It’s hard to believe that the first year of my MA in Creative Writing is now over. Apart from one or two meetings with an assigned tutor, the assignments and classes have finished for year one. My usual Tuesday nights have been something of a highlight given everything else that was going on in my life.
It is two modules down (Contemporary Novels I and The Workshop), with four more to go – one which will include the final major project of the novel in the final year. In the meantime, the downtime in class gives me a chance to build up a portfolio of work in readiness for the workshops of next year. The aim over the summer is to try and send some work out to be published somewhere.
The second module has been really good, it was led by the writer AJ Dalton who has worked us all hard in the allocated sessions, though they have been enjoyable too. The homework that was set has seen the group pull together a portfolio of work that includes elements that will help with the marketing of our work and ourselves as writers. There have also been numerous opportunities to get feedback on our developing novels. So much so, I feel the first two chapters of my novel are beginning to take shape. Though there are still a few teething problems with the narrator/POV, which are slowly being ironed out with each draft.
As well during these sessions we have looked at many aspects of the writing craft as well as discussed aspects of the publishing industry. These sessions have been both inspiring and informative.
Not only have the sessions been productive, but Adam has joined us in the pub afterwards to
further discuss our work and that of the industry. I have to say it’s been one of the best modules that I have done during any of my studies.
Although I am sad that it’s over, here’s to the summer, and preparation for the next academic year.
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