Faber Academy

Sarfraz Manzoor reflects on his journey to becoming a writer and the creation of his Faber Academy course on writing for the media: Show and Tell: Writing for Newspapers, Magazines and Online Media. 📰

Writing for the Media | Sarfraz Manzoor | Reading Room | Faber Academy Sarfraz Manzoor reflects on his journey to becoming a writer and the creation of his Faber Academy course on writing for the media: Show and Tell (...and Sell).

'For writers, the Five Day Short Story is an exhilarating dive into the mysteries of short fiction. How did the ‘greats’ achieve mastery? How can their techniques light the way for the tale that each participant will tell by the end of the week?

For me, the tutor, as I lead discussions and insights into the stories selected as models of the form, there’s the constant question: from among the myriad of narratives shouting for inclusion, how to choose the most potent five?'

Read Shelley Weiner's reflections on curating the best short stories for participants in her Five Day Short Story course: faberacademy.com/reading-room/features/five-days-five-stories-shelley-weiner-on-curating-the-best-short-fiction-for-writers/

A new iteration of The Five Day Short Story starts next Monday. Sign up now to master the art of the short story in one intense week.

Thinking about writing a novel? ✍️ Don’t miss your chance to join our free Writing a Novel taster sessions and webinar this summer, in London, Newcastle and online.

📅 Bookings open tomorrow, but places are limited – last year’s events sold out within an hour! Newsletter subscribers will receive the booking links as soon as they go live, so be sure to sign up via our website to be the first to secure your place. 💌

Congratulations to Faber Academy graduate Rebecca Murphy on her competition win! 🎉 Rebecca previously studied on our Finish Your Draft course.

We’re delighted to be welcoming acclaimed novelist Sarah Moss to Faber Academy next month for Writing Places – a new five-day course exploring the art of place in writing.

Join Sarah as you explore and write your way through Hatton Garden and its surroundings – from the grandeur of St Bartholomew the Great to the everyday bustle of Farringdon Station. Mornings will be spent on location; afternoons at Hatton Garden will focus on writing, reflection and group discussion.

Perfect for fiction writers, memoirists and poets looking to sharpen their craft through setting.

faberacademy.com/product/writing-places-30-june-2025/

'What makes a perfect short story? How can one produce a piece of short fiction with precision and control – and a compelling narrative at its heart?'

Get started on your short story with these five essential tips from Shelley Weiner, acclaimed novelist, writer, journalist and Faber Academy tutor.

✏ Know every character in your story, everything about them. What does each one of them want? What will they do in order to get it?

✏ Be ruthless. Make something happen to your main character that will put him or her to the test. This will help your reader to care about the outcome, which is vital, even in the quietest and most reflective tale.

✏ Make your opening as close as possible to the ending. Constricting the time frame can strengthen your story.

✏ If you’re feeling inhibited (and we all know about the critical inner voice that undermines our creativity) perhaps try writing your story as though it’s addressed to a friend who shares your sensibilities – and your sense of humour. It’s a trick to set you free and might help with the flow.

✏ Remember that in a short story every word counts; every sentence should advance the narrative. Don’t waste a single comma or distract your reader’s attention with an ill-conceived metaphor or an irrelevant piece of purple prose.

Ready to write your own short story? Join us for The Five Day Short Story in London this July. Or, if you're further afield, join us for Less is More: Starting to Write Short Stories online with Jane Rogers this September.

faberacademy.com/creative-writing-courses/short-story-writing-courses/

We caught up with Faber Academy graduate Kingsley Pearson to talk about the journey to his debut novel, Flat 401 – a tense, character-driven thriller soon to be published by Orion.

Kingsley shares how our Kickstart Your Novel course helped shape the book, how his background as a clinical psychologist influences his writing and his top tips for building tension in fiction:

⚡ Raise the stakes
⚡ Keep characters in conflict
⚡ Layer in secrets
⚡ Use setting to amplify tension
⚡ Ask a central question that drives the story

Read the full interview 👇

faberacademy.com/reading-room/features/alumni-interview-kingsley-pearson/

Ahead of next week's Writing for Children course at Faber Academy, we asked course tutor and award-winning author Andy Stanton to share a few pointers on how to write for children. 📚

Here's his number one rule for any type of writing:

'Get to the end of the first draft. It doesn’t much matter how flawed or problematic or patchy it seems to you. Just ‘win ugly’, as they say in sports, and get that first version down on the page.'

Writing for Children with Andy Stanton begins in London on 24 April.

faberacademy.com/reading-room/writing-for-children-andy-stantons-top-five-tips/

🌞 Introducing the Writing a Novel Summer School 🌞

Re-immerse yourself in the craft of the novel and continue – or rediscover – the momentum and camaraderie of our world-famous course. Open to graduates of Writing a Novel & select advanced courses.

faberacademy.com/product/writing-a-novel-summer-school-2-july-2025/

Happy publication day to Faber Academy graduate Sarah Harman! 🎉

All The Other Mothers Hate Me is out now with 4th Estate Books. 🩷❤️🪩

Sarah previously studied on our flagship Writing a Novel course. Read an interview with her on our site where we discuss her time at Faber Academy, the inspiration behind her debut novel and what it’s like adapting it for FX alongside the creators of The Bear.

faberacademy.com/reading-room/features/alumni-interview-sarah-harman/

Will you be joining us for one of our spring courses? 🌸

We’ve got limited availability left – here’s a look at what’s coming up:

🖋️ Writing a Novel (Online) – Starts 28 Apr, apply by 13 Apr
📖 Memoir and Life Writing (Online) – Starts 17 Apr
📚 Writing Fiction (London, Daytime) – Starts 23 Apr LAST FEW PLACES
✍️ Writing Fiction (London, Evening) – Starts 23 Apr SOLD OUT
🌟 Getting Started: Beginners' Fiction (London) – Starts 23 Apr LAST FEW PLACES
📝 Writing Poems (London) – Starts 24 Apr
📰 Show and Tell: Writing for Newspapers, Magazines and Online Media (London) – Starts 24 Apr LAST FEW PLACES
🎈 Writing for Children – London: Starts 24 Apr, Newcastle: Starts 1 May
👻 Writing Darkness: Horror, Mystery & Suspense (Online) – Starts 28 Apr
🎭 The Salon: Developing Your Poetry (Online) – Starts 28 Apr SOLD OUT
📓 Writing Memoir (London) – Starts 29 Apr
🚶‍♂️ The Writers' Path: Writing and Walking (London) – 31 May
📅 The One Day Short Story (Online) – 21 Jun
🚀 Kickstart Your Novel (Online) – Starts 23 Jun
🌱 Getting Started: Beginners' Fiction (Online) – Starts 23 Jun
🌍 Writing Places (London) – Starts 30 Jun

You can also join us for one of our shorter Start to Write workshops, a Masterclass or enjoy some focused writing time at an upcoming Writing Evening.

See all courses: faberacademy.com/product-category/courses/

Patti Miller explores the quiet wonder of everyday marvels – those unexpected moments that stop us in our tracks, in this beautiful piece for The Guardian. You can gain more of her insights in our Start Your Memoir course, which she’ll be teaching later this year.

theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/06/will-you-look-at-that-why-we-are-delighted-by-random-beautiful-marvels