Welcome to Pebble Beach Writing.
We offer workshops, one-to-one tuition and mentoring for creative writers of all levels and experience. Among our participants are new writers trying out their first ideas on the page and published authors who want support and feedback as they develop their work.
Our main tutor, Susanna Jones, has over thirty years' teaching experience and was the main fiction tutor on the Creative Writing MA at Royal Holloway University of London for fourteen years. She has also taught at the University of Exeter and has tutored courses for the Arvon Foundation.
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Classes are held in Brighton and Hove or online.
A new Writing a Novel course (6 weeks + one-to-one tutorial) will start on Monday March 13th, 7.15–9pm in Hove. Find out more.
New dates for the Advanced Fiction Workshop summer term (Tuesday evenings/Saturday mornings) will be announced soon.
Sign up for our newsletter below for the latest news and announcements.
Online Craft and Technique Sessions
Monday's online sessions will be back in summer 2023!
These one-hour writing sessions will focus on aspects of craft and technique.
The sessions are suitable for writers of all levels. You can use the prompts and exercises to write something brand new or to develop work in progress.
One-to-one Mentoring and Tuition
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One-off or a series of sessions for writers of all levels.
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Beginners' tuition package of 5 sessions, including prompts and ideas to get you started.
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Editorial and developmental feedback on your novel.
Get in touch to find out more.
About us
Pebble Beach Writing is run by Susanna Jones, the author of several novels, including The Earthquake Bird, Water Lily, The Missing Person's Guide to Love and When Nights Were Cold. She is currently writing for film.
Susanna has been teaching for more than thirty years. From 2005 to 2018 she was the main fiction tutor on the MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway University of London. Many of her former students have gone on to publish novels and win awards. She has taught and mentored writers of all levels, from beginners to PhD students.
Susanna will be joined soon by other published authors, all of whom have extensive teaching experience, to offer sessions in different genres and forms.
TESTIMONIALS
'One of the things that made this course so enjoyable was Susanna's enthusiasm for us, her students, and our work. She clearly loves teaching - and is brilliant at pin-pointing what a piece of writing is trying to do, as well as suggesting how to do it. She is entirely undogmatic about how to approach writing. She really listens and gives intelligent but non-prescriptive responses. Every session was thought-provoking and stimulating and really specific about how and what works in fiction.'
Kate E
'I felt a little ambivalent about joining an online writing course but it turned out to have been such a good move. Somehow I found it easier to focus, not harder, and the fact that I could simply continue with what I was writing the moment the class finished made for some very productive Sunday evenings. Susanna is just lovely. She has a knack for nudging you gently towards fresh perspectives, different angles. In just a few sessions I found myself thinking very differently about what I was writing, what I could be writing, and why. Not at all what I’d expected!'
Jo O
'Susanna's artful teaching method helps you get those words down on paper with no pain or shame. Inspiring!'
Madeleine C
'Susanna is a brilliant creative writing teacher and mentor who is now mentoring me through my second book. She has that rare capacity to pinpoint exactly what works and doesn’t work in a piece of writing, and why. Whether you need help with overall structure and direction, or a close critical reading with a scrupulous editor’s eye, she will give you the best possible support to transform your writing.'
Hilary S
'Susanna was my tutor on the MA and I looked forward to her classes every week. Her feedback was always spot on and encouraged me to reflect on my writing in new ways and dig a little deeper. Susanna is one of those rare breeds of people who both excels at her craft but is also able to pass on her knowledge and years of experience in an engaging way. She is just a brilliant tutor and I can't recommend her highly enough.'
Nora G
'Susanna Jones was an outstanding lecturer on my MA course in creative writing – her books were one of the reasons that I chose the course. She provided clear and helpful teaching on how to produce the best writing, together with incisive critical feedback. Being such a talented author herself gave her a unique insight into the most effective ways to encourage budding writers. I have no doubt that my work measurably improved as a result of her efforts.'
David B
'I’d like to tell you how much your Creative Writing workshops meant to me. Your guidance encouraged me to think as well as to enjoy writing and we had fun too! Thank you so much, Susanna.'
Liz K
I find it difficult to start, to pick up that one simple thing that can propel me into the creative flow. The 60-minute sessions I did last December were enjoyable, useful, and left me with material to develop into a couple of short stories - and a poem that was published.
Denisa P