Helen Jukes’ writing has appeared in The New York Times, Port Magazine, Aeon and others. Her first book, A Honeybee Heart has Five Openings, received wide critical acclaim, and was shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag non-fiction award. As a tutor, Helen has led courses and workshops for Literature Wales, the Wordsworth Trust, Crisis UK and HM Prison service. She currently teaches at the University of Oxford, and lives with her daughter on the edge of the Peak District. Her second book, Mother Animal, is out in February.
Start Date: 7th May, 2025
Duration: 6 Weeks
Fee: £160
3 places remaining
Week One
Starting To Write
What propels you to put pen to paper? How do you generate ideas? We’ll try a variety of exercises to free you up creatively, and give you the confidence to put pen to paper.
Week Two
Character
What do we mean by character? This week we’ll use all our powers of observation to bring people to life through writing.
Week Three
Setting
How does setting help tell a story, and why is it important? We’ll look at the role played by place and the environment when writing compelling fiction.
Week Four
Dialogue
How to write good dialogue? We’ll experiment with a variety of techniques to help you write succinct and enlivening dialogue that will hold your reader’s interest.
Week Five
Plot
How to plan and structure a narrative? This week we’ll take the long view, looking at how attention to plot can help build a convincing story.
Week Six
The Editing Process
Coming back to your work and redrafting is a skill in itself. We’ll look at how to approach that challenge, where to focus your energies, and how to better know yourself as a writer.
