Creative Writing for 15 - 17 Year Olds

Full Fee: 4 - 8 August 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week

Creative Writing for 15 - 17 Year Olds: use this booking page to secure your place on the course.

Read the full course description here.

Secure your place with a deposit

If you're booking more than two months before the course starts, we can accept a £200 deposit to secure your place, and the balance is due one month before the course starts.

Need accommodation?

If you're aged 16 or 17 then you can stay unaccompanied with agreement from a parent/guardian.

If you're aged 15 then you can stay as long as you are accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Find out more at www.ntu.ac.uk/summeraccommodation

Looking to turn your one-week course into a two-week experience?

If you can match this with any second course, you’ll receive a 10% refund on your course fees.

Any questions?

Contact the short course team:

Email: [email protected] 

Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 2813

Course Description

During this course you will:

• learn how to find inspiration
• focus on how to turn ideas into writing
• find the right ingredients for your chosen discipline, including how to develop a character and how to create the most effective context
• learn that the first draft is never the last
• take part in writing workshops where you will share and discuss work and give and receive constructive feedback.

You are invited to bring along any examples of writing that you admire such as a favourite book, poem, article or song lyrics.

What will you gain?

By the end of the course you will be confident in your writing abilities and understand the step-by-step process of how to create impact.

Level: Open to all

Entry requirement: You should have a passion for writing and an interest in developing your personal approach.

Where you'll learn: You will be studying creative writing in a UNESCO City of Literature, and be based in the School of Arts and Humanities on the City Campus.

You will find modern teaching spaces and quiet study environments to develop your ideas and writing.

You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.

Here's what previous attendees said:

'Thank you for the past week and all your efforts Sean! You've revolutionised my view of writing, and taught me more than I could have imagined in such a short space of time. Not only was your course one of the best educational experiences I've ever had, but your enthusiasm and brilliant sense of humour left me with a smile on my face every day. I just wanted you to know how grateful I am for such a unique time with such a unique person, and I'm sure the rest of our brilliant group would agree with me.' LR

'This experience was 10/10. An amazing course.' D

'This week has been so valuable and enjoyable.' J

'I definitely feel like my writing has improved, as well as my confidence.' G

'Really happy to have done the course and it certainly has persuaded me to do creative writing at university' G

'It was very enjoyable, and helped me to understand how to plan a novel and improve my writing by thinking about demographics and themes.' K

'Following the completion of the course I have now become more confident in my writing ability' CH

'My dream is to become an author. This course has given me the skills and confidence to achieve this' LL

'I really enjoyed listening to and critquing other peoples work, as well as receiving feedback on my own. I found the writing excerices enjoyable and hope to do more in my spare time' LW

'This course has raised my standards of writing and has enabled me to learna different approach to writing poetry' NH

Tutor Profile: Sean Elliott-Maher has professional experience writing and editing in many forms, although he primarily writes literary fiction and graphic novels.

His non-ghost written work includes a range of print and online media for the BBC.

Sean has a broad literary reference base with specific expertise in the life and work of D. H. Lawrence.

He's lectured to a range of audiences on a variety of literary matters, participated in readings and spoken word events, and been an after dinner speaker.

Sean's literary and writing teaching accompanies his writing coaching, which has helped many ambitious writers improve the effectiveness of their work.

Need accommodation?

If you're aged 16 or 17 then you can stay unaccompanied with agreement from a parent/guardian.

To support safeguarding, all guests aged 16 and 17 will be accommodated together in the same halls of residence.

The reception and security team are available 24 hours, and there will be a dedicated supervisor(s) during the evenings and mornings, outside of class times.

Guests will be provided with a mobile number for the supervisor(s) during their stay.

If you're aged 15 then you can stay as long as you are accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Find out more at www.ntu.ac.uk/summeraccommodation

Doing your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award?

This course can count as your Gold DofE Residential.

DofE participants must book both the course and accommodation on campus for this to count towards your Gold Award.

Looking to turn your one-week course into a two-week experience?

If you can match this with any second course, you’ll receive a 10% refund on your course fees.

You might be interested in:

Journalism for 15 – 17 Year Olds

Any questions?

Contact the short course team:

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813