Raw Writing

The Contemporary Short Story Competition Ready Course with Carla Jenkins
2026-03-13 14:00 - 15:30 (Europe/London) | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
13th, 20th, 27th March (no sessions 3rd and 10th April ) 17th, 24th April 1st, 8th, 15th May
Fridays 14.00-15.30
Entering writing competitions is great fun and brilliant for building up your writer’s CV if you get placed. Join this eight-week course where, at the end of it, you’ll have a 2000 word short story that you can be proud of, and is competition ready.
We’ll be closely analysing stories by Zadie Smith, Kevin Barry, Yiyun Li and Clare Keegan (among other twenty-first-century greats) and also exploring how using real-life material can enrich our writing.
The course will include two workshopping sessions where you’ll be given feedback from Carla Jenkins and the rest of the attendees, and you will also give feedback on their short stories. Guidance and support will be given on how to do this.
You’ll be expected to do a lot of reading and writing in between sessions, and a full course outline and reading list will be sent once you’ve signed up. Places are limited to eight so everyone (and their stories) are given a lot of attention.
Free entry into the Raw Writing Short Story Writing Competition (worth £15). The deadline will be in June, the word count will be 2000, and the prize will be a mentoring package (six sessions) with a published writer, a place on a six-month Raw Writing course, and publication in the Raw Writing Anthology.

Introduction to Memoir
2026-05-01 14:00 - 15:30 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Exeter Phoenix £285 (Payable in three instalments of £95. Please email carla@rawwriting.co.uk to arrange.)
Fridays 14.00-15.30
Friday 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd May & 5th, 12th, 19th 26th June
Thinking about writing your memoir but unsure where to begin? Join me for an eight-week course designed to give you a strong foundation and the confidence to find your voice and get it on the page. Whether you’re full of memories or starting with a blank notebook, you’ll be guided step-by-step to shape your experiences into honest, raw writing.
Course tutor: Carla’s debut novel, Fifty Minutes, was published by Hachette in May 2024, and her second novel, Touched, is due for publication in April 2027. In 2019, Carla did a Master’s in Creative Writing at Exeter University and loved it. She missed it so much when it was over that she decided to set up Raw Writing, to recreate all those wonderful aspects of the MA and give to others what was one of the best experiences she’d ever had. Raw Writing enables people to learn about writing, improve their writing, and be part of a writing community.

Introduction to the Novel (Saturdays)
2026-05-02 10:30 - 12:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Exeter Phoenix £285 (Payable in three instalments of £95. Please email carla@rawwriting.co.uk to arrange.)
Saturdays 10.30-12.00
Saturday 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd May & 6th, 13th, 20th 27th June
Do you dream of writing a novel? Do you have some great ideas, but are not sure where to start? Join me on an inspirational eight-week course where we will look at character, plot, setting and dialogue. This course provides a solid foundation that will help you start writing your novel and gain confidence in finding your voice.
Course tutor: Adam Shackleton is a writer with a keen interest in developing creative talent. He holds a Master’s in Education, and read his Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of Cambridge. He then taught for a decade in the United Kingdom and internationally, specialising in reading and writing. Adam is currently working on a commission for a charity to write a middle-grade novel and a picture book for younger readers. He looks forward to publishing both in 2026 to coincide with the charity’s anniversary celebrations.

Write for Life
2026-05-02 14:00 - 15:30 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Exeter Phoenix £285 (Payable in three instalments of £95. Please email carla@rawwriting.co.uk to arrange.)
Saturdays 14.00-15.30
Saturday 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd May & 6th, 13th, 20th 27th June
Let’s celebrate the power of words and have fun being creative, because when we invest in our creativity, it positively impacts every area of our lives. This course has been designed for complete beginners and for those with some experience. Come and have fun playing with words. Let’s take the pressure off and just write for pleasure! Each week, there’ll be a range of stimulating prompts and optional writing activities for you to complete in between sessions.
Course tutor: Carla’s debut novel, Fifty Minutes, was published by Hachette in May 2024, and her second novel, Touched, is due for publication in April 2027. In 2019, Carla did a Master’s in Creative Writing at Exeter University and loved it. She missed it so much when it was over that she decided to set up Raw Writing, to recreate all those wonderful aspects of the MA and give to others what was one of the best experiences she’d ever had. Raw Writing enables people to learn about writing, improve their writing, and be part of a writing community.

