James McCreet
James McCreet is the author of ten novels, four of which have been published. They are: The Incendiary’s Trail (Macmillan, 2009), The Vice Society (Macmillan, 2010), The Thieves’ Labyrinth (Macmillan, 2011) and A Collar for Cerberus (Thistle, 2018). He has also written a guide for first-time novelists, describing the process of research and planning: Before you Write your Novel (Routledge, 2016). He has written crime fiction, historical fiction, satire and contemporary literary fiction.
James is also a long-standing contributor to Writing Magazine, responsible in recent years for the Under the Microscope feature (which analyses the initial page of a reader’s novel) and other articles on the craft or culture of professional writing. His experience draws on a number of years teaching a Master’s degree in Creative Writing at Sheffield Hallam University, on which students were required to write a full-length novel.
In addition to his creative writing, James works as a commercial copywriter. This job involves writing in a variety of styles for businesses and may include such text as: websites, articles, advertising, social media, proposals, interviews, style guides and branding.
He describes his approach to tutoring thus: 'I try to understand what the writer wants to achieve in their work and what effect they want to have on their target readership. Then we work together to produce the best possible reading experience. I like to create a balance between personal expression and the highest standards of craft. Good writing is my goal.'
My own reading tastes tend to be literary, but have little connection with what I write or how I criticise the work of others. We all write according to our interests, experience and ability.
Published novelist, tutor and long-standing WM contributor James McCreet teaches on every course except poetry and scriptwriting.