Creative Writing
.avif){kind=avatar}
Creative Writing Summer Courses
Develop your voice, experiment with different forms and explore the craft behind compelling writing with Atlas Summer Courses. Our two-week Creative Writing summer courses, available for students aged 16–17 and 18–24, give you the opportunity to develop your writing through close analysis, discussion and creative practice.
Through seminars, tutorials and independent study, you'll examine how writers use language, structure and narrative while experimenting with your own ideas and developing greater confidence in drafting, editing and discussing your work.
What's Included?
Your residential Creative Writing summer course includes academic teaching, accommodation, meals, a certificate on completion, airport transfer from Heathrow and insurance.
Choose from Plus, Superior and Premier packages, with accommodation and additional benefits varying by package.
Why Study Creative Writing?
Creative Writing is about developing ideas and learning how choices around language, structure, character, voice and form can shape a reader's experience.
Studying writing means looking closely at how texts work while experimenting with these techniques yourself. You might consider why a particular narrative voice feels convincing, how writers create memorable characters or how editing can transform an early draft.
Writing is also a process. Developing a piece often involves experimenting, receiving feedback, reconsidering your choices and refining your work rather than expecting the first draft to be the finished one.
A Creative Writing summer course gives you the time and academic environment to experiment with your writing, encounter different approaches and develop a stronger understanding of your own creative process.
What Will You Study on a Creative Writing Summer Course?
There is no prescribed syllabus that every student follows. Atlas Summer Courses tutors create their own syllabi, drawing on their expertise while taking the interests, abilities and learning needs of their students into account.
Depending on your course, you could explore areas such as fiction, poetry, narrative, character, dialogue, voice, descriptive writing, editing or different literary forms and genres.
You might consider questions such as:
- What makes a character feel believable?
- How can narrative voice shape a reader's experience?
- How can dialogue reveal character and move a story forward?
- What makes an opening compelling?
- How can structure change the way a story is understood?
- How can drafting, editing and feedback strengthen a piece of writing?
This flexible approach allows tutors to explore their specialist areas while responding to the interests and progress of the group. Any syllabus shown on our website is an example from a previous course rather than a guarantee of the exact forms, texts or topics you'll study.
How You'll Learn on a Creative Writing Summer Course
The Atlas Summer Courses Creative Writing summer course combines small-group seminars, tutorials and private study across the two-week programme.
18 hours of small-group seminars
You'll take part in six three-hour seminars, exploring writing through discussion, close analysis, creative exercises and activities. You'll be encouraged to experiment with different techniques, share ideas and think critically about the choices you make in your own work.
2 hours of tutorials
You'll have one tutorial each week, providing a focused environment in which to discuss the work you've been developing and receive detailed feedback from your tutor.
Around 20 hours of private study
You'll complete reading and preparation for seminars and work independently on writing and other academic tasks set by your tutor.
Together, these give you the opportunity to develop ideas independently, experiment with your writing and use feedback to reflect on and refine your work.
Who Are Our Creative Writing Summer Courses For?
Our Creative Writing summer courses are designed for students who enjoy writing and want to explore their creativity in a more focused academic environment.
You don't need to have studied Creative Writing before or have a finished portfolio of work. The course may particularly appeal to you if you enjoy creating
stories, poetry or other forms of writing, want to experiment with new techniques or are interested in becoming a more confident and thoughtful writer.
You'll develop transferable skills including creative thinking, close reading, communication, critical reflection, independent study and giving and responding to feedback.
If you're particularly interested in analysing published writing alongside developing your own, you can also explore our English Literature summer courses.
Learn from Expert Tutors
Atlas Summer Courses tutors are experienced educators and subject specialists active across academia, industry and education.
They bring their own academic expertise and interests into their teaching and have the freedom to shape their syllabus around both their specialism and the students in their group. This allows each Creative Writing summer course to explore different forms, genres and approaches while giving students opportunities to develop their own work.
Tutors are confirmed closer to the summer, so profiles on our website are examples of tutors who have previously taught with us rather than confirmation of who will teach your course.
Where Can Creative Writing Take You?
Creative Writing connects with a wide range of literary, creative and communication-based subjects.
Students interested in the field may go on to study Creative Writing itself or related subjects such as English Literature, journalism, publishing, communications, media or other humanities and creative disciplines.
The writing, editing, communication and creative-thinking skills associated with Creative Writing can also be valuable across publishing, journalism, media, communications, advertising, education and many other fields.
A Creative Writing summer course gives you the opportunity to explore your interest in writing before making longer-term academic decisions and discover which forms, genres and approaches interest you most.
.webp)
Don’t see the course you’re looking for?
Explore our full range of courses by subject, age, and location using our course finder. With over 40 subjects available across top locations, there’s something for everyone.
.webp)
FAQs about Our Summer Courses
No. You don't usually need to have studied your chosen subject before joining an Atlas Summer Courses summer course. Courses are designed for the relevant age group, and tutors can adapt their approach to the abilities, interests and experience of the students in their group.
There is no fixed curriculum that every student follows. Our tutors create their own syllabi based on their academic expertise and the interests and learning needs of their students.
This means the exact topics can vary between courses and years. Any syllabus or topics shown on our website are examples from previous courses and shouldn't be taken as a guarantee of exactly what you'll study.
Teaching depends on your age group. Students aged 9–12 and Scholars aged 12–14 learn through structured, interactive small-group classes. Students aged 13–15 combine small-group seminars with private study, while students aged 16–17 and 18–24 experience seminars, tutorials and independent study.
Across our programmes, teaching is designed to encourage active participation, questioning and independent thinking rather than simply listening to lectures.
Your course includes your academic programme, accommodation, meals and a certificate on completion, alongside the activities and experiences included within your programme.
What's included can vary depending on the programme, age group and package you choose, so we recommend checking the individual course details for the full inclusions before applying.
Explore Our
Summer Courses
Choose from over 40 subjects taught through flexible, age-appropriate programmes. Our tutors adapt their teaching methodologies to different age groups and shape course content around students’ interests, rather than following a fixed curriculum.
View all courses
