Information About Stephen - Southampton teacher -

(4 reviews)

Personal Description:

My name is Stephen and I am an author who has published four novels to date: Toy Soldiers, Missing Joe and Meet Me Under The Westway and No More Heroes. Away from fiction, I have written articles for a variety of publications, including the Observer, the Voice and Arena Magazine. In 2004 I was the recipient of a Hawthornden Fellowship and an Arts Council Bursary for New Writing. Between 2006 and 2010, whilst living in Edinburgh, I was a regular book reviewer for the Scotsman.

Teaching Experience:

I have lectured in Creative Writing at a variety of educational establishments, including Birkbeck College, the University of Edinburgh, Kensington and Chelsea College of Further Education, City Lit, Westminster Education Institute and the Arvon Foundation. I am currently Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at The University of Winchester.

Teaching Approach:

My approach to the business of writing is quite simple: I encourage my students to write as often and as much as possible. I believe the way to get better at writing is to write. Once I have given an assignment and a deadline, the rest is up to the student, but if for some reason they find that they are unable to complete the work on time, I always do my very best to help them through any difficulties or blocks they may be experiencing with gentle advice and encouragement. I like to make myself available to them so that they benefit from all my years of experience.

Advice and encouragement. They sound simple but in writing they go a long way. As to the craft of writing, the nuts and bolts as it were, I am happy to work alongside the student to analyse and assess a piece of work and give pointers and feedback on how to improve it. I like to get my hands dirty. I am very much a line-for-line editor and I find that most of my students prefer this hands-on approach.