Introduction to the Novel (Tuesdays)
2026-05-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Exeter Phoenix £285 (Payable in three instalments of £95. Please email carla@rawwriting.co.uk to arrange.)
Tuesdays 19.00-20.30
Tuesdays 5th, 12th, 19th May & 2nd, 9th, 16th 23rd, 30th June
Do you dream of writing a novel? Do you have some great ideas, but are not sure where to start? Join me on an inspirational eight-week course where we will look at character, plot, setting and dialogue. This course provides a solid foundation that will help you start writing your novel and gain confidence in finding your voice.
Course tutor: Adam Shackleton is a writer with a keen interest in developing creative talent. He holds a Master’s in Education, and read his Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of Cambridge. He then taught for a decade in the United Kingdom and internationally, specialising in reading and writing. Adam is currently working on a commission for a charity to write a middle-grade novel and a picture book for younger readers. He looks forward to publishing both in 2026 to coincide with the charity’s anniversary celebrations.

Introduction to Memoir (Online)
2026-05-05 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Online Zoom £285 (Payable in three instalments of £95. Please email carla@rawwriting.co.uk to arrange.)
Tuesdays, 19.00-20.30
Tuesdays 5th, 12th, 19th, 23rd May & 2nd, 9th, 18th 23rd, 30th June
Thinking about writing your memoir but unsure where to begin? Join me for an eight-week course designed to give you a strong foundation and the confidence to find your voice and get it on the page. Whether you’re full of memories or starting with a blank notebook, you’ll be guided step-by-step to shape your experiences into honest, raw writing.
Course tutor: Carla’s debut novel, Fifty Minutes, was published by Hachette in May 2024, and her second novel, Touched, is due for publication in April 2027. In 2019, Carla did a Master’s in Creative Writing at Exeter University and loved it. She missed it so much when it was over that she decided to set up Raw Writing, to recreate all those wonderful aspects of the MA and give to others what was one of the best experiences she’d ever had. Raw Writing enables people to learn about writing, improve their writing, and be part of a writing community.

Writers Workshop (8-week Wednesday course), with Adam Shackleton
2026-05-06 | Exeter Library, Library, Castle St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3PQ, United Kingdom
Exeter Library
£285 (Payable in three instalments of £95. Please email carla@rawwriting.co.uk to arrange.)
10.30-12 or 14:00-15:30
May 6th, 13th, 20th
June 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th
July 1st

Are you looking for feedback on your writing?
Are you keen to become a more analytical reader?
Are you eager to spend time discussing your work with others; developing your writer’s toolkit alongside a group of like-minded peers?
If so, the Raw Writing Writers Workshop might be right for you! Now in its fifth iteration, the Writers Workshop has successfully helped many aspiring writers develop their writing skills in order to analyse their own work with a critical eye.
Over this eight-week course, you will have the opportunity to present your work for feedback, while also analysing the writing of your peers. Cultivating the ability to read closely the work of others and give thoughtful, considered feedback is an essential skill for any aspiring writer. On the Writers Workshop, we will help you hone this skill; bringing the strengths you take from reading the work of others to your own projects.
As part of the Writers Workshop, you will have the opportunity to share up to 2,500 words from your current writing project twice with the group.
Each time you submit, you will have 45 minutes dedicated to discussing the fundamental aspects of your submission:
•⁠ ⁠Plot,
•⁠ ⁠characterisation,
•⁠ ⁠voice,
•⁠ ⁠dialogue,
•⁠ ⁠description,
•⁠ ⁠and point-of-view.
It is frustratingly easy to allow life’s myriad wants and needs to interfere with our writing ambitions. By joining this course, we hope you will be able to gift yourself the permission to write and to read. At Raw Writing, you will be joining a team of dynamic creatives; each eager to share their story with a group of like-minded individuals.

