Creative Writing

Creative writing is the craft of making literature across its many forms, from the short story, novel and poem to the podcast, screenplay and personal essay. It is a discipline that takes the craft of writing seriously, treating it as a learnable and improvable set of skills rather than an innate gift, while also developing the creative intelligence and distinctive voice that make writing genuinely engaging to read. At the University of Salford this three-year programme takes a multi-discipline approach, preparing you to write across a wide range of forms and for diverse professional contexts.

You will work across fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, scriptwriting and digital and audio forms, developing your craft through sustained practice, workshop critique and close engagement with the work of writers you admire. The multi-discipline scope reflects the reality that professional writers today rarely confine themselves to one form: a novelist may also write for radio; a journalist may also produce podcasts; a screenwriter may also write literary essays. The programme develops your ability to adapt your voice and skills across contexts while also giving you the depth in individual forms that genuine expertise demands.

You will also engage critically with the history and contemporary landscape of literary culture, understanding your own practice within a broader tradition.

Graduates work across the writing and media industries. Journalism, broadcasting, podcasting, screenwriting, publishing, copywriting, content creation, PR and communications all draw creative writing graduates, as do teaching and arts education roles. Some develop independent writing practices as novelists, poets or essayists, often alongside other professional activities.

The versatility that a multi-discipline creative writing degree develops is one of its most valuable qualities in a professional environment where the boundaries between written forms are increasingly blurred. Some graduates go on to postgraduate study in creative writing, publishing or a related field.