This course has been postponed in light of the coronavirus situation, but you can express your interest in attending and you'll be updated when tickets are back on sale.

Book the series ticket and save over £75.

Explore the editing process, learning the value of an analytical approach to your writing, with Professor Jem Poster and Dr Sarah Burton of the University of Cambridge creative writing programme

How do we prepare our story or the reader? Why is editing so important? How can we train ourselves to write with precision from the earliest possible stage in the development of our work?

Writers work in different ways; some like to work fast on early drafts, while others prefer taking their time, working meticulously from the outset. But however you work, you will need at some stage to address the detail of your writing, ensuring that your narrative is as well presented as you can make it.

Through a combination of practical exercises and discussion, you shall examine strategies for effective editing, and will come away with an understanding of the value of the editing process. You will learn how to edit your own work effectively, and the importance of early-stage editing.

This masterclass is suitable for all aspiring fiction writers, from beginners seeking guidance to more experienced writers wanting to sharpen and energise their practise. It is part of our workshop series with Professor Jem Poster and Dr Sarah Burton, founders and former leaders of the master’s degree course in creative writing at the University of Cambridge.

Book the series ticket and save over £75.

Course content

The importance of editing
The art of effective editing
When to get down to detail

Tutor profiles

Jem Poster is the author of two novels – Courting Shadows and Rifling Paradise – as well as a collection of poetry, Brought to Light. He has also recently completed Volume 3 of the six-volume series, Edward Thomas: Prose Writings. He has won major prizes in the Cardiff International Poetry and the Peterloo Poets Open Poetry competitions. He is emeritus professor of creative writing at Aberystwyth University, and has been chair of the editorial board of New Welsh Review and programme advisor to the Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education’s MSt in creative writing. He is currently director of the institute’s international summer programme in creative writing and is an affiliated lecturer of the institute. He is director of academic programmes for the Financial Times Oxford Literary Festival and in 2014 was writer in residence at Arizona State University.

Sarah Burton was founder of the creative writing MSt at Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education and was its director from 2013 to 2017. Her publications include two critically acclaimed biographies, Impostors: Six Kinds of Liar and A Double Life: A Biography of Charles and Mary Lamb, which was shortlisted for the Mind Book of the Year award; a children’s book, The Miracle in Bethlehem: A Storyteller’s Tale; a page-to-stage guide, How to Put on a Community Play; and the humorous Complete and Utter History of the World By Samuel Stewart, Aged 9.

This course has been postponed in light of the coronavirus situation, but you can express your interest in attending and you'll be updated when tickets are back on sale.

All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible but please contact us at masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have any queries or concerns.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website

Editing: A masterclass with Cambridge University’s creative writing tutors