‘What do you have to do to become a famous best selling writer?’ Donna Tartt, the enigmatic author of The Secret History and The Little Friend, tackled this frequently – asked – question. She had a one – word answer. ‘Read.’ I would agree with her. Anyone who writes seriously and well is bound to be an impassioned reader because that is how you learn. From reading you gather all you need to know about form, register, technique, style, metaphor, genre. Most of the university writing courses in the UK are either linked to the Literature courses or include a major component on learning how to read as a writer, that is, reading not only for content, but also for method. Some students come to writing from other disciplines. I know writer-tutors with academic backgrounds in law, science and foreign languages. But they are all great readers in their own language and in the forms in which they write. Of course we all have our comfort reading, which will be predictable and reassuring. But the reading we do as intellectuals is a form of continuing education, a perpetual stretching of the muscles in the mind.
Read the rest of the article by novelist Patricia Duncker
Please see the Literature News for recent and upcoming events.
Matt Whyman in Yemen
Teen fiction author Matt Whyman held a three-day creative writing workshop with budding young authors in Sana'a, Yemen. Throughout the trip Matt kept a highly entertaining weblog on the British Council's EnCompass Culture website, which you can read under the July and August 2007 archives.
Matt Whyman in Yemen
Matt Whyman, standing at the back, with a group of creative writing students in Sana'a, Yemen.
US British Council Writer in Residence
Nadeem Aslam, the award-winning author of the book Maps for Lost Lovers (which took an impressive 11 years to write), will be the British Council Writer in Residence at the English Department of George Washington University for four weeks during Autumn 2007.
Medi Cafe
Launched late January 2007, participants selected by competitions are mentored by UK creative writing tutors and take part in live workshops and online mentoring using a purpose-built website. Participants use a private workshop area where they can upload their work in progress and participate in online tutorials using web boards and chat. The aim of the project is to build a virtual community of writers exploring Arabic and North African writing in English.
Radiophonics
Following on from the success of the online scriptwriting workshop and the Prose Workshops, Radiophonics is the new African writing initiative from the British Council. On this site you will be able to listen to and read new stories from Uganda and Nigeria, the participating countries.
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Take a look at our Education and Training page for details of where to find degree courses.
Read the second edition of our online magazine Literature Matters, which takes an in depth look at how creative writing is taught in the UK, the good, the bad, the positive and the negative. A lively range of writers offer personal perspectives on teaching, on studying and the development of this area as a whole.
Our Education and Training page lists online courses run by the British Council and external organisations, as well as details of correspondence courses and distance learning.Runs creative writing short courses in four centres around the UK and also hosts writing retreats in the autumn/winter. Their courses are taught by established writers and cover a wide range of styles and genres.
Runs training programmes for writers in the areas of performance and presentation skills, using creative writing in education and writing for the media.
New Writing is our annual showcase of the best of contemporary writing in the UK today. You'll also find information about our dedicated webboard and chat line for online discussions, and where to obtain information on UK creative writing courses at all levels.
Choose your next book with the help of our online world-wide online book group site enCompassCulture with over 5,000 contemporary UK and Commonwealth books. It has three separate sites;adults;and children;with news;information about how to set up reading groups and ideas to keep them going; and an Online Reader in Residence. Searchable by reading compass, booklist, author/title/keyword. Read and write book reviews; join in the discussion boards;and take part in online chats between reading groups and authors.
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