Fiction Skills: Setting

The course consists of two fortnight-long sessions, which you work through progressively with a small group of peers, your tutor and a moderator. There’s no need to log on at a certain time each week – as long as you complete the set assignments and peer feedback by the end of each session, you can work at any time of the day or night.

Session content

Session 1: Sense of place

In the opening session we'll look at some of the main techniques that writers use in creating captivating description and a strong sense of place. We'll study various novelists who are particularly strong at these skills, and try a number of exercises to practise your own skills here. We'll then look at how description can be used in different ways in your novel beyond setting the scene: in showing character, in creating atmosphere and in developing plot.

Session 2: Developing your story world

In the second session, we'll look at how writers in different genres use these descriptive skills in building their story worlds. We'll begin by looking at 'real worlds' and the difference between writing setting from experience and from research. We'll then look at historical settings and how these can be developed. Thirdly, we'll look at more fantastical and futuristic settings, and how these rely on a mixture of imagination and reality. Finally, we'll work on a longer written piece to reinforce the different skills learned over the course. You will post your final piece to the forum for comment from your peers.

NB: Your tutor won’t give detailed feedback on your creative work during this course but will be available to answer your questions about the process and craft of writing.