Rachel Marsh's Blog › Shortbread's Writing Course:…

Shortbread's Writing Course: A No Brainer...

Published 8 months ago

Okay, it's time for me to be a bit gauche, pedestrian, uncouth, tacky and down right uncivilised. It's time to talk about the white elephant in the room, the subject everyone avoids -- money. Or, more specifically, the cost of the Shortbread in Spain course.

The course is £400, and includes fees and materials, room (sharing), board, airport transfer, and a lot of wine. Plus, just have a look at the location. All you have to pay for is flights, and (if you're an EU resident) a Ryan Air flight will do just fine, making the total around £500.

£500 may sound like a lot of money. In fact, £500 is my rent for the month. But let me compare it to other writing courses.

The Arvon Foundation, for instance, can cost £575 for a residential course, and the creative writing courses at the Groucho Club in Soho can cost up to £325. £325 may sound like a steal, but if you don’t live in London, food and accommodation will need to be added to the total. Or, you could opt for the Faber and Faber writing programme which can cost a massive £3,500. Don't get me wrong, these are all well-known and valuable courses, they're simply quite pricy.

But perhaps, these comparisons aren't fair. All three of the mentioned programmes take place in Britain, and they don't exactly have the exotic feel of a writing holiday abroad. So, let's compare the Shortbread Spain course to other holidays.

A quick search on Thomas Cook will display a Spanish holiday package including hotel, flights and airport transfer, all for as low as £289. This sounds like a £211 savings to the Shortbread course, but the Thomas Cook package does not include food, the course fees or the camaraderie you get from an intimate writing course.

Perhaps a more accurate comparison may be with other similar creative writing holidays abroad. A quick scoot around the internet (www.writers-circles.com) found creative writing courses in Spain for €735 (£485), £695, and £800. Additionally, not all courses include meals, and some of the residential programmes require that you book for a month.

Essentially, none of these situations measure up to the value for money you get with the Shortbread in Spain course. Granted, you could find some dirt-cheap writing classes abroad, but they won’t necessarily be backed by named authors like the Pilchers or be part of a community like Shortbread.

So, if you’re looking for a holiday, and you’re looking to take a writing class, and you’re hoping to get away this autumn, then Shortbread in Spain is really a no-brainer.

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