To find out more details about the transfer to The Open University see A New Chapter for OCA.
Explore #WeAreOCA
Skip Navigation
I have settled reasonably well into life in lockdown and I think it’s largely to do with my furry companion. I’ve kept my normal routine of getting up and walking to work, which currently means taking Enzo out and looping back home to log on.
Read More
My relief and support throughout all this has been to immerse myself in a hobby and history in a way I’ve not done before.
Read More
When talking about conflict in scriptwriting, we don’t simply refer to the central ‘battle’ between our main character and their antagonist force. Conflict is also in the skilful crafting of contrasting sensorial elements, weaved into the scenes; it becomes a contrast of sounds, insertion of small elements of disturbance, use of light and shadows.
Read More
I recently a ran an online workshop on what a good RC might include, so for those of students who were unable to attend (and for those who did attend, but would like a refresher), here’s a summary of my suggestions.
Read More
In this workshop we’ll explore the places we inhabit most, the views we see every day, the map we create on our daily walks. We’ll read poems and prose about place and spaces, and pay homage to the ones that we feel both connected to and stuck in.
Read More
I’d started up an Instagram account a while back, but I’d fallen into posting very sporadically, going months without and not making much of a contribution. So I decided to try out the whole ‘post an image a day’ and use some hashtags to get the message out that although we were in lockdown, we were still here.
Read More
At Level 2 and 3, Creative Writing students are asked to research an author, writing movement or individual work(s) of literature that they’ve been reading during that unit, and that has resonated with them as a writer. Here are some suggestions for how to approach the CRC.
Read More
When I drop shopping off some people like to have a distant chat, just general stuff about the weather and how they are coping, while others are very regimented and want their shopping leaving at the end of the drive and they come and collect, everyone is dealing with this pandemic in their own way and has to do what they feel is right, I completely respect that.
Read More
One of my own methods of creating new ideas, new characters or new scenes for my stories, is to begin a regular, gentle, mindless activity (walking alone is my favourite) to allow those deep, deep insights to emerge. I can return from a walk, or from listening to a piece of music, with new scenes ready to be written, or new understanding about my character’s lives.
Read More
Imagine going to the doctor’s and coming out with a prescription – for a good book. It’s really not as daft as it may sound. And what’s more, the notion that our mental wellbeing can be improved by something other than pills is far from new.
Read More
