Writing Voices

Module code: EN3119

This creative writing module aims to investigate the relationship between creative writing and the key concept of ‘voice.’ It aims to introduce some of the contexts and genres of writing in which notions of ‘voice’ and ‘vocality’ play a central part. Students will investigate, through reading and creative practice, genres including radio drama, monologues, performance poetry and dialogue in prose fiction. This module focuses on the central importance of voice in creative writing. Often, learning to write is conceived as a process of ‘finding your voice.’ Whilst this is useful as a starting point, learning to write well is also a process of finding, imagining and staging other people’s voices. This module investigates, through relevant reading and creative practice, forms which depend on staging voices. Forms and genres covered may include:

• Dialogue in prose fiction
• Radio drama
• Monologues
• Poetry in performance

In addition to the reading and creative writing, since this is a module about the centrality of voice, students will give a short assessed oral presentation of their own work. They will also be expected to reflect on the ways in which their work relates to the wider context of the genre in which they are writing.