Creative Writing and History

Creative writing and history is a pairing that recognises how deeply imagination and research are entwined. Historical understanding depends on the ability to reconstruct and narrate the past from incomplete evidence; creative writing demands the capacity to inhabit imagined worlds with the detail, accuracy, and human insight that makes them credible. Each discipline enriches the other: history grounds creative work in specificity and factual richness, while the writer's craft develops in historians the ability to narrate and give life to the past with skill and vividness.

At Aberystwyth University, this three-year programme develops both dimensions in depth. You will learn the craft of writing across multiple forms, including poetry, fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, and more, developing your voice and technical range under expert guidance. Alongside your creative work you will study history, exploring the words and historical eras that have shaped our world and developing the critical and analytical skills to engage with that history seriously.

The combination is genuinely cross-disciplinary and prepares you for a diverse range of careers in the creative industries and beyond, as well as developing the ability to communicate complex ideas with clarity and power.

Graduates from creative writing and history programmes work in publishing, journalism, education, scriptwriting, media, cultural organisations, heritage, and the full range of roles in which the ability to research and write with skill and insight is valued. Many go on to careers as writers of fiction, creative non-fiction, or literary journalism, while others move into editorial, content creation, and communications roles. Teaching, both in schools and in higher education, is a common destination for those who wish to develop the next generation of writers and critical thinkers.

Further study at postgraduate level in creative writing, history, or literary studies is also a well-established route.