The South London Writing School presents a six week creative writing course led by award-winning author and performer Karen McLeod. Weekly sessions provide the structure to help you start writing and find what it is you want to write. Karen introduces the importance of craft, while equally encouraging experimentation to discover your writing voice and see the world as a major source of inspiration.
The course is held within the events space of The Bookseller Crow bookshop in south east London and takes place on Tuesday evenings over six consecutive weeks from 27th January – 3rd March 2026, 7.30 pm – 9.30pm. The content has been developed for beginners, as well as creatives who have lost their mojo or writers in need of motivation and confidence. Places are offered on a first come, first served basis with a maximum of thirteen students in each class. The total cost is £249 and is suitable for over 18s.
In honour of Jonathan Main, our bookseller at Bookseller Crow who sadly died in September, we are offering one free scholarship place for someone who would be unable to attend due to financial constraints. This is aimed at the unemployed, the unwaged carers or those on a low income. To apply for this scholarship please do not book below and instead send your details, including a short description of your circumstances, including where you live, with SCHOLARSHIP in the email title to: scribblingcrow[at]hotmail.com
The deadline for scholarship applications is 6pm, Monday 15th December 2025. Applications after this deadline cannot be considered.
COURSE STRUCTURE:
Writing exercises attuned to a specific aspect of creative writing will be set each week during class. As well as this, there will be weekly explorative ‘creative assignments’ to be completed outside of class and writers should put aside a minimum of three hours per week to complete these. During the six weeks the following areas of creative writing will be introduced:
- Using our stories, place and time to inspire fiction
- Points of view – who is telling your story
- Building characters/method writing
- Story structure/shape
- Dialogue
- Final week – a reading and feedback party
Participant feedback:
“I got exactly what I wanted and needed on your course! I was looking for ways to access writing that felt all locked up inside of me and I didn’t want to ‘learn to write like everyone else’ … thank you for an absolutely fantastic course.”
“I loved the course – it knocked me off my normal pattern of thinking and got me to try new things! Also I got some really useful feedback.”
Masterclass Sunday: TV Writing
The first ever Masterclass Sunday will be with top TV writer Daisy Coulam on Sunday 1st February, 9am-11am at Bookseller Crow Bookshop.
Join us for an inside look at the highs (and occassional lows) of writing for TV drama. Sharing tips and tricks from Daisy’s career we’ll look at:
- How to craft and pitch original ideas
- Structure scripts
- Create memorable characters
- Write zingy dialogue
- Q&A
Whether you’re a beginner or have a work-in-progress that needs some TLC, this session will offer guidance, inspiration and probably a few sweary anecdotes. There’ll be a writing exercise to waken up those fingers and brains, so bring your pens and paper/ a notebook.
SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS
In honour of Jonathan Main, our bookseller at Bookseller Crow who sadly died last September, we are offering one free scholarship place for someone who would be unable to attend due to financial constraints. This is aimed at the unemployed, unwaged carers or those on a low income. To apply for this scholarship please do not book below and instead send your details, including a short description of your circumstances, including where you live, with TV WRITING SCHOLARSHIP in the email title to: scribblingcrow[at]hotmail.com The deadline for scholarship applications is 6pm, Monday 19th January 2025. Applications made after this deadline cannot be considered.
Daisy Coulam is creator, writer and the executive producer of Grantchester (ITV) which has just filmed its 11th series. She also created and wrote Deadwater Fell (C4/ Netflix) and has written for shows including Humans, Death In Paradise, Holby City, Casualty and EastEnders.
Join Karen McLeod for an inspiring, interactive and fun workshop that dives into the art of writing about your life. Karen will discuss approaches to memoir writing while discussing the issues (and the many liberations) that can come from writing about the past.
Through writing exercises you will explore how to uncover material, dig into the important stories of your life, then hone in on an idea for a story. Whether you’re already working on a memoir project, or wish to begin writing about your life, by the end of the session whatever your experience, you will leave with new material and be equipped with tools to continue. Bring a notebook and pen, plus an open mind and heart.
You will be introduced to:
- What is memoir?
- Writing exercises to access buried memories
- How to focus in on a particular subject/time/person/place
- And a chance to ask questions
More info and how to book here
In honour of Jonathan Main, our bookseller at Bookseller Crow who sadly died in September, we are offering one free scholarship place for someone who would be unable to attend due to financial constraints. This is aimed at the unemployed, the unwaged carers or those on a low income. To apply for this scholarship please do not book below and instead send your details, including a short description of your circumstances, including where you live, with MEMOIR WRITING SCHOLARSHIP in the email title to: scribblingcrow[at]hotmail.com The deadline for scholarship applications is 6pm, Monday 9th February 2025. Applications sent after this deadline cannot be considered.
Learn how to write fiction that makes people laugh in this workshop with Kate Davies, whose first novel, In at the Deep End, was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction.
We’ll look at:
- The purpose of humour in fiction
- The technical aspects of writing jokes
- Examine extracts from comic novels to analyse how different writers use comedy in their work
- And have a go at developing comic prose, so bring your notebook and pen
In honour of Jonathan Main, our bookseller at Bookseller Crow who sadly died last September, we are offering one free scholarship place for someone who would be unable to attend due to financial constraints.
This is aimed at the unemployed, the unwaged carers or those on a low income. To apply for this scholarship please do not book below and instead send your details, including a short description of your circumstances, including where you live, with FUNNY FICTION WRITING SCHOLARSHIP in the email title to: scribblingcrow[at]hotmail.com The deadline for scholarship applications is 6pm, Monday 2nd March 2025. Applications sent after this deadline cannot be considered.
The Lineup
Kate Davies is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter and author of children’s books. Her first novel, In at the Deep End, won the Polari Prize and was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction. Her second novel, Nuclear Family, was named a Times book of the year.
She is known for her funny, frank fiction, propulsive plots and witty dialogue, and her writing has won praise from authors including Sarah Waters (“Davies writes with an enviable lightness of touch and impeccable comic timing”, Emma Jane Unsworth (“Brazen and hilarious”) and Erin Kelly (“I can’t think of another author who can make me ricochet so fast from painful empathy to helpless laughter.”) She lives in London with her wife and son.
More info and how to book here