Introduction to Shakespeare
2026-05-06 10:30 - 12:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Exeter Phoenix £285 (Payable in three instalments of £95. Please email carla@rawwriting.co.uk to arrange.)
Wednesday 6th, 13th, 20th May 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th June, 1st July
Introduction to Shakespeare has one simple aim: to help you experience Shakespeare with confidence, understanding and above all enjoyment. Our most famous writer is available in so many forms – on stage or screen, the radio or the page – but where to start? We will discover Shakespeare through performance, by diving into scenes and speeches (and poems) and reading them aloud. We’ll look at technical terms – soliloquy, tragedy, blank verse, sonnet – but we’ll also ask bigger questions: how is this relevant today? How can Shakespeare help me with my life? Ideal for beginners, and
for those who have some experience but would like to refresh and extend their knowledge of the bard of Avon!
Course tutor: Malcolm Hebron studied English at Oxford University, where he took a doctorate in medieval studies. For thirty years he taught English literature at Winchester College, which involved teaching Shakespeare every year up to A Level. His publications include Key Concepts in Renaissance Literature, which covers the history and world of Shakespeare’s time.

Writers' Workshop Course with Trevor Byrne
2026-06-17 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Are you looking for feedback on your writing? Are you keen to become a more analytical reader? Are you eager to spend time discussing your work with others; developing your writer’s toolkit alongside a group of like-minded peers? If so, the Raw Writing Writers Workshop might be right for you!
Over this six-week course, you will have the opportunity to present your work for feedback, while also analysing the writing of your peers. Cultivating the ability to read closely the work of others and give thoughtful, considered feedback is an essential skill for any aspiring writer. On the Writers’ Workshop, we will help you hone this skill; bringing the strengths you take from reading the work of others to your own projects.
As part of the Writers Workshop, you will have the opportunity to share up to 2,500 words from your current writing project twice with the group. Each time you submit, you will have 45 minutes dedicated to discussing the fundamental aspects of your submission:

Plot
Characterisation
Voice
Dialogue
⁠Description
+ Point-of-view

It is frustratingly easy to allow life’s myriad wants and needs to interfere with our writing ambitions. By joining this course, we hope you will be able to gift yourself the permission to write and to read. At Raw Writing, you will be joining a team of dynamic creatives; each eager to share their story with a group of like-minded individuals.

Wednesdays 19.00-20.30
17th, 24th, June, 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd July
Online on Zoom
£270 (Payable in two instalments of £135. Please email carla@rawwriting.co.uk to arrange)

The Psychology of Writing (Tuesday or Saturday)
2026-08-11 17:30 - 2026-08-15 19:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Do you want to write that novel/memoir/short story without anything standing in your way?
This four-week course addresses and helps you to overcome imposter syndrome and that critical inner voice. It will also stop you from comparing yourself with other writers.
I’m going to get you to a place where all your brain space and energy goes into your writing, not managing the obstacles and barriers that eat into your writing time. I’ve worked a lot on overcoming these challenges and want to share with you how I did it. If I hadn’t, I doubt I’d have got a two-book deal with Hachette and become a published author!
Exeter Phoenix
Tuesday 11, 18, 25 Aug and 1 Sept 17.30-19.00
OR
Saturday 15, 22, 29 Aug and 5 Sept 14.00-15.30

The Psychology of Writing (ZOOM)
2026-08-13 19:00 - 2026-08-17 20:30 | ZOOM
Do you want to write that novel/memoir/short story without anything standing in your way?
This four-week course addresses and helps you to overcome imposter syndrome and that critical inner voice. It will also stop you from comparing yourself with other writers.
I’m going to get you to a place where all your brain space and energy goes into your writing, not managing the obstacles and barriers that eat into your writing time. I’ve worked a lot on overcoming these challenges and want to share with you how I did it. If I hadn’t, I doubt I’d have got a two-book deal with Hachette and become a published author!
ZOOM
Thursdays 13th, 20th, 27th Aug and 3rd Sept – 7:00-8.30PM

Raw Reading: The Art of Fiction
2026-09-10 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
This is a reading-based course. Each month we explore a substantial text, normally a novella-length work of about 100 pages. Having read this once – and ideally twice! – we discuss what we can learn from it about the elements that make up literary fiction: plot, character, dialogue, themes, tone, structure, style, context. This is a structured, taught course that will challenge you to read deeply and share your response with a highly motivated group. It’s ideal for writers who want to extend their practice through slow reading of literary texts, and for those who are primarily looking to extend and enrich their reading habits. Readers of all levels welcome.
Zoom
Thursday, 10th September
J L Carr, A Month in the Country. A gentle English pastoral about memory, history, art, love and loss…
Thursday, 8th October
Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha. A spiritual classic on the search for enlightenment.
Thursday, 12th November
Muriel Spark, A Far Cry from Kensington. A roman à clef (a fiction based on real events) in the sharp, concise style for which Spark is famous.
Thursday, 10th December
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. What better way to see in Christmas than by reading Dickens’s classic tale?

