Postgraduate courses in Writing

Writing is an amazing way to express yourself and to get your thoughts, creations and visions out of your head and on to a page. Sometimes, people use this skill for personal use and other times people turn it into a career as a writer or even a  journalist. 

We have written a separate piece on journalism if that interests you, but here, we will look at writers. Be it creative, factual or otherwise, writing is a skill that can be developed and continue to develop as you gain experience. 

Postgraduate courses in the area may be helpful for those who wish to work as writers who are already in the career or looking to break into writing. It may look very appealing on a CV!

Duties of a writer

There are a few different types of writers but for the most part, anyone within the profession will carry out similar duties and roles. As a writer you can work within companies or you can freelance. You may work in areas such as english language and literature, creative and professional writing, copywriting or even in areas such as screenwriting. Some duties carried out by writers include:

• Come up with ideas and subjects to write about 
• Take on projects to write about topics issued by employers or agents
• Research information 
• Carry out interviews
• Develop stories and adapt them to the media you’re writing for ie. blogs, print
• Edit your work, proof-read your work and make changes based on feedback where necessary
• Attend book signings, events
• Put yourself out there, network and build relationships and contact 
• Run or attend writing workshops 

Courses

There are many courses to choose from across the UK. Some courses offer the opportunity to study either part time or full time. There may also be guidelines and rules in place due to Covid-19. Some courses available in this area include:

Creative Writing Poetry 

Postgraduate courses in creative writing will help students to develop a creative mind and delve into their imagination. They will gain the necessary skills and knowledge in order to channel their artistic and intellectual capabilities. These courses often include quite a lot of reading and help students to explore their poetic side while looking at aspects such as time and place, form and technique, concept and theory as well as cause and effect. 

Biography and Creative Non-Fiction

These postgraduate courses explore a different side of writing. They focus on allowing writers to experiment with new forms and subjects within writing such as nature writing, food journalism, memoir and personal essay. These courses are open to those from mixed backgrounds who might want to create their own genre of writing and guide and advise them on their path in doing so. 

There are a large number of courses to choose from. Other examples include Film, Television and Creative Practice, Creative Writing Scriptwriting, Creative Writing Prose Fiction, Writing for Performance and Playwriting and Dramaturgy among many others.  

Entry requirements 

Entry requirements will differ from course to course and university to university so it is important to research your particular course in detail to ensure you meet the criteria to apply. You will need a bachelor’s degree to apply for almost all courses. Some may require a 2.2 degree while others may require a 2.1 degree. Full course overviews can be found online for more information. 

Salary 

Salaries can differ depending on your specific job. There are a few different routes you can take in relation to writing. You can go into journalism and earn an average of £33,383 in the UK. You can also become a freelance writer as which you may earn £13 an hour increasing to £24.57 an hour with over 10 years experience. As a creative writer you might earn around £23,4000. These figures are based on estimates and are intended to be used as a guide only. 

Skills and requirements 

Skills that can be helpful in this area include: 

• Strong communication skills
• Excellent writing ability
• Strong grasp of the English language
• Persistence
• Determination 
• Creative and imaginative 
• Excellent verbal skills
• People skills
• Ability to work with others
• Ability to take and apply criticism
• Ambitious 
• Knowledge of media production
• Strong research skills