Lily Barkhordar
Looking for a career change after the birth of her daughter, Lily Barkhordar found the Diploma in Creative Writing gave her the confidence and the direction to seriously pursue a career as a children’s author.
‘I live in London with my husband, our dog and our daughter, both four years old and equally mischievous. I spend my time writing and thinking about writing while holding tea parties for unicorns and hiding vegetables in pasta.
‘When I was pregnant with my daughter all I could think about was ways to avoid returning to my career in consultancy and so decided to write a romance novel (not as easy as I’d foolishly imagined). This failed experiment led me to take a few short writing courses with CityLit and Curtis Brown Creative, which I enjoyed immensely. The Diploma in Creative Writing at Oxford was the perfect next step as it was at a much higher level than my previous courses but still less intense (and less expensive) than a Master’s.
‘There are so many experiences and projects that stand out for me, but the absolute best moment was meeting my cohort in person for the first time at the summer school. It was a wonderful two weeks and the bond we formed with each other strengthened so much in this time so that our feedback to each other in year two was even deeper and more insightful. In fact, we enjoyed our summer school so much that we’re all heading off together for a self-declared “writing retreat” in Italy next month, something we hope will become an annual tradition!
‘The mix of modules was a huge challenge, as someone who is comfortable with prose (and only prose) I found the poetry modules especially intimidating. Despite working at a much lower level than my peers in this area and struggling with an inability to “get it”, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I gained in my prose writing from being pushed to engage with a medium that I’m not comfortable with.
‘This course has given me the practical knowledge, the confidence and the direction to seriously pursue a career as a children’s author. When I began, I wasn’t sure who I was as a writer or what I wanted from a career in writing. I now feel that I have the answers to these questions set in my heart like a guiding star, which as you can imagine is both a huge relief and hugely motivating.
‘Anyone with an open mind and an interest in writing should choose this course. There is so much to gain and it really is the case that the more you put in, the more you’ll get back!’