Nature and Travel Writing Bath Spa University

Overview

In the Nature and Travel Writing course offered by Bath Spa University, you’ll learn to:

• Plan a manuscript (a novel, collection of short stories, collection of poems or book of literary non-fiction) and complete it, or a substantial part of it, brought to publishable quality or as near as possible.
• Understand literary form, style and genre, as relevant to your chosen form of writing.
• Acquire a variety of relevant writing techniques, and research techniques to support writing, and adapt them to your particular creative project.
• Understand and respond creatively to questions arising from the subject-matter, themes, genres, traditions and other literary contexts with which your chosen manuscript is engaged.
• Receive and give precise and sensitive critical feedback in workshop groups and one-to-one tutorials.
• Respond creatively to feedback provided by tutors and other students, adapting that feedback to your particular vision of your book.
• Understand choices and opportunities relevant to your chosen manuscript, including questions of how to place your work, and the role of agents, publishers and editors.

Past students have:

• Been awarded excellent contracts for novels
• Been long-listed for the Man Booker Prize, Orange Prize, Costa Prize and the Guardian First Book Award
• Received the Betty Trask Prize, Manchester Book Award, a WH Smith New Talent Award, and the Janklow and Nesbit Prize. 
• Reached the bestseller lists.
• Had their poetry accepted for publication in numerous literary journals, including Ambit, Magma, London Magazine, Poetry Wales, PN Review and The Reader, among others.
• Been placed in such competitions as the Bridport, the Frogmore, Mslexia, and Writers Inc. Janklow and Nesbit Ltd

In addition, a leading literary agency awards an annual prize for the best novel or novel in progress by a student on the course.