Introduction to Poetry
2026-09-15 10:30 - 12:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
This course is designed to build your knowledge and enjoyment of English poetry, and encourage you to find your own poetic voice. We will study a range of poems, from medieval times to the present, and learn about the different forms of verse: sonnet, sestina, villanelle, blank verse, rhyming couplets, and more! Classes are discussion-based, as we share our responses to poems and consider different ways of reading, to appreciate a writer’s meaning and technique. By the end of the course, you should be able to pick up any anthology of English verse with confidence and read it with pleasure! There will be opportunities to write your own poems in response to what we read, and share them with the group.
This course will use The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms as a course book, with some supplementary material.
SESSION TIMES
TUESDAYS – 10.30-12
Sept 15, 22, 29
Oct 6, 13, 20
Nov 3, 10, 17, 24
Dec 1, 8
Jan 12, 19,26
Feb 2, 9, 16

Start Writing Your Novel
2026-09-15 17:30 - 19:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
This six-month course has been designed to increase your writing confidence, help you find your voice, and start writing your novel. You’ll find the beating heart of your story and begin working on your first draft. Through close reading analysis and writing exercises, you’ll learn all about plot, structure, setting, character and voice. There will be opportunities to share your work in progress and receive constructive feedback in a supportive and creative space. We limit the class size to eight people so that everyone gets a good amount of attention.
Part-payment plans can be arranged if you’d like to pay in three instalments.
Wed 05 Aug – £320
Mon 05 Oct – £320
Sat 05 Dec – £320
Please contact carla@rawwriting.co.uk if you’d like to arrange this
SESSION DATES:
5.30pm – 7pm
Sep dates: Tue 15, Tue 22 & Tue 29
Oct dates: Tue 06, Tue 13 & Tue 20
Nov dates: Tue 03, Tue 10, Tue 17 & Tue 24
Dec dates: Tue 01 & Tue 08
Jan dates: Tue 12, Tue 19 & Tue 26
Feb dates: Tue 02, Tue 09 & Tue 16

Writers’ Workshop Course with Trevor Byrne (Monday or Wednesday)
2026-09-16 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Are you looking for feedback on your writing?
Are you keen to become a more analytical reader?
Are you eager to spend time discussing your work with others; developing your writer’s toolkit alongside a group of like-minded peers?
If so, the Raw Writing Writers Workshop might be right for you!
Over this six-month course, you will have the opportunity to present your work for feedback, while also analysing the writing of your peers. Cultivating the ability to read closely the work of others and give thoughtful, considered feedback is an essential skill for any aspiring writer. On the Writers’ Workshop, we will help you hone this skill; bringing the strengths you take from reading the work of others to your own projects.
As part of the Writers Workshop, you will have the opportunity to share up to 2,500 words from your current writing project six times with the group.
Each time you submit, you will have 45 minutes dedicated to discussing the fundamental aspects of your submission:

Plot
Characterisation
Voice
Dialogue
⁠Description
Point-of-view

It is frustratingly easy to allow life’s myriad wants and needs to interfere with our writing ambitions. By joining this course, we hope you will be able to gift yourself the permission to write and to read. At Raw Writing, you will be joining a team of dynamic creatives, each eager to share their story with a group of like-minded individuals.
Mondays 19.00-20.30
Sep dates: 14, 21, 28
Oct dates: 5, 12, 19
Nov dates: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Dec dates: 7
Jan dates: 11, 18, 25
Feb dates: 1, 8, 15
Wednesdays 19.00-20.30
Sep dates: 16, 23, 30
Oct dates: 7, 14, 21
Nov dates: 4, 11, 18, 25
Dec dates:2, 9
Jan dates: 13, 20, 27
Feb dates: 3, 10, 17
Online on Zoom
£960 (Payable in three instalments of £320. Please email carla@rawwriting.co.uk to arrange)

