Writing The Unexpected

Level - Intermediate - not suitable for beginners.

If you are a beginner please see our introductory to poetry course.

If you would like to bring a new dimension to your poems then this course is for you.

You are introduced to a variety of approaches and techniques, with examples drawn from many different poets, to give you an insight in to how you can bring the unexpected in to your own work.

You are given exercises in each module so you can try the concepts being studied. And finally, you will have the chance to send in 120 lines of poetry for assessment by your tutor, Mandy Pannett.

For the duration of your course you will have access to The Writers Bureau's Writers' Community and free Zoom sessions where you can meet other writers and poets as well as ask questions.

This course is ideal for poets looking for a way to develop their poems in new and exciting ways. You have your course on seven-day trial and two months from the date you enrol to send in your assignment. Your course materials are available as soon as your payment has been successful. Enrol today.

Course Tutor

Mandy Pannett

Mandy Pannett lives in West Sussex. She taught children with special needs for many years but now works freelance as a creative writing tutor for adults.

Her poetry pamphlet ‘The Daedalus Files’ was published by SPM Publications in 2021. Five poetry collections have been previously published: ‘Bee Purple’ and ‘Frost Hollow’ (Oversteps Books), ‘Allotments in the Orbital’ (Searle Publishing), ‘All the Invisibles’ (SPM Publications), ‘Jongleur in the Courtyard’ (Indigo Dreams Publishing). A selection of her poems, ‘Ladders of Glass’, was issued by Integral Contemporary Literature Press with English and Romanian parallel texts.

She enjoys writing short fiction as well and two years ago won a national competition for Vignette writing. She has also judged competitions for Flash Fiction. Two novellas have been published by Independent Presses: ‘The Onion Stone’ (Pewter Rose Press) and ‘The Wulf Enigma’ (Circaidy Gregory Press).

Mandy was also poetry editor for five years for Sentinel Literary Quarterly and has edited anthologies and poetry collections for them and for Earlyworks Press. She has acted as an adjudicator for national competitions and won prizes and been placed herself in several others.

For the last eighteen months she has been collaborating with artist Polly Dutton and musicians Terry Pack and The Full Circle Quartet on ‘The South Downs Suite’, a poetry/music/art project inspired by the South Downs. The Suite is currently being performed at several venues in the area and a book of all the art work and poetry is on sale at events and in galleries and museums.

Course curriculum

    1. Writing the Unexpected - what to expect!

    2. Mandy Pannett - Course Author & Tutor

    1. Study Tips

    1. Defamiliarisation, shapeshifting, transformation and alternative versions.

    1. Juxtaposition, extended metaphors, John Donne and contemporary Metaphysical poets.

    1. Layering, qualities of words, mixing the senses and exploring the strange and surreal.

    1. Imagism, leaping and associative poetry, the Deep Image Movement, Robert Bly and James Wright.

About this course

  • £74.00
  • 1 Tutor-marked Assignment
  • 7-day Trial
  • Time-limit: 2 Months

Skills & Equipment Needed To Take A Course

  • Suitable for poets with some experience

    This course is NOT suitable for beginners

  • Computer

    You'll need access to a laptop or computer with word processing facilities and internet connection.

  • Typing

    You don’t need to be able to touch type; plenty of people get along fine with just two fingers.

  • Receive Email

    Notifications of when your assignments have been marked and community events are sent to you by email.

Learn how to bring the unexpected into your poems.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

1. The Writers Bureau Pledge: For the fees quoted The Writers Bureau will supply the full course and all the services described on our website. 


2. Course Cancellation: If you wish to cancel your course you must let us know within 7-days of enrolling on your course for a full refund providing you have not submitted an assignment. Submission of an assignment commits you to the course. Course cancellations after the initial trial period are at The Writers Bureau’s discretion and will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

 

3. Time Limit: This agreement lasts for two months. If you wish to extend your studies beyond this time, an extra charge will be made for administration, assessment of assignments, access to the online course materials and community.

 

4. Copyright: This course is protected by copyright. You agree not to copy, reproduce or broadcast the course or part of the course and not to allow any other person to read or use the course or any portion of it nor offer it for re-sale in any way whatsoever.

 

5.  The Writers Bureau’s Rights: The Writers Bureau reserves the right to refuse to accept any applications for enrolment. We also reserve the right to discontinue the course or tuition for any student if they become abusive in any way.


6. Writers' Bureau Community and Zoom sessions: You agree to abide by the guidelines set out here when you participate in the community and Zoom sessions,

 

7. Your Data Rights: The Writers Bureau do not share your information with any other person or organisation except as required by UK law. All reasonable precautions are taken to prevent unauthorised access to this information. This safeguard may require you to provide additional forms of identity should you wish to obtain information about your account details. You can have the information The Writers Bureau holds corrected or deleted at any time. Please address your requests and/or queries to our offices in Manchester.

 

Where Your Data Is Stored: We use Spotler as our emailing system and your details are stored therein. We use Stripe to process your card payments so your details are stored therein. Your details and progress through your course are stored on our internal database.   When you are given access to the online course materials your name and email address will be stored on our website. Please see our Cookie and Privacy Policy on our website for full information on how we track your use of the website.