Creative Writing MA



"A radical departure in creative writing"
The Times

Overview

If you want to make a career in writing, this course is for you. You already have talent and ideas, we'll add the expertise you need to approach your chosen market with confidence, originality and skill. No ambitions are out of bounds: we love commercial genre fiction and literary experiments equally.

We aim to ensure our graduates are equipped to succeed - and to change the culture they choose to enter. We will add expertise to your talent and ideas, while you learn in the company of industry experts on this innovative, inspiring course for emerging writers.

Our unique combination of genres and specialisms encourages and enables you to professionalise your practice as a writer. We put genres like science fiction, fantasy, crime and horror at the heart of our learning journey. Writing for young adult readers and graphic novels are just some of the options available to you as a student on our programme.

We take an innovative approach to the training and support of aspiring writers, driven by intellectual ambition and practical industry experience.

There are four strands to the programme:

  • pre-writing skills, concepts and technique for full-length narratives
  • writing practice for first person stories and a range of options
  • experimental, theoretical and personal development work
  • regular one-to-one editorial mentoring

Typical entry point to this course is in September. Please enquire for more information.

To ensure there is sufficient time to process your application, we encourage you to submit your application by 30 June.

Students chatting at a table from the MA Creative Writing course with lecturer Laura Lam

Mode of Study:

Full-time (available as Part-time)

Duration:

1 year

Start date:

Sep

Meet your tutors

Introducing our Creative Writing tutors - David Bishop, Elizabeth Dearnley, Nicholas Binge and Noelle Harrison. Learn more about their backgrounds and their impressive careers in writing so far.

Course details

Uniquely, the course offers a dynamic range of cross-disciplinary options. Writing for graphic fiction, young adult audiences, screenwriting and interactive media are all available as specialisms, while our pioneering module in genre fiction covers crime, horror, fantasy and science fiction.

We host an exciting array of guest speakers every year, ranging from award-winning authors to high-profile industry experts. Recent visiting speakers have included authors Victoria (V.E.) Schwab, Dhonielle Clayton and James Oswald, comics creators Emma Beeby and Will Morris, Nasty Women anthology editors Laura Jones and Heather McDaid from 404 Ink, agent Jenny Brown, and editor Simon Spanton.

Our approach to full-length narrative development trains you to deploy a range of unique and dynamic pre-writing techniques invented by our programme. This energetic combination of conceptual development and critical self-reflection aims to transform you into a technically adept, purposeful writer ready to make your mark.

Professional development

The MA is a professionalising course that emphasises the publishing industry as a business, and includes sessions on approaching agents, marketing yourself and your work, and understanding publishing contracts. We also offer professional development strands in teaching and learning, community engagement, and publishing on digital platforms.

For students eager to continue working on their major project in a supportive academic environment, we have an articulation agreement with the low residency MFA in Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania. This enables graduates of our programme to join the Seton Hill cohort in year two, attain a MFA qualification and complete a market-ready commercial novel.

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    How you’ll be taught

    This is a one year full-time course starting in September, taught over three trimesters.

    The course is taught by a team of award-winning industry professionals: David Bishop, a successful crime writer and former editor; internationally best-selling science fiction and horror author Nicholas Binge; acclaimed folklorist and weird fiction author Elizabeth Dearnley; and best-selling historical fiction author Noelle Harrison. You can read more about their established academic and professional careers by viewing our tutors page.

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    Assessments

    Assessments focus on practical creative challenges and achieving professional levels of critical reflection, enabling students to become more self-sufficient as writers and collaborative practitioners.

    Tasks includes crafting original short stories; creating pre-writing materials for full-length narratives; critical self-reflection on your work; keeping a learning journal of progress through one-to-one mentoring; plus developing strategies and content for teaching, public engagement events, and digital self-publishing.

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    Facilities

    Our students have access to the Writers' Room, a private workspace with wi-fi, available evenings and weekends. It houses an exclusive library of 2,000 hand-picked books, DVDs and graphic novels, and is the venue for reading groups and social events.

