Creative Writing in Literary London

Walking through London, you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time. The buzz of the modern city dims as your guide highlights its historical remnants—Victorian architecture, narrow cobblestone streets, gas lamps, and hidden alleyways. This is Dickens’ London, where the settings and characters of his immortal stories came to life—Ebenezer Scrooge haunting the foggy streets near Temple Court, Oliver Twist wandering down Hatton Garden, and David Copperfield exploring the Strand. 

You and your friends are enraptured as you listen to dramatic readings of Dickens’ works against the gritty charm of the city that inspired him. Observing modern-day Londoners, you start to imagine characters of your own, picturing how Dickens might have written them today. The unique blend of old and new sparks conversations about how writers draw from their surroundings. 

You excitedly bounce ideas off each other, swapping stories of quirky characters and intriguing settings from your own hometowns. Reflecting on how amazing it is to be part of a young writers’ group, you leave ready to explore untold stories in your own backyard.

"I envy you going to Oxford. It is the most flower-like time of one's life. One sees the shadow of things in silver mirrors," wrote Oscar Wilde (Letters, 1962). Now, it is you that wanders Oxford, 'the city of dreaming spires.' The morning mist lifts to reveal ivy-clad walls, stone archways, and the Radcliffe Camera—Oxford’s most iconic landmark, with its grand, circular design, domed roof, and towering columns, like a temple to knowledge and a gateway to the past.

There seems no end to the list of literary giants who lived and studied here—the many flawed and fascinating figures from Chaucer and Mary Shelley to Wilde, Virginia Woolf, and Dorothy Sayers. You and your friends explore the spaces that inspired Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, imagining characters of your own, sparked by the magic of this historic city. Together, you visit the college where Tolkien taught and walk through the very alley that stirred C.S. Lewis to dream of Narnia. 

You imagine a future where you study together at the great Oxford University, part of a cohort of writers learning from teachers who are literary giants themselves. Surrounded by those who share your passion, you see yourself thriving in a setting where every corner fuels creativity.