Creative Writing MA

This MA Creative Writing gives you the chance to better understand the craft of writing and gain valuable constructive criticism from other writers and experts who are as serious about developing your work as you are. It is ideal if you want to develop your practice as a writer and work toward publication and/or sustaining a career in the industry.<br/><br/>**Why choose this course?**<br/><br/><br/>- Our MA is highly respected nationally and internationally and we have a growing list of published and prizewinning authors whose work started life in our seminars, recently including Abi Daré, JJ Bola, Lily Dunn, Annalie Grainger, Louise Hare, Sally Hinchcliffe, Vanessa Onwuemezi, Melody Razak and Saba Sams.<br/><br/><br/>- You will study the art of writing with a faculty of acclaimed authors, which include Julia Bell, Luke Williams and David Eldridge, to name a few.<br/><br/><br/>- You will benefit from the experience and expertise of a team who have been running this creative writing course for almost 20 years enabling diverse cohorts of students to develop as writers across genres and to support their careers.<br/><br/><br/>**What you will learn**<br/><br/>On this MA Creative Writing you will deepen your knowledge of reading and writing and the possibilities of literature across all forms and genres, as well as developing critical and professional skills relevant to the workplace.<br/><br/>You will take core modules which focus your attention on the fundamentals of writing and then choose option modules which give you the opportunity to diversify your practice and experiment in more specialist areas and concerns including:<br/><br/><br/>- writing for video gaming<br/><br/><br/>- screenwriting<br/><br/><br/>- playwrighting<br/><br/><br/>- memoir writing<br/><br/><br/>- poetry<br/><br/><br/>- creative non-fiction<br/><br/><br/>- genre fiction.<br/><br/><br/>**How you will learn**<br/><br/>In workshops, tutorials and supervisions you will benefit from close and attentive readings of your work. In lectures and seminars, we consider issues of craft, expression and meaning within the context of how you see the world, how we theorise writing and contextualise our work within broader traditions. You will build on existing skills and develop new techniques and approaches to writing under the tutelage of published authors.<br/><br/>Entry to the course is based on the submission of a portfolio of creative work, and candidates whose work shows promise will be invited for interview.<br/><br/>**Highlights**<br/><br/><br/>- Birkbeck was ranked 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.<br/><br/><br/>- This environment is fostered by close links between the MA and the Centre for Contemporary Literature at Birkbeck, which runs a wide variety of talks and conferences. In addition to working with the established and award-winning writers, you will have contact with industry professionals, such as publishers and literary agents.<br/><br/><br/>- MIROnline is a forum for the most exciting new writing in short fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction selected from students on this course and beyond.<br/><br/><br/>- Birkbeck is located in the heart of literary London, in Bloomsbury, WC1. You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group. <br/><br/><br/>- We have a range of scholarships available to enable talented students on low incomes to study with us, such as the Sophie Warne Fellowship. <br/><br/><br/>**Careers and employability**<br/><br/>On successfully graduating from this MA, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:<br/><br/><br/>- strong creative and critical skills<br/><br/><br/>- a sophisticated use of written and spoken English<br/><br/><br/>- the ability to engage with ideas and develop your own opinions and arguments<br/><br/><br/>- facility and precision in the use of analytical tools<br/><br/><br/>- strong skills and initiative in collecting and organising complex materials and writing up clear, well-presented reports.<br/><br/><br/>Graduates can pursue career paths in areas such as:<br/><br/><br/>- academia<br/><br/><br/>- research<br/><br/><br/>- teaching<br/><br/><br/>- publishing<br/><br/><br/>- copywriting<br/><br/><br/>- marketing<br/><br/><br/>- narrative design<br/><br/><br/>- editing.<br/>