Postcards Home
January 8th 2024 - February 12th 2024
Postcards Home
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Your Summer Of Writing Starts Here
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Postcards Home • Your Summer Of Writing Starts Here •
Postcards Home:
A Unique Online Life Writing Course with Award-Winning Author Huma Qureshi
Pay attention to yourself, to the objects and memories that connect you with your past, to the details and textures that make up your everyday life, because ultimately, it’s those details that will help you tell your story.
Do you dream of writing your own story? Writing the narrative of who you are in your own voice? Would you like to write about the moments that shaped you, the ones you remember, before you forget? Or perhaps you simply long to feel comfortable writing in your own voice?
Postcards Home is my simple, joyful six-week online life writing course designed to refresh, inspire and spark new ideas. Through a series of short, thought-provoking essays, we’ll explore the importance of writing your own story in your own voice, and gently guide you towards doing so. I’ll encourage you to write your memories and the stories that make you who you are. Stories of your childhood, your past, and your present, with a view to writing first-person essays, blog posts, and one day maybe even your very own personal memoir.
When I created Postcards Home, I envisioned it being the equivalent of a special treat, just for you. Like a trip to the cinema alone or an afternoon at a spa. It’s designed to delight and inspire – to help you fall in love with writing and the world of possibility it might just open up.
This course is for you if…
You have always wanted to write about yourself, your experiences and your
memories, but have never known how or where to begin.
You’re looking for a way to capture fleeting moments from your present before they
slip through your fingers.
You love reading memoirs and have always secretly wished you might one day write
your own.
You see writing as a creative hobby and you simply want to explore where that might
go.
You want to feel uplifted and inspired to spend time connecting with your creativity.
You enjoy working gently at your own pace and are motivated to work on your
writing independently with the right encouragement.
You are looking for a course that’s inspiring, thoughtful and creative rather than
academic or prescriptive.
By the end of this course you will…
Have a deep understanding of what life writing really is.
Believe your life story matters – because it does.
Feel deeply connected with yourself, your personal history and the parts of your life
you long to write about.
Have spent time remembering who you once were and who you are now.
Have developed your curiosity and imagination.
Know where to begin when writing about yourself and your life.
Have built a toolkit of playful writing methods that allow you to proceed without fear
of writer’s block.
Know how to observe detail and capture the texture of everyday life in words.
Have created a catalogue of vignettes based on meaningful memories that you can
expand upon, whether that’s as chapters, blog posts or first-person essays.
‘Postcards Home felt gentle, entirely manageable, yet profound. It was a real pleasure to read the essays each week, which were themselves so beautifully crafted, and also so full of nuggets of inspiration and wisdom.’
—Annabel
The Power of Starting Small
Aspiring writers often tell me they want to write a book. Perhaps they dream of writing their family’s history or long to share a personal story of survival. How they made it through divorce, illness or a dead-end job, emerging brighter, bolder and braver on the other side.
These are stories worth telling and I hope these books are written one day. But while it’s important to dream big, I’d always encourage you to start small.
Postcards Home is not a course about writing a full-blown memoir. It won’t teach you how to structure something so vast. Instead, Postcards Home is your inspiration. A place to begin. The tiny seed from which something else might grow.
Start big, tackling a book from day one, and writer’s block is almost inevitable. But start small, writing little by little, note by note, postcard by postcard, and soon you could easily have your first dozen blog posts outlined, or several essay ideas to explore. Before you know it, you’ll be unlocking bigger things, things that once seemed impossible.
Why Take This Course with Me
‘Qureshi’s writing is so frank and clear-eyed that I felt like I was sitting opposite her, being told her story. I loved every minute’
—Laura Pearson, author of I Wanted You To Know
My life writing journey began as a journalist writing first-person pieces for The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, Psychologies, Red, Harper’s Bazaar and many more. Now, I’m a professional author who’s passionate about writing and teaching others to write in an inspiring, non-formulaic way.
My memoir, How We Met: A Memoir of Love and Other Misadventures was published to critical acclaim in 2021 and chosen as one of Stylist’s best non-fiction picks for the year. It was also shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Awards. I’ve taught life writing workshops with Guardian Masterclasses and hosted a personal writing expert hour with the London Writers’ Salon. I’ve also worked with institutions such as The Arvon Foundation and CBC Creative.
Before I was published, I took lots of writing courses but often felt shy and self-conscious. I didn’t enjoy responding to writing prompts that felt unnatural, filling in spreadsheets and sharing my work with people I didn’t know. When I started designing my own courses, I knew I wanted them to be different. I wanted them to be non-prescriptive, playful, curious and inspiring. Above all, I wanted to remind people that writing is first and foremost a pleasurable pursuit.
My hope is that Postcards Home is something you can turn to for enjoyment. It shouldn’t feel like an obligation or a burden or extra work you’ll struggle to fit in. There’s no private social media group. I won’t ask you to submit a project or set you deadlines. Whatever homework there is doesn’t feel like homework and I won’t be critiquing your work.
Instead, I’ve designed Postcards Home to remind you how much you love writing for the sake of writing. I want it to inspire you to begin, and to do so with a flourish. As you move through the course, I want you to feel yourself begin to unfurl, little by little. I want you to experience the flicker of excitement that comes from knowing you’re finally ready to write the story only you can tell, the story of you.
