Creative Writing

Creative writing is the practice of making literature, whether in fiction, poetry, screenwriting, non-fiction, or other forms, and studying it formally means developing both the craft and the critical intelligence that serious writing demands. Good creative writing is not only technically accomplished: it emerges from a genuine engagement with ideas, people, and experience, and it depends on the writer's ability to make choices about form, voice, structure, and language that serve the work and reach the reader. A degree in creative writing teaches you to write with more intention, to revise more rigorously, and to understand what you are attempting and why.

At Leeds Beckett University this three-year full-time programme supports you across the full range of creative writing forms, from poetry and short fiction to novels, scripts, and non-fiction. You will learn techniques for developing an idea through drafting and revision to a finished piece, and you will engage with reading as a writer, learning from published work across different genres and traditions. The programme includes a year abroad, which gives you the opportunity to study in an international context and brings a broader cultural perspective to your creative development.

You will also find your audience, understanding how different forms of writing reach readers and how the publishing and media industries work.

Graduates from creative writing programmes pursue careers as writers, authors, poets, screenwriters, copywriters, journalists, editors, and content creators. Others work in publishing, arts development, community arts, broadcasting, and education. The ability to write clearly, imaginatively, and for specific purposes is valued across virtually every professional context.

Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in creative writing, often through MFA or MA programmes that support the development of a specific project or body of work, or in related fields such as publishing or journalism.