Develop Your Fiction (18-week course)
This fiction course deepens your writing skills, guiding you through more sophisticated techniques and diverse approaches to storytelling. You’ll experiment creatively, read widely, and emerge with a polished draft.
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Ready to take your fiction writing further?
This fiction course is designed for writers looking to deepen their craft and bring their creative vision to fruition. Building on your foundational skills, it offers a more in-depth exploration of narrative techniques, providing the tools and inspiration needed to complete a polished short story, a collection of stories, or even a novel.
Through a blend of engaging lessons, interactive exercises, and practical assignments, you’ll refine your approach to character development, master the intricacies of plot structure, and experiment with diverse points of view and narrative styles. Discover a sense of play and adventure in your writing while making meaningful progress on your work.
With personalised, one-to-one feedback from your experienced tutor, Megan Bradbury, you’ll receive specific, actionable advice tailored to your goals. By the end of the course, you’ll have a polished final draft of a short story, and the confidence and skills to continue writing fiction.
This course will cover…
- Idea generation and maintaining a writer’s journal
- Practical tips for finding writing time and starting longer pieces
- Character types and how to craft compelling dialogue.
- The influence of perspective and setting on narrative; experimenting with different points of view.
- How to make the familiar strange
- Narrative structures and their cultural significance
- Reflecting on and developing your personal style
- Rewriting and self-editing techniques, including differentiating between structural and line edits
Spanning 18 weeks, this fiction course is perfect for writers with some experience who are ready to commit to a longer-term, in-depth period of study. Designed for those already maintaining a writing practice, it’s ideal if you’re engaged in a longer project such as a short story collection or novel. Your tutor will review up to 7,000 words of your writing. Towards the course’s conclusion, you will have a one-to-one tutorial with her to discuss your work and explore your next steps as a writer.
Start date
Monday 21 September
Location
Online
Length
18 weeks (please see course schedule below)
Price
£995*
*Payment plans available. Contact us at academy@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk to find out more.
Course format
This course is delivered across six modules, each lasting three weeks (see course programme below). The majority of the content is presented in text form via Teachable, allowing you to progress through the material chapter by chapter at your own pace. You will have two weeks to complete each module, after which you will submit an assignment directly to your tutor for personalised feedback and guidance.
The course also includes up to two live Zoom sessions: a welcome session in the first module, followed by a one-to-one tutorial with your tutor later in the course.
Click to find out more about the course structure and the equipment you may need.
Course programme
Please note, the module order and/or content of the course may be subject to change.
Module one – Getting Started and Beginnings
In this module, you will explore the sources from which writers derive their ideas and learn how to effectively collate and utilise these ideas. You will examine the role of technology in facilitating the early stages of idea generation and capture. Additionally, you will embark on maintaining a writer’s journal, which will serve as part of your final assessment at the conclusion of the course.
This module will address practical considerations that all writers face, including how to find time for writing, while also introducing you to various techniques and strategies employed by other writers. You will also learn how to initiate a longer work of fiction. Throughout the course, your assignments will encourage you to submit pieces of writing based either on prompts provided by the tutor or from your ongoing projects.
Module two – Characterisation and Dialogue
This module will familiarise you with various character types found in fiction, including those from non-Western literature. You will explore how the conflicts and obstacles faced by characters shape the narrative of your story, thereby deepening your understanding of your characters. Additionally, you will compare character-driven and plot-driven narratives, drawing inspiration from the world of script and screenwriting to craft compelling dialogue.
Module three – Perspective and Setting
You will explore how perspective and setting influence the reader’s interpretation of the narrative. You will examine the various points of view available to you as a writer, discussing how perception can be shaped by the observer and the inherent power dynamics involved. Additionally, you will experiment with perspective in your own writing.
Module four – Defamiliarisation, Getting Unstuck, and Style
This module is designed to help you reframe the familiar, thereby unlocking your writing potential and alleviating writer’s block. You will explore how research can enhance your writing and discover how collaboration with other writers can support your work. Additionally, this module will provide an in-depth examination of your personal writing style, the language you use, and how these elements influence the narratives you create. It will also include a one-on-one tutorial with your tutor.
Module five – Plot and Structure
In this module, you will explore the various structural frameworks available to writers, with a particular emphasis on those that are prevalent across different cultures. You will examine the concepts of plot and consequence within your own writing, focusing on the movement and progression of your narratives. Additionally, you will analyse examples from short stories and novels that employ non-traditional or innovative structures, including works that can be classified as ‘plotless’ novels.
Module six – Revision and Ending
In this final module, you will focus on one of the most challenging aspects of writing fiction: rewriting and self-editing. You will learn to differentiate between structural edits and line edits. Additionally, you will partner with fellow writers to exchange feedback on each other’s work. Finally, you will uncover the tips and techniques that seasoned writers employ to effectively edit their own manuscripts.
Live sessions
There will be two live sessions for this course, which will take place over Zoom.
Welcome Zoom: Sunday 27th September
One-to-one tutorials (bookable slots): Saturday 21st November and Sunday 22nd November, 10am–12:30pm
Meet the tutor
Megan Bradbury
Megan Bradbury is a British writer, tutor, and mentor, and author of the critically acclaimed novel, Everyone is Watching (Picador, 2016). Described as a ‘beating heart of a novel’ by Ali Smith and ‘kaleidoscopic’ by Eimear McBride, the novel was longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, and was listed as one of the Guardian’s Best Books of 2016. Bradbury is a graduate of the Creative Writing Prose Masters programme at the University of East Anglia, and has been awarded the Charles Pick Fellowship, an Author’s Foundation award, and numerous grants from Arts Council England. She has written for the Irish Times and the Times Literary Supplement. She is also an experienced artistic collaborator and a previous recipient of the Escalator Literature Prize. www.meganbradbury.com
Read Megan’s thoughts on finding your voice as a writer, and the importance of mentorship →
Top tips for early drafts with Megan Bradbury
In this article, Megan Bradbury (author of Everyone is Watching) offers five pieces of advice to writers when on the early draft of a project.
24 August 2026
Advice for emerging writers with Benjamin Johncock & Megan Bradbury
In this episode of The Writing Life, novelists Benjamin Johncock and Megan Bradbury share their advice for writers.
26 August 2024
Embrace the synopsis
Novelist and tutor Megan Bradbury shares insight and practical guidance to help you craft a successful synopsis.
9 December 2025
Hear from former students
Got a question?
If you still have questions, get in touch with the learning team by email academy@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk or phone (+44) 01603 877177 between our working hours of 9am – 5pm BST, Monday to Friday. We’re here to help!