Craft focus: scenes and setting in fiction

About this course

The course examines how setting functions across genres and how writers can create a strong sense of place through language and structural choices. It considers the components and purposes of different scene types, including when to use scene or summary and how to move between them. Teaching combines formal instruction with individual writing exercises, pair work and group activities. Participants develop scenes that convey setting, deepen character and move the narrative forward, with opportunities to give and receive constructive feedback.

What you'll learn

• Identify elements of setting that can be shaped by the writer.
• Apply language and structural techniques to establish setting.
• Recognise the main components and purposes of a scene.
• Structure a scene and transition between scene and summary.
• Write scenes that convey layered setting, deepen character and advance the narrative.
• Give and receive constructive feedback on fiction writing.

Is this course right for you?

The course is open to people new to writing fiction as well as those with some experience. It is intended for avid readers of fiction who are fluent in English. Participation includes individual writing, pair work, group exercises, formal teaching and feedback on written work.

• Suitable for learners at the provider’s Improver level, while also open to those new to fiction writing.
• Fluency in English is essential.
• Learners are expected to take part in pair and group work as well as individual writing.

Before you go

• Learners should bring writing materials.
• Learners are encouraged to alert the tutor and classmates in advance if shared writing contains potentially sensitive material.