Creative writing: behind-the-scenes at the RA
Four-week creative writing course
10 May 2018 6.30 - 8.30pm17 May 2018 6.30 - 8.30pm24 May 2018 6.30 - 8.30pm31 May 2018 6.30 - 8.30pm
Belle Shenkman Room, Keeper’s House, Royal Academy, Piccadilly
£300.
Terms and conditions
In this weekly class, author Chris Sykes will lead the group in creative writing to explore the overlap between art and fiction.This course will focus on place as we explore, research and draw inspiration from Burlington House, the home of the Royal Academy.
An exclusive opportunity to visit and work in spaces that normally are not open to the general public, including the RA Schools and historic Life Room, the private members club the Academicians' Room and the Archives and Library. "Secret spaces" and hidden corridors around the building will be open to us, all to provide inspiration and material for writing.
Participants will make use of the Sackler Landing and the installation display curated by the artist Richard Deacon RA. This installation includes contemporary sculpture and neoclassical casts. Ranging from the 18th to the 21st centuries, the works vary from portrait busts and mythological scenes to nude figures. There’s a Teddy Boy and Girl, a study for Eros and a well-toned naked man stretching. There are gods, actors and scientists. And there are also a dozen animals to be found in the display including flying horses, a spitting cat and a militarised mouse.
Drawing on this installation, and the historic surroundings of Burlington House, we will focus on description, research, character creation, viewpoint and how to construct and shape a piece of fiction.
The underlying aim of this course will be to give writers experience of an area of this fine historical building not normally accessible to them, and to help writers develop practical observation and writing skills as they develop this newly created material in their fiction.
Weekly topics could include: description, writing from observation, creating atmosphere, the components of writing and writing style; keeping a notebook; how to find ideas for stories; writing about place as a setting for story; and description of people as possible characters. Participants will look at the various senses that can unlock source material and trigger writing, as well as concepts such as show and tell, the importance of concrete detail and the use of images.
Throughout the four weeks there will be one-on-one tutor input and tips. There will be much practical writing throughout the course as we do class exercises as well as in situ writing. Through discussion, sharing of ideas, and playing with words, participants will be encouraged to look critically at their own and at other’s work.
The first three sessions will incorporate tutor input, discussions of the topic and writing in situ. There will be feedback each week, where appropriate, and the final week will be devoted to participants’ presentation of a particular piece of work, set by the tutor, for discussion and feedback and possible publication on the RA website.
This is a course for anyone who has ever thought they might like to write a story or novel, and for readers wanting to understand better what it is that writers do.
About the course
About the course:
This evening class will introduce practical techniques as well as writing triggers, devices and exercises. The group will discuss the function of artworks and spaces, setting and narrative structure. You will learn how to find your voice, hone your writing skills and construct a compelling storyline. Every week, participants will be asked to share their work in progress and receive feedback from the tutor and the group.
This course is for you if:
• You would like the opportunity to develop your skills and ideas within a small group and in the historical setting of the Royal Academy of Arts in London
• You are a writer with a desire to freshen up your technique
•You are a reader and would like to learn how writing is produced and create your own
• You have writing experience and would like to further develop your skills and ideas
• You love art, you love words and would like to find a way of combining the two
This course is suitable for all levels, preferably with some prior experience of creative writing.
The number of participants is strictly limited to enable detailed feedback from the course tutor for each participant and the work that they create.
What's included? Price: £300 Registration from 6.15pm Refreshments from 6.15pm 6.30pm - 8.30pm for each session
This course provides:
• A rich combination of workshops and discussions and the opportunity for expert-led answers.
• An exploration of creative writing approaches and genres.
• An introduction to writing triggers, devices and exercises.
• The opportunity to socialise and network with peers in a friendly environment
• A course pack and extended reading lists
• Light refreshments at the beginning of each session
• A drinks reception at the end of week four
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the space – The Belle Shenkman Room, Keeper’s House
Nestled in the corner of the RA’s Annenberg Courtyard, the Keeper’s House is the extension of the grand urban palace Burlington House, designed by Sydney Smirke RA, who aimed to build an artist’s home and a place for creativity and work. Created over 140 years ago, the space was the grace-and-favour residence for the Academy’s Keeper: the Head of the Royal Academy Schools, selected from the Academicians. Smirke’s plans guaranteed every 19th-century convenience, from the finest vaulted wine cellars to the Models’ Staircase, a private external entrance giving direct access to the Keeper’s Studio at all hours for a select few. The Keeper's House today still houses the Keeper's Studio and a suite of rooms that provide "a home away from home" for Friends of the RA, Patrons, Royal Academicians and visitors and guests.
Award-winning architects Long & Kentish have sensitively restored the Keeper’s House, retaining many details, from vaults to old ceiling beams and hearths originating from the 1660s. This history is matched with contemporary luxurious interiors, designed by award-winning architect David Chipperfield RA.
Within the Keeper’s House, the Belle Shenkman Room is an intimate lounge space. With its velvet mohair chairs, it’s the perfect place to sit and while away the hours with views of the courtyard garden.
Chris Sykes is a member of the Society of Authors and he was at one time Deputy Chair of The Writers Guild of Great Britain. He has written plays and poetry and is currently at work on a novel. He was once sacked from a BBC TV series for writing a script that was "too funny". It was the best thing that could have happened to him, because he went off and wrote the "heart-warming" comedy; Marry Me, You Idiot which opened at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London in 2002, starring the late Lynda Bellingham. He followed it up with Playing Away which premiered to great notices at Sadler’s Wells in London in 2005 and was revived at the annual Frinton Festival in 2011.
Chris has taught creative writing for many years and at many places, including the University of Warwick, City University (London), the City Lit in London, the University of Oxford and the University of Sussex. At the University of Oxford, Department of Continuing Education, he ran classes and workshops as well as annual summer schools on creative writing and theatre. He is currently Director of the International Summer School at the University of Sussex.
Between 2009 and 2014 Chris wrote four books on creative writing. Your Complete Class in Creative Writing, The Writer’s Source Book, How to Craft a Great Story, and The Complete Creative Writing Course, all for Hodder & Stoughton.
You can find out more about Chris at his website www.chrissykes.uk
Selected publications Sykes, C (2006) Playing Away, Josef Weinberger Sykes, C (2013) How to Craft a Great Story, Hodder & Stoughton
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.