MLitt Creative WritingJade Mitchell

Creative Writing student Jade Mitchell
The MLitt really gives you the flexibility to experiment in writing across form and genre if you wish, or you can focus solely on your specialism for a whole year...I found this to be a freeing aspect of the course – that your vision as a writer was taken seriously and you had choice and freedom in what you were writing, as well as being given the room to experiment and play.
Jade Mitchell, MLitt Creative Writing

Jade is a graduate from the MLitt Creative Writing programme at the University of Strathclyde 

Tell us a little bit about your background...

I started out as a poet primarily through performing at open mic nights in and around Glasgow, as well as feature nights like Poetry at Inn Deep and Loud Poets (which is now based in Edinburgh at the Scottish Storytelling Centre). I also participated and competed in UniSlam, a literary festival for universities across the UK, where teams of poets compete in a poetry slam, whilst participating in workshops and networking with other poets. During this time, I was also studying Creative Writing, Journalism and English Literature as an undergraduate at Strathclyde, and during my final year dissertation, I wrote ekphrastic poetry about the creative works of performance artist, Marina Abramović. 

What drew you towards undertaking the Masters in Creative Writing?

I decided to undertake the MLitt in Creative Writing as I wanted to rekindle my relationship with writing after a period of writer’s block. I wanted to dedicate time and energy in learning about writing craft, and ultimately have fun in creating new work, which is something I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to do.

Tell us about the format of the programme. What was a typical week like? 

A typical week during a semester was two days of classes, with the rest of the week freed up to write, read, or in my case, work.

Some highlights for me were meeting and befriending other writers, as well as reading their work. I really felt a sense of togetherness with everyone on the course. Our writing improved and strengthened as the course went on, through being able to share feedback and learn from one another. Furthermore, the staff on the Creative Writing team were incredibly helpful and enthusiastic. They really wanted you to get as much out of the programme as possible and were very encouraging and excited about the work you were making.

Some highlights of the programme for me were the Shape of Stories classes, where you studied the form and functionality of storytelling, as well as gaining a practical understanding of storytelling structures. I found the Made Project to be an incredibly experimental class, where you designed and created your own project — for example, I created an interactive fiction game. I hadn’t considered the medium before and found the experience of creating the game to be really challenging and engaging. 

For those who don't know what kind of support you might get, can you give us an idea how you've developed as a writer on the course?

Prior to starting the MLitt, I wrote poetry, but was interested in exploring other mediums of writing. During my time on the course, I ended up exclusively writing short fiction, which I consider a huge development in my writing career, as it’s now a medium I’m invested in writing in long-term. 

The MLitt really gives you the flexibility to experiment in writing across form and genre if you wish, or you can focus solely on your specialism for a whole year. I prioritised experimenting with writing short fiction, but others in my class worked on chapters for their debut novels, or scenes for screenplays. I found this to be a freeing aspect of the course – that your vision as a writer was taken seriously and you had choice and freedom in what you were writing, as well as being given the room to experiment and play. Furthermore, the Major Project / Dissertation element of the MLitt really allowed you to invest in an idea and realise it into a fully formed project. The additional support I received from my supervisor was incredibly encouraging, thought-provoking, and outright fun. 

You won the Brian Hamill Common Breath Prize through writing short stories on the MLitt in Creative Writing. Can you tell us, what kind of stories did you develop on the course?

I experimented in writing science fiction and horror stories in my initial assignments on the course, looking at subjects like artificial intelligence, agoraphobia, and haunted houses. For my Major Project, I ended up developing a series of stories that explored the surrealist and absurdist possibilities of one woman’s parallel lives: in one story Jessica is married to a worm. In another, she is a stressball, or trapped in a fairytale, or falling in love with a vending machine. I wanted to imbue a sense of play in these stories - in trying to tap into what makes writing fun, exciting and emotionally engaging for both myself and a potential readership.

What are your hopes for the future?

My hopes are to continue writing new stories, to dive deeper into Glasgow’s rich writing community, to seek out opportunities that help me develop my writing practice, and to build towards publishing my first short story collection.

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for this degree?

My advice would be that if you’re interested in exploring and experimenting with form and genre or wanting dedicated time to flesh out an idea you’ve had burning in your back pocket, then go for it, have fun and be open to the experience of making.