Modules

Modules that you will study* as part of this course

Adaptation across Media ( CLP11176 )

This is a practical module that aims to give you a chance to adapt. It will examine the field of adaptation studies to see how issues like staying faithful to the original, or the different affordances that different media provide, impact upon the actual act of adapting one type of text into another e.g., novels into screenplays and vice versa; novels into interactive media experiences; the written word into the spoken word (novels into radio); the spoken word into audio-visual media and so on. But this theory will be used to underpin creative practice, which is what this module is about.

The syllabus will typically include some of the following topics (or similar):
• Trans/Interdisciplinary definitions of adaptation
• Meanings of adaptation: translation, transfer, transformation, appropriation, assimilation, intervention
• Adaptation as an intertextual, intercultural, inter-medial operation
• Adaptation across media: literature, theatre, film, TV, comics, video games, interactive storytelling, fine arts
• The underpinnings of the practice of adaptation
• The practice of adaptation across media: Legal and ethical considerations

Further information

Authorship ( CLP11174 )

The purpose of this trimester is to examine the changing role of the author over the years, as well as the realities of authorship in the 21st century. Throughout the trimester, you will develop your understanding of yourself as an author and of your place within the industry as a whole. You will do this by undertaking original research within a specific area of the publishing industry, and by defining how you might disrupt or invigorate it. You will begin by exploring the areas of professional practice that many authors pursue alongside their writing in order to build sustainable careers. These include teaching creative writing, self-publishing, digital platforms, community engagement, and live events. After selecting an area of professional practice to investigate further, you will decide upon a research question; carry out practical research; investigate relevant theory texts; and submit your findings in the form of a research essay. You will then be required to present concept documents for use within your chosen professional practice areas, describing problems you have identified and proposing potential solutions or demonstrating best practice. Overall, this will enable you to become a responsible, literary citizen as your progress through your career as an author and creative professional.

Further information

Creating Narrative ( CLP11175 )

This module focuses on concepts, skills and techniques for the pre-writing development of a full-length narrative project. Each session examines a particular element of pre-writing, building into a complete process you can use to hone and shape a potential novel, graphic novel, or screenplay or other narrative project. The first few sessions interrogate the initial stages of your creative process, such as defining the purpose of your work, and examining ways to develop ideas into stories. Next you will explore thematic architecture and linguistic development to enrich your world-building and create a purposeful network of themes and ideas underpinning your narrative. The following weeks are devoted to characterisation and structure, helping you build unique characters and define the most appropriate choice of tone and narrative position(s) for your project. Plot and synopsis writing sessions give you the tools to shape a compelling journey for your project and its characters while embracing the challenges of perfect pacing and elegant exposition.

Further information

Major Project ( CLP11110 )

Major Project is the culmination of all your learning on the MA. Depending on your chosen specialism it’s an opportunity to begin your novel in earnest and plan its path to publication, or to produce a high quality showcase of work in another medium, which can be used to approach agents, publishers, producers or developers. The module begins with a detailed induction session, to help you focus on the challenges ahead. After which, you’ll embark on intensive individual work, supported by three one-to-one supervision sessions of one hour and 20 minutes. A week before each session you’ll send up to 5,000 words of work-in-progress to your supervisor for feedback, problem-solving and discussion. You can also use supervision sessions to discuss your reading, research, critical reflection and personal development planning. Following Major Project marking, you’ll have a final one-to-one tutorial to discuss your Professional Development Plan, where the programme’s tutors will offer detailed advice on the next steps in your career.

Further information

Script workshop 2 ( SCA11105 )

Over the course of a series of workshops, seminars and tutorials you will develop a portfolio of material with a focus on television. You will set writing exercises, deliver homework and receive feedback from tutors, visiting guests and fellow students.

Over 12 weeks, students develop a thirty-minute script from idea to polished final draft. Students are encouraged to read and feedback on each others work in weekly workshops. Tutors will also give feedback with individual tutorials scheduled throughout the trimester.

