This exciting course develops connections between the critical study of English Literature and the creative practice of writing in a variety of forms. You will learn to approach texts as both a reader and a writer, discovering links and synergies between these different perspectives. Through critical knowledge and practical experience, you will learn how to write in several genres, including the novel, the short story, travel writing, writing for performance, writing for young adults, screenwriting and poetry. Literary study enables you to understand background and context as well as the new possibilities available to the contemporary writer. The final year dissertation offers the opportunity to specialize in an area of your choice. You will read widely to support both your literary study and your own writing, developing broad tastes and interests that will sustain your writing in the long term. Talks and performances by writers, publishers and editors help you to see your writing in the context of the wider literary culture in Wales and beyond.