Writing Creative Non-Fiction
- Level(s) of Study: Short course
- Course Fee:
£435
- Start Date(s): 21 July 2025
- Duration: Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm, one week
- Study Mode(s): Part-time
- Campus: City Campus
- Entry Requirements: More information
Introduction:
Course dates:
21 - 25 July 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
Have you got a true story that you’re burning to tell?
It could be about you, your friends, your family, about someone the other side of the world, about our present world or about times long ago.
It could be about a mystery, a discovery, a loss, a trip, a passion – if you have a real-life event or story all you need to do is find the right words to tell it!
Creative non-fiction is among the most exciting forms of writing around, crossing a range of genres; from biographies and memoirs to travel and documentary writing, to film and music, and even cookery, history and politics.
It’s a stimulating literary device that allows us to tell countless different stories from the same facts simply by our perspectives and opinions.
This introduction to creative non-fiction will help you to identify your subject and tell your story in the most compelling way possible using a range of literary techniques.
This practical course will involve plenty of short writing exercises and optional longer tasks for you to complete outside of the course, as well a trip to complete a place-writing exercise.
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You’ll be part of a creative writing community; one that promotes discussion, collaboration, and encourages experimentation and the constant swapping of ideas. -
Benefit from learning with an active, expert writer-tutor who has established links to the profession and significant experience working in a wide range of genres. -
Get published with our student anthology; every term we ask for submissions and print a short anthology of your original creative writing, which you can keep after the course. -
Study Creative Writing in a UNESCO City of Literature. Nottingham is a place of discovery, exchange, ideas and learning for everyone who loves words and stories. Our vision as a UNESCO City of Literature is for a city where everyone is reading and writing their way to a better life.
What you’ll study
Courses that explore creative forms of non-fiction are few and far between.
However, it’s one of the most up-and-coming forms of writing in contemporary literature and some of the most talked-about books from the last few years have been works of creative non-fiction: The Outrun, The Lonely City, The Last Act of Love, So Sad Today, The Argonauts, White Girls, Between The World And Me, and Men Explain Things To Me.
This course will act as an introduction, focusing on the different forms of non-fiction, such as life writing, place writing, memoir, personal essays, lyric essays and travel writing.
You’ll be given plenty of short extracts to read from a wide variety of sources and a list of recommended texts to read outside the class.
You’ll have lots of opportunities to write, think and share your ideas in an open-minded and supportive environment, punctuated with group readings and collective analysis of important creative non-fiction texts.
On this course, you will:
- complete short writing tasks and identify your own writing prompts for your work
- explore new and exciting forms of writing to stretch your creative writing skills
- understand how to use research and embed it into your writing
- practice writing with a variety of styles of writing including flash fiction and poetry
- understand how to redraft and refine your work
- learn how and where creative non-fiction gets published - and how to pitch an idea.
What will you gain?
You’ll be challenged creatively with the support of a small group of like-minded people, with lots individual attention from the tutor to support your writing.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a robust understanding of the different forms of creative non-fiction, an understanding of how to begin composing a new piece of work from an initial idea, through drafting and re-writing to final edits, to telling your stories in an effective and impactful way.
You’ll leave with a portfolio of micro essays and flash non-fiction pieces, and an outline planned for a longer piece of writing, with lots of work in progress to continue developing your writing.
It’ll ultimately improve any writer’s CV and form the basis of how to transfer existing creative and writing skills into a non-fiction context.
- finding the inspiration and understanding your values as a writer
- playing with ideas, how to find a story and searching for personal stories
- genre expectations, novelistic techniques and narrative frame
- writing about people and places – interviewing, overhearing and capturing place
- character development, narrative voices, dialogue and points of view
- structure and order through framing, flashbacks, and chronological disruption.
- You'll not only have a variety of writing projects in progress but also a network of fellow writers and potential collaborators.
