Are you a writer looking for your big break? Or a creative writing tutor committed to offering innovative and accessible guidance?
With so much competition for agents and publishers, prizes offer a great way for talented writers to catch their eye. To celebrate the W&A Working-Class Writers’ Prize 2025 (sponsored by the Society of Authors, the Ruppin Agency and the Open University) now being open for submissions, and also the recent publication of the Open University’s A Creative Writing Handbook: Developing Dramatic Technique, Individual Style and Voice, we’ve gathered an impressive line-up of speakers to present an evening of advice, insight and practical exercises on how to put your best foot forward when it comes to entering writing competitions.
We’ll send you away with a pamphlet of excerpts from A Creative Writing Handbook and writing tips and activities to help you develop your submission to the W&A Working-Class Writers’ Prize – or any other award.
7:00-7:20: The evolution of creative writing
Lead editor of A Creative Writing Handbook, Emma Claire Sweeney of the OU, talks with Carys Bray, former OU student turned award-winning author, about why the new edition is needed and how she and her team have gone about making the guide as helpful as possible for modern writers.
7:20-8.05: Coming up with a winning idea & crafting that killer opening
Award-winning OU authors, Lania Knight and Joanne Reardon, will work with Orange Prize-shortlisted novelist Jill Dawson and Costa Award-shortlisted author Louise Doughty to show you how it’s done.
8.05-8.15: Six tips to win over literary prize judges
Jonathan Ruppin of The Ruppin Agency, which will be offering the winner an all-expenses-paid 5-day Little Goat Barn writing retreat in North Wales, shows you how to be a contender by sharing what he’s learned from judging numerous literary awards.
8:15-8:30: Q&A with the team
Our panel will answer your questions about writing a prizewinner, studying Creative Writing at the OU, and how to be the best writer you can.
All attendees will be able to purchase a copy of A Creative Writing Handbook: Developing Dramatic Technique, Individual Style and Voice at a discounted rate.
Please note that all proceeds from this £1 masterclass will go into our bursary pot.
Award-winning author, Carys Bray, studied Creative Writing modules at The Open University as part of her Literature degree. Her debut short-story collection Sweet Home won the Scott prize and her first novel A Song for Issy Bradley was shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards and the Desmond Elliott Prize. It won the Utah Book Award and the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and was selected for the 2015 Richard and Judy Summer Book Club. Her second novel The Museum of You was published in 2016 and her third novel When the Lights Go Out was published in 2020 and was one of the Times best paperbacks of 2021. Carys was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023 and she is an RLF Fellow.
Jill Dawson is the author of eleven novels published by Sceptre, including Fred and Edie, which was shortlisted for both the Whitbread and Orange prizes, as well as The Great Lover (about the poet Rupert Brooke) and The Crime Writer (the story of Patricia Highsmith's brief sojourn in England). She’s also won Fiction Uncovered, East Anglian Fiction, and East Anglian Book of the Year awards. Jill has an exceptional track record in discovering, nurturing and supporting new writers. She is the founder of Gold Dust Mentoring for writers. Her forthcoming novel, Pixie, to be published by Bloomsbury is set to release in March 2026. You can pre-order here.
Photo credit: Joanne Coates
Louise Doughty, a judge for the 2008 Man Booker Prize, is the author of ten novels. Crazy Paving was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and Whatever You Love was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and longlisted for the Orange Prize. Apple Tree Yard, which has been published into twenty-four languages, was adapted as major drama series for television, as was Platform Seven. Her non-fiction book, A Novel in a Year, was based on Louise’s column in the Daily Telegraph. Her debut memoir, On This Spot Fell One Tear of Love, will be published by Phoenix this summer. You can pre-order here.
Lania Knight writes poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Her first novel was a finalist for the Lambda Award in Debut Fiction and her poem Susurration was shortlisted for the Rattle Poetry Prize. Her most recent book is a collection of essays, There Is Fire Here. She was born in New Orleans, left home on a motorbike at sixteen, and moved to the UK after receiving her PhD from the University of Missouri. When she's not writing, she might be foraging, crocheting or planning her next adventure. Find her on social media as @laniaknight
Joanne Reardon is a novelist and senior lecturer in creative writing at the OU. Her novel, The Weight of Bones was shortlisted for the Cinnamon Press Debut Novel Award, and published by Cinnamon in 2020. Publications include limited editions from collaborating with artists on site specific installations including the novella, Still Life with Blackbirds, published by Artists Choice Editions with Cirencester’s Corinium Museum. She’s had plays produced by BBC Radio Drama and holds an MA in Creative Writing from UEA. She was also a producer with BBC Radio Drama and Literary Manager at the Bush Theatre and National Theatre in London.
Jonathan Ruppin is director of the Ruppin Agency, which offers writing retreats in North Wales as well as mentoring and other coaching services for writers. He is a former literary agent with over 30 years of industry experience. As an agent, every novel sold was nominated for awards, with wins including the Portico Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award. He has worked with English PEN, the Booker Prize Foundation, and New Books in German, and served as a judge for numerous awards including the Costa Novel Award, Geoffrey Faber Prize and Romantic Novelists’ Association awards.
Emma Claire Sweeney is an award-winning author and senior lecturer at the Open University. Her novel Owl Song at Dawn won Nudge Book of the Year, and her biography A Secret Sisterhood: The Hidden Friendships of Austen, Brontë, Eliot and Woolf, which she co-authored with her own friend Emily Midorikawa, received praise from Margaret Atwood for its contributions to literary history. Emma’s work has appeared in the likes of TIME, The Paris Review, and The Washington Post, and she has won Society of Authors, Arts Council England, and Royal Literary Fund awards.
The workshop fee of £1 (incl. VAT) is payable in full online.
This is a live online event which will be presented using video conferencing software. Joining instructions and full guidance will be provided by the W&A Team a week before the event start-date. Please note, all event timings are in UK time.
To view our event refund and cancellation policy, please click here.
Accessible to All
- It’s of real importance to Writers & Artists that our events and courses remain accessible to all.
- Payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on [email protected] so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you.
- At the speaker's discretion, event materials will be made available to attendees after the masterclass.
- A link to a recording of the masterclass will be circulated after the event. This will be made available to event attendees only, and for a time-limited period.
- If you'd like to receive a transcript of the session, please do let us know and we can circulate following the session.
- This event will include written text and visuals. Please contact us in advance so that we can make arrangements to be sure all documents appear in a format that works for you.
- If you’d like to attend but have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, then please email [email protected]
Study Creative Writing with The Open University
The OU’s Creative Writing modules and qualifications have attracted over 50,000 students since 2003, and our course materials have been praised by publishers, leading authors, and teachers in other universities.
For more information on how Creative Writing is taught at the OU, follow this link. If you are interested in studying undergraduate or MA modules in Creative Writing, click here.
Mentoring and Retreats with The Ruppin Agency
To learn more about The Ruppin Agency’s mentoring services, manuscript and submission package assessments, or Little Goat Barn retreats, follow this link.