Advanced Memoir Course
2026-09-17 14:00 - 15:30 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
This course is for those who have completed a six-month Raw Writing memoir course previously, or a comparable course.
Part-payment plans can be arranged if you’d like to pay in three instalments.
Wed 05 Aug – £320
Mon 05 Oct – £320
Sat 05 Dec – £320
Please contact carla@rawwriting.co.uk if you’d like to arrange this.
Session Dates
Thursdays 14:00-15:30
Sep dates: Thu 17 & Thu 24
Oct dates: Thu 01, Thu 08, Thu 15 & Thu 22
Nov dates: Thu 05, Thu 12, Thu 19 & Thu 26
Dec dates: Thu 03 & Thu 10
Jan dates: Thu 07, Thu 14, Thu 21 & Thu 28
Feb dates: Thu 04 & Thu 11

Write Your Memoir
2026-09-18 10:30 - 12:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Memoir is no longer the preserve of the rich and famous. We can all write about our lives.
Have you been thinking about writing your memoir for some time? Have you made a start but are now struggling to make progress? Would you like to receive warm support, guidance and inspiration so that you can make headway with your memoir?
Join me on this six-month course where you’ll learn all the key components of memoir writing. Through the study of published memoirs and writing exercises, you’ll learn how to develop your ideas and improve and experiment with your writing style. You’ll find the right structure for your memoir and there will be no holding you back!
Part-payment plans can be arranged if you’d like to pay in three instalments.
Wed 05 Aug – £320
Mon 05 Oct – £320
Sat 05 Dec – £320
Please contact carla@rawwriting.co.uk if you’d like to arrange this.

Session Dates
10.30am – 12pm
Sep dates: Fri 18 & Fri 25
Oct dates: Fri 02, Fri 09, Fri 16 & Fri 23
Nov dates: Fri 06, Fri 13, Fri 20 & Fri 27
Dec dates: Fri 04 & Fri 11
Jan dates: Fri 08, Fri 15, Fri 22 & Fri 29
Feb dates: Fri 05 & Fri 12

Writers’ Workshop Course with Adam Shackleton
2026-09-18 14:00 - 15:30 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Exeter Phoenix
Friday 18th September 14.00-15.30
Are you looking for feedback on your writing?
Are you keen to become a more analytical reader?
Are you eager to spend time discussing your work with others; developing your writer’s toolkit alongside a group of like-minded peers?
If so, the Raw Writing Writers Workshop might be right for you!
Over this six-month course, you will have the opportunity to present your work for feedback, while also analysing the writing of your peers. Cultivating the ability to read closely the work of others and give thoughtful, considered feedback is an essential skill for any aspiring writer. On the Writers’ Workshop, we will help you hone this skill; bringing the strengths you take from reading the work of others to your own projects.
As part of the Writers Workshop, you will have the opportunity to share up to 2,500 words from your current writing project six times with the group.
Each time you submit, you will have 45 minutes dedicated to discussing the fundamental aspects of your submission:

Plot
Characterisation
Voice
Dialogue
⁠Description
Point-of-view

It is frustratingly easy to allow life’s myriad wants and needs to interfere with our writing ambitions. By joining this course, we hope you will be able to gift yourself the permission to write and to read. At Raw Writing, you will be joining a team of dynamic creatives, each eager to share their story with a group of like-minded individuals.

Part-payment plans can be arranged if you’d like to pay in three instalments.
Wed 05 Aug – £320
Mon 05 Oct – £320
Sat 05 Dec – £320
Please contact carla@rawwriting.co.uk if you’d like to arrange this.
Fridays 14.00-15.30
Session Dates
Sep dates: Fri 18 & Fri 25
Oct dates: Fri 02, Fri 09, Fri 16 & Fri 23
Nov dates: Fri 06, Fri 13, Fri 20 & Fri 27
Dec dates: Fri 04 & Fri 11
Jan dates: Fri 08, Fri 15, Fri 22 & Fri 29
Feb dates: Fri 05 & Fri 12