- You will have learnt how to analyse and critique what makes an engaging piece of writing for both reader and audience, how to apply this to the redrafting of your own work and have the confidence to formulate your own ideas and structure your writing.
- Get published with our student anthology; every term we ask for submissions and print a short anthology of your original creative writing, which you can keep after the course.
- You’ll be able to continue your creative writing journey and take your work to the next level, and if you’re feeling brave after completing this course, you’ll be able to enter creative writing competitions and even submit your work to agents, publishers, theatres and producers.
How you’re taught
You will receive guidance and feedback in a supportive seminar environment, engaging in classroom discussions, critiques, and practical writing exercises.
This course will be delivered in person on Nottingham Trent University city campus.
98% of previous course attendees were satisfied with the course, received the attention they needed and would consider doing another short course at NTU.
Contact hours
You will receive 25 contact hours of quality tuition with an experienced tutor.
Careers and employability
The course is designed to prepare you to succeed in the creative writing industry; students who have taken this course have gone on to build a portfolio of published work through submitting to literary magazines or self-publishing, progressed onto degree courses and embarked on careers in writing, publishing and teaching.
This course is your toolkit to ensure that you are well-prepared to pursue a successful career in the competitive field of creative writing.
Certificate of attendance and digital badge
Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a digital certificate of attendance and a digital badge powered by Accredible.
Your digital credential is more than just a certificate – it’s secure, verifiable, and protected against fraud through encryption and blockchain technology.
They also come with detailed metadata, including an overview of the skills you have achieved on the course, evidence of completion, and assessment criteria if appropriate.
Share your achievements seamlessly with friends, customers, and potential employers online, and proudly add your badge or certificate to social media platforms such as LinkedIn, so all the right people can see it.
Are you interested in progressing your writing?
Find out more about our undergraduate and postgraduate courses:
Campus and facilities
You will be studying creative writing in a UNESCO City of Literature, and be based in the School of Social Sciences on the City Campus.
You will find modern teaching spaces and quiet study environments to develop your ideas and writing.
You’ll have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.
You’ll also be invited to join WRAP, our Writing, Reading and Pleasure programme of book groups, meet ups and talks from readers and authors.
You will receive an email one week before the course starts with joining instructions on where to go for the first day.
Entry requirements
Level: Beginner / Intermediate
Entry requirement: No previous writing experience is required, but a willingness to read widely, write and share your ideas, and discuss each other’s writing in an open-minded and supportive environment is required.
You must be over the age of 18 to attend this course.
Fees and funding
The fee for this course is £435.
Payment is due at the time of booking - ask us if you'd prefer an invoice sent to your company.
Secure your place with a deposit - If you're booking more than two months before the course starts, we can accept a £200 deposit to secure your place, and the balance is due one month before the course starts.
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, including great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.
You will need to bring with you:
- a notepad and pen
- a laptop if you’d prefer to write using one
There will be some reading, and as a starting point take a look at:
- Lee Gutkind, What is Creative non-Fiction?
- Gay Talese, Frank Sinatra Has a Cold
- Ta Nehisi-Coates, The Case for Reparations
- Hilary Mantel, Can These Bones Live?
- Virginia Woolf, Street Haunting
- Creative Nonfiction magazine (limited free access)
NB. You will refer to extracts from these and other works in class – it may be helpful to read at least two of them before we begin.
You can read the terms and conditions of booking here.
Need accommodation for a week long summer course?
Accommodation can be booked separately to the course; the rooms are only a few minutes’ walk from our studios and classrooms, and cost £259 per week.
These are single rooms with a private bathroom in shared apartments in Nottingham Trent University’s city campus accommodation, which is ideal if you're looking to be based in Nottingham's lively city centre and want an economical place to stay.
Find out more and book your accommodation here.
How to apply
This course is available for booking via the NTU online store:
21 - 25 July 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
Browse all our creative writing short courses.
Any questions?
Contact the short course team:
Email: creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813