New Writing North Academy
Join a vibrant online writing community
Work with industry experts to master new skills and see how far your talent can take you
On New Writing North Academy online courses, you will explore the techniques used by leading contemporary writers, learn to critique work-in-progress, develop your own voice and hone your writing craft.
New Writing North Academy has been created in partnership with the Professional Writing Academy, the industry-leading online course provider whose digital campus is the first platform specifically designed for teaching writing.
- Fully accessible virtual platform
- Courses for all abilities and levels of experience
- Small groups, led by expert tutors
- Flexible learning, at a time and pace that suits you
- Practical assignments, one-to-one feedback and peer learning
up to 75% off course prices
Thanks to funding from North East Combined Authority, we have limited bursary places for residents of Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland.
Explore our courses below to find out more
Why study online?
Designed for digital
The Professional Writing Academy is the first digital platform specifically designed for teaching writing. Have your lessons, reading materials and peers all in one place.
Past sessions remain available throughout the course so you can revisit any of the learning, revise exercises and chart your progress at any point.
Join an international community
Our writers from the North of England will learn alongside people from all over the world. Your circle of classmates and tutors are there when you need a second opinion.
You work through the practical assignments together, week by week, with plenty of room to ask questions, contribute to vibrant class discussions and engage in meaningful feedback.
Commitment made easy
Join from home and complete your assignments and reading at your own pace. There’s no need to log in at a set time to take part.
It also offers advantages in terms of accessibility and different learning styles.
Story for Screenwriting: Advanced Structure
Develop an industry-standard treatment for your original TV, film, or stage drama
Our professional development course is based on the techniques BAFTA-winning storyteller John Yorke developed to train new writing talent on the BBC Writers’ Academy scheme. Our alumni work on award-winning shows, including Emmys, Oscars and BAFTAs.
Duration: 16 weeks
Price: £900
Bursary places for North of Tyne residents: £300
Writing Crime Fiction
Commit to writing the perfect crime
Whether you’re new to crime writing or ready to kickstart your next whodunnit, this four-week online course will equip you with the tools you need to create convincing characters and write the perfect crime. You’ll work in a small group of dedicated writers with an expert tutor and guest appearances from acclaimed crime writers.
Duration: 5 weeks
Price: £495
Stories from Life
Write your own life story
with Richard Benson
Are you new to writing and want to share a powerful story that allows people to experience the events, places, and communities that mean something to you? Founded on the belief that everyone has a story to tell, this four-week course offers an accessible entry point into writing, helping to boost your confidence and guide you as you complete a story from scratch.
Duration: 5 weeks
Price: £495
Write and Submit a Short Story
A practical course for short story writers
This course guides writers from initial ideas for a short story through drafting and finessing to the submissions process for competitions and journals. We’ll start by working on inspiration and ways to tune yourself into the small details that bring a story idea to life. Then, we’ll look at how to tell a story at sentence level and thematically, cover all the nuts and bolts from viewpoint, character, using dialogue and body language to transition between story stages.
Duration: 7 weeks
Price: £750
Fiction Foundations
The perfect entry point for beginner writers
Curious about writing fiction, but not sure where to start? Maybe you’re already writing but would like more focus, direction and discipline. This six-week online course will help take you from random scribbler to serious writer. You’ll work in a small group of writers with an expert tutor to guide you through the process.
Duration: 6 weeks
Price: £495
Write a Young Adult Novel
Everything you need to write Young Adult Fiction
Find a fresher, more relatable teenage voice, and new ways of coming at the big issues in Young Adult writing with hands-on support from a world-leading YA writer. This 18-week course, led by author Lee Weatherly, will guide writers through the key techniques and skills YA writers need to master to sustain reader interest and keep productive through the long form of a novel.
Duration: 18 weeks
Price: £900
Bursary price for North of Tyne residents: £325
FAQs
How much time do I need to commit to this course?
You will need to put in around 5-7 hours each week. The deadline for posting your final assignment each week is the end of Saturday. The deadline for giving feedback to others is the end of Sunday. Other than that, you can work through the course materials each week at your own pace.
What time will I need to log on?
There’s no need to log in at a set time to take part – sessions open to a timetable and you have until the end of each session to work through the materials in the online classroom.
So you can read the tutor notes and listen to the podcasts, watch the videos, analyse extracts, react to prompts and work through mini-exercises at any time of day or night that’s best for you. You can also contribute to discussions on our forums 24/7, so the online classroom feels like a rich and lively shared experience.
Most people on the course fit learning around their work and caring responsibilities, which is why we teach in this non-synchronous way. It also suits those studying in another language, and offers advantages in terms of accessibility and different learning styles. We ask that you submit your final exercise in each session by the deadline, then read and critique the work of some of your peers.
If there are live Zoom sessions in your course, your moderator will let you know the timing. If you can’t make it, you can send in questions in advance and catch up with the recording afterwards. Past sessions and any recordings remain available throughout the course – and in the alumni area afterwards – so you can revisit any of the learning, revise exercises and chart your progress at any point.
Can I apply for a bursary place on more than one course?
We will prioritise applications from people who have not yet received a bursary. If you have a bursary place on another course, you are unlikely to receive a second bursary. However, you can still apply if you wish as bursary places could become available.
