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Tutorials

I am a creative writing tutor, that sounds impressive doesn’t it?
No?
OK, I have a first-class honours degree in Creative Writing and English Language.
Yeah, great, you have qualifications so what are you trying to sell me?
Nothing. I’d like you to read my articles and short stories

In the real world, that’s the place where people meet, shake hands and interact, I run creative writing classes. I am paid to run these classes so that people can learn for free. That’s my day job. These articles are from some of my classes.

Creative Writing – Free Course Notes and Articles

Want to start or improve your writing but confused by an avalanche of conflicting advice?

The real-world classes I run inspire people to write for fun. They may never have written much more than a shopping list or a few diary entries before. Maybe they have lots of ideas for, or drafts of, short stories that need polishing (or stripping down to bare wood and rebuilding).

These free articles are not a masterclasses, there are no get rich quick schemes, no formulas for for instant success. There’s also no rules, no five things you have to do before breakfast to be a good writer, just advice that will help you lay down a solid foundation on which to build your skills.

Writing is hard work and each writer is different.

Access to all the notes is free but they remain ©Simon Pocklington 2023

Lesson 1

Part 1 Become a reader (and a critic)

Part 2 The myths explained.

Part 3 Making notes and keeping journals

Part 4 Explore with pen and paper.

Lesson 2

Part 1 Starting a short story

Part 2 Creating characters

Part 3 Point of view

Part 4 Writing Dialogue

Lesson 3

Part 1 Story Archetypes

Part 2 The Story Arc

Part 3 The Character Arc

Part 4 Drafting and Editing – the work begins.

The Writing Process

As part of my creative writing degree I had to write commentaries and reflections on the stories I wrote. I am publishing edited versions of here as they give some insight into my thoughts during the fiction writing process.

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  Free Short Story Writing Course – Drafting and Editing
  Story archetypes
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  About Writing From the Ashes
  The writing process behind From the Ashes

Fiction and Poetry

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  The Butterfly Effect
  Have you ever been stuck in a time warp before breakfast
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  The Mail Run
  Can a wounded ex-pilot save an American bomber
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  Breakfast at the Holiday Inn
  Humorous observational poem
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  The New Suit
  Something is watching Johnathan Mills and he is just what it is looking for.
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  Sitting Duck
  Love and betrayal in wartime England echoes into the present day.
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  The Doctor’s Tale
  Humorous poem
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  From the Ashes
  Will an old romance be rekindled in the ashes of Pompeii?
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  Illustrated Poetry Longing for a Full Colour Life
  Illustrated Poem

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  Free Short Story Writing Course – Drafting and Editing
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  Free Short Story Writing Course – The Character Arc
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  Unaccustomed as I am to…
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  Consolidated PBY Catalina
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  Illustrated Poetry Longing for a Full Colour Life
• 
  About Writing From the Ashes
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  From the Ashes
• 
  Free Short Story Writing Course – The Story Arc

Read all of my stories and articles plus thousands of other writers work on Medium