There are no pre-requisites for this module to be added

This module is designed for students who love reading genre fiction and who want to develop the skills for writing those stories. Each week a different genre will be explored – crime, science fiction, fantasy, fairy tales and folklore, horror, historical fiction, romance, contemporary realism and autofiction – giving you an overview of its history, defining features and audience expectations. Alongside these you’ll test out a new story development technique every week (e.g. characterisation, narrative position, register, worldbuilding), enabling you to experiment with genre while honing your craft. Throughout the module you’ll be working towards creating an original, artistically ambitious, technically skilled and professionally polished short story in your chosen genre or sub-genre. During that process you'll practice the techniques professional writers employ to create compelling and marketable narratives, while honing your ability to critically self-reflect. In class discussions you’ll also analyse published examples from across the genres, enabling you to further reflect on your own creative decisions and how individual writerly choices can help shape the future of genre writing. Detailed written and verbal feedback will be given following the formative assessment, echoing the publishing process which writers undergo with an editor and helping you prepare for the summative.This module is designed both for students who have already taken Napier’s Y2 module CLP08120 Creative Writing: Finding Your Voice, and for those new to Creative Writing. The practising of craft techniques within the context of different genres make it an ideal follow-on from Finding Your Voice, while also ensuring it remains accessible as a standalone module for students who have not previously studied writing.

Upon completion of this module you will be able to

LO1: Demonstrate a critical understanding of the scope of genre fiction and the defining features of sub-genres.

LO2: Evaluate how genre fiction can reflect diversity and motivate cultural change.

LO3: Draw on a range of sources to accurately assess the creative opportunities presented by commercial genres.

LO4: Apply knowledge to the development of your own genre fiction writing through individual and collaborative creative work.

LO5: Examine the relationship between your purpose as a writer and the genre(s) in which you have chosen to write.

LO6: Critically reflect upon your own work and that of others using appropriate professional frameworks.