Vicky Grut

Creative Writing workshop leader

Based in

Bloomsbury, London, United Kingdom

Also teaches in various venues in central London

I have many years of experience as a teacher and workshop facilitator in the field of creative writing. I have taught for the Open University, Birkbeck College, London's South Bank university and for the Arvon Foundation. I've also worked as a book editor, and as a reader for the Literary Consultancy.

My own work has appeared in magazines and collections including Reshape Whilst Damp (Serpent’s Tail, 2000), Valentine’s Day: Stories of Revenge (Duckworth, 2000),New Writing: 13 (Picador 2005), New Writing 14 (Granta, 2006) and Waving at the Gardener (Bloomsbury 2009). Awards for short fiction include the Chapter One International Short Story prize in 2006 and an Asham Award in 2009.

Group Classes

The Novelists Club 2011

This course is for people who are already working on a novel. It provides a supportive framework for critiquing outlines and draft scenes, as well as a structure within which to generate some new work.

We begin with a one-day workshop focusing on characterisation and story structure, and in preparation for this I’ll ask everyone to send me the opening 30 pages and a synopsis.

After the first workshop we meet for three further follow-up sessions of three hours each, at five to six weekly intervals. The aim is not to complete a novel in this time but to refine and clarify the overall plan for each book in a supportive environment. The workshops depend on mutual feedback so there will be a certain amount of reading in advance of each workshop. I provide everyone with notes and short written feedback at every meeting.

What people have said about this course in 2010:

"What was useful? Everything! A highly supportive group, with criticism given constructively."

"Personal praise to Vicky for being so approachable, knowledgeable and above all enthusiastic about everyone’s work while retaining a clear critical oversight of strengths and weaknesses."

"Really positive, constructive and sympathetic atmosphere. Spacing it out monthly made it perfect. Would have liked it to have continued for a year!"

Cost: £295, which includes lunch at the February workshop. Limited to 6 people per course.

It's a:

workshop

Venue:

Upstairs at The Rugby Tavern

Location:

19 Great James Street, London WC1N 3ES, London, United Kingdom

Date and time:

5 February, 10.30 - 4pm, with 3 half day follow-up meetings on 12 March, 30 April, 10 June 2011

Rates:

£295 full course