What’s Included
Six inspiring essays shared weekly for you to read. Each one is designed to ignite your writing and develop your curiosity.
Homework that doesn’t feel like homework, but instead feels playful and light, making the act of writing pleasurable.
The chance to submit written questions each week, the answers to which will be shared with the group so everyone on the course can benefit.
Course Contents
The course is designed to fit into your daily life around work and family commitments. Each week, essays will go live in the members-only area of my website at 7am, UK time.
These weekly essays can be read or listened to on the go and ‘homework’ can be completed at your own pace. The more time you can commit to these tasks, the more you will learn and benefit from each one.
Week 1: On postcards; or staying in touch — on the importance of looking backwards, in order to look forwards.
Week 2: Mini-memories, in note form — on the writer’s art of note-taking.
Week 3: The little things — on learning to look for details to bring your writing alive.
Week 4: A life lived in pictures — on looking for what is both in and out of focus for writing
prompts.
Week 5: The beauty of the ordinary — on giving yourself permission to write about your
everyday.
Week 6: Onwards — from postcards to vignettes to blogs, books and beyond.
You Will Need
You will need some form of device that can connect to the internet, but it doesn’t have to be a desktop or laptop computer. You’ll be able to navigate the course via a phone or tablet.
What my students are saying
‘I just wanted to say thank you for Postcards Home. I write for a living but this course has inspired me to write with a different perspective and one that has inspired me so much, I’ve fallen back in love with writing again. Thank you. ’
— Faye
‘Postcards Home was the best decision of my life. Your course was lovely, light and a wonderful way to ease into writing. I’ve always been afraid to pursue writing and believe I can really do it. I’ve been plagued with self doubt and fear of vulnerability but your course gave me the courage to just do it, so thank you.’
— Laura
‘Postcards Home is an absolute delight! It is a course you can take your time with, and I really didn’t feel the pressure I sometimes feel with courses or the anxiety of not being able to keep up when life gets in the way. I have been enjoying collecting my little snippets of memories and observations and have been really surprised at how easy it is once you start to really notice the world around you.’
— Terri
‘Thank you so much for your writing course. I have enjoyed it so much that I am going to repeat it! As a former journalist I was trained to keep emotion out of my work and deal only with facts. You have given me permission to explore feeling in my work. Quite a revelation.’
— Anne
‘I have been taking your class Postcards Home and I really enjoyed it. I am a songwriter, and I hadn’t written a new song in six months. Since starting Postcards Home, I’ve written three new songs. Thank you.’
— Anne S
‘The essays are so thoughtfully written and beautiful. Very inspiring, and such a comfort.’
— Sophie
‘Postcards Home felt gentle, entirely manageable, yet profound. It was a real pleasure to read the essays each week, which were themselves so beautifully crafted, and also so full of nuggets of inspiration and wisdom. And I've loved the daily writing practice, which I'm going to continue, as it's very doable and also seems to open me up to different parts of my brain and memories. Since the course began, I've started a Substack: even though I already had a monthly newsletter, the way I'm writing has definitely shifted, which I no doubt owe to the course!’
— Annabel
‘I'm loving the course - while I write for a living, it's been so lovely looking at more personal writing and the attention to detail/creativity I've explored here has been such a nice thing to do outside of work.’
— Kat
‘I can’t tell you how much I’ve loved this course. It’s pure magic. It feels so special to capture memories I thought I’d long forgotten. Thank you so much!’
— Laionie
FAQs
How much does Postcards Home cost?
£255 as a one-off payment or four monthly payments of £74.50.
When does it start/ end?
The course runs four times a year. The next intake starts on January 8th 2024 and ends February 12th 2024. You will retain access to the essays for six months after the end of the course.
Where are the essays?
The essays are in a private, members-only area of my website. While the course is running live, they will be released every Monday at 7am UK time. You will be prompted to create a log-in for the member’s only area when you join.
What time commitment is involved?
As with most courses, the more time you can dedicate, the more you will benefit. However, I have deliberately designed this course to be easy and enjoyable enough to slot into your everyday routine. Many people find this particular course so pleasurable they lose track of how much time they’ve spent on it!
The homework on this course is light because I don’t want it to feel like yet another thing you have to do. It’s not for me to tell you how much you should be writing every day.
However, I would suggest an hour a week to read the essays and play around with the ideas.
Why are there no live classes?
On the whole, I find a written course gives students time to reflect and refer back to the work in a way live classes do not.
Can I meet other writers on the course?
I am all for community and I love meeting fellow writers and students at my in-person writing workshops. However, when I am writing, or thinking seriously about writing, I prefer to be on my own. I have designed this course to reflect my personal introverted preferences. If you’re not ready to share your writing journey with others and just want to get on with it in your own space and time, I believe you will feel at home taking one of my courses.
If I have a question during the course, can I reach you?
Absolutely! Each week, you can submit course-related questions through the members-only area. With your permission, I will share your question and my answer with the group, so everyone can benefit.
I’ve written a memoir. Will you read it?
Though I do read work and mentor writers through creative writing schools, I am unable to do so on spec due to my own writing commitments. From time to time, I take on writing mentees. Subscribing to my newsletter, Dear Huma, is the best way to find out when these places are being released.
Terms and conditions: online courses are non-refundable
Discover My Other Courses
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Miniature Worlds
An eight-part course on short story writing.
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The Quiet Words
An eight-part beginner’s course on the craft of writing creatively.