Just to let you all know, I’m running this one day course in London on 8th June. It will be packed with great writing ideas, and is dead cheap at the price.

What is the course about?

This course will look at examples of constraints created by some of the Oulipo’s main proponents, with work including the Hundred Thousand Billion Sonnets, the Metro Poem, and others. Course participants will have the opportunity to try out several techniques, and invent one or two of their own. In addition, there will be suggestions for further reading.

What will we cover?

- What are creative constraints?
- How does the Oulipo's techniques differ from other approaches to creative writing?
- What are the main techniques employed by Oulipians? We will look at a range of constraints and examples of some of them in use. These will include the lipogram, tautogram, N+7, preverbs and style exercises.
- You will also have the opportunity to try out some techniques and attempt to create your own.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Understand what creative constraints are, and how they can be used in your writing.
- Use several Oulipo techniques as part of your creative writing “toolkit”.
- Know which books to read to further your familiarity with Oulipo writings and techniques.
- Strengthen your discussion and feedback skills.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is an introductory course. No previous knowledge or skills are required. Energy and enthusiasm are more important than writing experience.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

A mix of small group work, group discussion, tutor instruction, analysis tasks and writing tasks. You may be asked to complete a short pre-course questionnaire to help the tutor determine the most suitable level and type of material.

I loved this taster course, and it was enjoyable, inspiring and entertaining! A great course to remove any writing anxieties and just have fun with words, and interesting twists of probability!

• Terry Freedman is a masterpiece. He delivered one of the best courthouses I have been a stuffing on. An engaging roof through workaday with a bit of matricide thrown in. More stump from the wobbler please!

• Terry was fantastic! So glad I took the course and look forward to others with him.

• I joined this course out of sheer curiosity - intrigued about the mystery and eccentricity of Oulipo after I searched for the term online. This course was a delight, and it was so much fun creating ideas and pieces of writing using lots of different techniques, games and twists of probability! I found it a bit like collage or assemblage with words.
  It would be a wonderful course for a writer of any level, to explore how play and experimentation can help you to have words running off the page with minimal anxiety – even if you are nervous about blank pages and where to begin! I actually think the course would be great for creatives of all disciplines because it inspires concepts, titles and much more. Our tutor was wonderful, and very knowledgeable, with a clear passion for the technique. I feel everyone had a chance to engage, share work and ask ample questions! A lot of peer inspiration was shared too, and I loved learning from other students. I’d had quite a stressful week before this course, but within no time I was feeling inspired and having a lot of fun! I had a great, entertaining morning, and in fact I was so motivated I used the technique to create some of my own work after the course itself. I would simply ask for more Oulipo as a longer course - virtual please! Thank you.

That last request has now been granted! The course that person was on was only 2.5 hours long. This new one is five hours long. To book, go here:

Creative writing using constraints