari Kawabata and Agatha Christie

Module learning outcomes

• Close read exemplary texts in order to develop examples of creative writing in fiction.
• Improve writing through revision, editing, and proof-reading.
• Understand factors that may inform the choice of writing style and its techniques.
• Situate writing’s ability to express and communicate in the light of multiple ways of knowing, including via emotions, the senses, and an awareness of our differing embodiment.