Creative Writing - Crime - West Bridgford Library - Adult Learning

About this course

Do you love crime fiction? Have you ever wondered how a crime story is written, or wanted to write your own? If so, this course will introduce many aspects of writing crime fiction, including research, creating characters, dialogue, plotting, and editing. You will also engage in your own creative writing through many different short exercises.  

Discover the history of crime fiction – from the first detective story through to today’s themes and trends - and how to write it through a series of illustrated presentations and exercises from a published crime writer. There will also be videos, discussion and many writing activities as we look at what makes a great crime novel.   

 You will widen your appreciation of crime fiction and its many sub-genres, from the British ‘golden age’ and American hardboiled novels, through to legal thrillers, spy novels, procedurals and psychological crime, in a course that spans the centuries.  

By the end of the course, you will: 

• Explain how Poe’s Dupin stories influenced crime fiction.  
• Name different genres of crime fiction and display knowledge of genre-defining novels. 
• Define ‘character-driven’ and ‘plot-driven’ novels, understanding the difference.  
• Attempt to create a new protagonist.  
• Write a blurb and understand the difference between a blurb and a synopsis.  
• Edit existing work, creating new prose.   

Plus: 

• Recognise and compare listed characteristics of the ‘golden age’ of British crime fiction and its American ‘hardboiled’ contemporaries. 
• Define common characteristics/traits of a sleuth.  
• Match famous crime writers with their protagonists. 

Suggested Reading for the course: 

Howdunit by Martin Edwards 

Booking your place and fee information

If you are in receipt of certain benefits you will be offered the course for free, however if you have a financial barrier which may prevent you from enrolling on the course, please visit our webpage for further information  https://www.inspireculture.org.uk/skills-learning/funding-your-courses/

To secure your place on the course BOTH the following must be done:

• Complete the EVENTBRITE BOOKING, AND
• Complete our INSPIRE ONLINE ENROLMENT FORM for each person attending the course.

You should be redirected to the Inspire Online Enrolment Form after completing the Eventbrite booking.  If you are not redirected, please use the link supplied in the Eventbrite booking confirmation email.

To book and enrol on one of our courses, you must have been living in England and have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years.

Some exceptions may apply if you are living in England with evidence of the right to remain and are from an EEU/EEAU country (completion of a questionnaire will be required).  As we no longer receive funding for our ESFA-funded courses for learners living in the devolved areas listed below, full cost fees would apply to these courses if you live in these areas:

• Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield 
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
• Greater London
• Greater Manchester
• Liverpool City Region
• Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland
• Tees Valley
• West of England
• West Midlands
• West Yorkshire

Any questions?

Check the FAQs page, or get in touch:

• By phone: 01623 677 200
• By email: learning@inspireculture.org.uk

< Back to course listing