The focus of this module is on the craft of screenwriting. It aims to develop students’ technical skills and a critical awareness of the various possibilities and demands of the form.

Students engage in project research (for their scripts) but also develop a critical awareness of the changing market for film and television in the UK and beyond.

Further information

Writing Genre Fiction ( CLP11111 )

This module introduces you to and enhances your understanding of writing for the genres and sub-genres of fantasy, crime, horror and science fiction. It begins by investigating the core techniques and current trends in these areas. You will augment writing practice skills developed in the first trimester by undertaking frequent writing challenges and honing your critical self-reflexivity, aided by formative masterclass feedback. Addressing, challenging and subverting audience expectations is the focus for the final weeks, alongside writing for particular markets. This module has an all fiction reading list from the cutting edge of current genre writing.

Further information

Writing Narrative Positions ( CLP11177 )

In this module, you will focus on the practical application of a range of professional writingtechniques, and on building the vital skills of pre-writing decision making, critical self-reflection and engaging with editorial feedback. The module is a development journey,beginning with an overview of narrative positions and key terminology. Next, you willexplore the foundational principles of various narrative positions, including condition ofnarration, device and register. You will then begin to practise more complex techniques,such as subtext and counter narrative, the unreliable narrator and positioning an activereader. Through writing challenges and masterclass discussions, you will learn how tomake fast, purposeful decisions about a story before writing, how to craft short pieces tobriefs and deadlines, and how to critically analyse and improve upon early drafts. As wellas gaining a detailed understanding of the opportunities and demands of differentnarrative positions, you will develop the core professional practices you will need to makethe most of your Creative Development and Editorial Development module, succeed inyour Major Project, and advance the rest of your writing career.

Further information

Writing for Graphic Fiction ( CLP11109 )

This module introduces you to and enhances your understanding of writing for the medium of graphic fiction. You will begin by developing core skills and techniques for creating graphic fiction narratives. Frequent writing challenges will help hone your critical self-reflexivity, aided by formative masterclass feedback. Visiting speakers will discuss their processes and career paths, illustrating the range of opportunities and individual approaches that flourish in this medium. You will be encouraged to forge creative partnerships enhancing your collaborative skills. Writing graphic fiction for particular markets and building challenging audience expectations is the focus during the final weeks of this module.

Further information

* These are indicative only and reflect the course structure in the current academic year. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Creative Writing?

The entry requirements for this course are an Honours Degree at a 2:2 or above in any discipline with relevant writing experience.

Once your application is received, you may be contacted by the Programme Leader with an invitation to submit a sample of writing: this is the second stage in selection. Please do not send writing samples with your initial application, as a detailed brief and deadline will be provided. The final stage in the selection process is an interview: for international applicants, this is conducted by telephone.

Can I get admission into Creative Writing based on my working experience in this sector?

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Usually, unrelated work experience is not considered sufficient for entry without meeting the minimum academic entry requirements. Please contact us with your specific circumstances by submitting an enquiry form above and we will be happy to discuss your options.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the postgraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test.  The English Language requirements for this programme are IELTS (Academic) with an overall score of 7.0 with no individual component score of less than 7.0.  For guidance on the acceptability of other English Language tests please contact pgadmissions@napier.ac.uk

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students From 2024/25 2025/26
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £7,280 £tba
Overseas and EU £18,800 £tba
Please note tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other Tuition Fee matters please see Frequently Asked Questions about Fees Click this link for Information of Bursaries and Scholarships
The University offers a 20% discount on Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online programmes. The discount can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount. For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Please note:

The discount for Edinburgh Napier alumni can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount.

For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.

Please read our full T&C here

Careers

  • Book deals
  • Representation by literary agents
  • International and national competition wins
  • Collaborations with comic artists
  • Publication in magazines and anthologies
  • Edinburgh International Book Festival appearances
  • Paid editing and writing commissions
  • Performances and teaching
  • Working for national literary organisations
Woman laughing at a table with a book in one hand and a cup in the other hand in The Writers Room at Merchiston.