Running Writing Groups

Discover how to design, launch and run your own writing groups and workshops with Anne Taylor and Victoria Field

Do you want to start a writing group or run a workshop — whether for creative writers focused on the craft of writing, for professionals using writing as a tool for well-being, or for recreation? This six-week practical online course will provide writers, academics and counsellors with the skills and confidence to run writing workshops. As you work through each weekly session, you’ll explore what makes an effective writing group environment, gain the tools and resources for designing a writing group of your own, and devise a strategy for running workshops.

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Start date: 18 September 2017
Duration: 6 weeks
Skill level: Beginner, Intermediate
Session length: Weekly
Sessions: 6
Price: £399

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Victoria
Field

Course Director

Anne
Taylor

Course Director

Lucy
Cooper

Moderator

We’ve designed this course for writers, academics and counsellors who want to gain a range of workshop management skills for use in their own creative, academic, professional, or recreational practice.

It’s suitable if you:

Want to learn the principles of running a writing workshop
Are keen to explore and identify your role as a writing group facilitator
Need help identifying what kind of workshop you would like to run
Want to develop an action plan for getting your workshop off the ground
Are a counsellor and want to run writing groups as part of your practice
Are a writer planning to run groups in a professional setting for reflective practice
Are an academic or teacher who would like to use writing workshops as a learning tool
Are a creative writer looking to set up an informal local group
Want to join a friendly and supportive group of learners from a range of disciplines
Can dedicate 5-7 hours per week for the duration of the course

This course will introduce you to the dynamics of writing groups and equip you with the skills to plan and set up a group.

Session 1: Introducing writing groups

Session 2: How do groups work?

Session 3: Being a facilitator

Session 4: Planning and managing

Session 5: Staying safe

Session 6: Putting it all together

We teach this course in our online classroom, which is open 24/7 so you can fit learning around your work, family and friends. You’ll work in a small group of learners so you can discuss ideas, ask questions and share your thoughts as you progress through the weekly sessions.

In each session, you’ll be asked to complete reading and writing assignments to share with the group in return for feedback. The assignments on this course focus on planning and running writing groups to facilitate other people’s writing, and the different ways you can use a workshop to achieve this.

You’ll learn from:

Podcast lectures
Written guidance from Anne and Victoria
Reading and viewing lists from Anne and Victoria
Practical writing exercises, designed to help you think about, practise, and discuss the topics covered in each session
Online discussions with writers and practitioners in your group
The opportunity to share the ideas you have for your own writing group, and discuss with your fellow learners
Optional feedback report on your final project (for a fee) from a tutor at the end of the course

You’ll need:

5-7 hours per week to work through the course
A notebook and pen or pencil, if you like to make notes by hand
A laptop or computer* with:
- A reliable broadband internet connection
- Speakers or headphones
- The latest version of Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge, or Safari
- Microsoft Word. If you don’t have this you can download Open Office free
- Adobe Reader, latest version. Download free
- QuickTime Player, latest version. Download free
- Adobe Flash Player 10 or higher

*You can access the course from a tablet or smartphone, but we recommend using a laptop or computer, as this makes it easier to share your work files with your writing group.

Join our alumni

After your course, you can join our online alumni where you’ll meet our growing network of past students. The alumni is a friendly group of writers who support each other as they continue to explore and develop their writing.

Within our online alumni area you can:

Rejoin your classmates on a private forum, together with access to an archived version of your course materials and forum posts
Meet alumni from other courses and groups and share your writing for feedback
Join discussions about reading, writing and ideas
Retain access to our online resources area, which we constantly update with interesting and informative links
Chat with other people in our online alumni chatroom. We also host live chats with guest tutors here

Taking things further

If you would like to continue on to another Professional Writing Academy course, you'll receive a 15% discount.

What our students say...

I’ve loved everything about this course: the required reading, the writing exercises, the added challenge of having to reflect on my own and others’ work, and the privilege of being a learner again. I found the level was about right – not too easy, not too difficult. The format for giving feedback worked well for me as I sometimes get a little bored with ‘live’ online forums. I valued reading others’ work and being able to post my comments on them online in my own time.

Maggie

What our students say...

The course has been remarkably good value for money. It has provided loads of resources and many new book suggestions. I have loved the assignments, every single one, and loved the brain-buzz I’ve felt at the end. It has been a sweet learning curve discovering new lives, new careers and new ways of writing.

Elaine

What our students say...

This course has given me new ways of working with my clients and added to my own ongoing self-enquiry. I have felt really held and inspired by the tutors and our online community, this was a concern at the beginning, but very quickly I felt safe and embraced. I take great store from my feedback from all the participants. I have also been inspired by some of the writing that’s been posted over the course.

Ann Marie