Edited by Christopher Douce, Tuesday 19 May 2026 at 07:57
I was eighteen. I was a computing student at the University of Salford, and yet I found myself at a writer’s workshop with a fellow student who I had met a few weeks earlier at the halls of residence. The workshop was led by the writer in residence. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a ‘writer in residence’. My friend was studying English Literature. Although I liked what I was studying, I was probably more curious about what he was studying. It also impressed me, since I had the impression that his course was really difficult. Mine was too, but in a different way.
I wasn’t in that group for long; probably no more than two months. During my short tenure, I wrote a minimalist poem that the group decided was ‘postmodern’, and a terrible short story. The feedback I got was: ‘don’t say the obvious, let the reader figure things out’. I sought this group out because of an unexpected success. At the age of 17 I made a speculative entry to a ‘young person’s poetry competition’ that I saw in a local newspaper, and unexpectedly became a runner up. The following year, I entered it seriously (the last year I could enter), and I became a runner up again. Was this a fluke? Perhaps.
The thing is, I couldn’t change lanes. Computing was my ‘thing’. I liked the technical certainty of ‘the machine’. I liked how they could be cajoled into doing things and solving problems. Plus, computing was going to be the future. There were going to be jobs if you knew things about computers. With this in mind, I studied a BTEC in Computing at college, which took me to Salford. The thought of doing A Levels hadn’t crossed my mind, since I didn’t have any academic confidence; I was convinced I was going to fail all my GCSEs. I needed to do something that felt both familiar and certain.
My GCSEs had been a surprise. I had gone from attending remedial English classes; a high intensity group of between 6 and 9 students, to being able to take an English Lit GCSE. On the run up to the exams, I crammed. I used revision cassettes. I remember the texts; a novel and a play: George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and J.B.Priestly’s An Inspector Calls. By the time I got to the exam, I knew them both backwards, but I never really knew how to write about them. Whilst I was studying, I thought I started to ‘get’ what English Literature was about. I thought it was all about being able to show an understanding of the books that we had read. Things are, of course, never that simple.
I’m writing this after having submitted my final end of module assessment for a degree in English Literature. I can scarcely believe I’ve made it to this point. A significant reflection is that I couldn't have done it when I was 18. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve experienced the tension that accompanies waiting for a TMA result, the disappointment of getting a grade that I wasn’t happy with, and the elation of finally getting a distinction for a TMA. The big question is, of course, how do I use my degree? (Presuming, of course, I pass my EMA).
I have a few thoughts.
And a lot of people to thank, including all tutors and fellow students I have met along the way.
Studying English Literature - Part 1
I was eighteen. I was a computing student at the University of Salford, and yet I found myself at a writer’s workshop with a fellow student who I had met a few weeks earlier at the halls of residence. The workshop was led by the writer in residence. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a ‘writer in residence’. My friend was studying English Literature. Although I liked what I was studying, I was probably more curious about what he was studying. It also impressed me, since I had the impression that his course was really difficult. Mine was too, but in a different way.
I wasn’t in that group for long; probably no more than two months. During my short tenure, I wrote a minimalist poem that the group decided was ‘postmodern’, and a terrible short story. The feedback I got was: ‘don’t say the obvious, let the reader figure things out’. I sought this group out because of an unexpected success. At the age of 17 I made a speculative entry to a ‘young person’s poetry competition’ that I saw in a local newspaper, and unexpectedly became a runner up. The following year, I entered it seriously (the last year I could enter), and I became a runner up again. Was this a fluke? Perhaps.
The thing is, I couldn’t change lanes. Computing was my ‘thing’. I liked the technical certainty of ‘the machine’. I liked how they could be cajoled into doing things and solving problems. Plus, computing was going to be the future. There were going to be jobs if you knew things about computers. With this in mind, I studied a BTEC in Computing at college, which took me to Salford. The thought of doing A Levels hadn’t crossed my mind, since I didn’t have any academic confidence; I was convinced I was going to fail all my GCSEs. I needed to do something that felt both familiar and certain.
My GCSEs had been a surprise. I had gone from attending remedial English classes; a high intensity group of between 6 and 9 students, to being able to take an English Lit GCSE. On the run up to the exams, I crammed. I used revision cassettes. I remember the texts; a novel and a play: George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and J.B.Priestly’s An Inspector Calls. By the time I got to the exam, I knew them both backwards, but I never really knew how to write about them. Whilst I was studying, I thought I started to ‘get’ what English Literature was about. I thought it was all about being able to show an understanding of the books that we had read. Things are, of course, never that simple.
I’m writing this after having submitted my final end of module assessment for a degree in English Literature. I can scarcely believe I’ve made it to this point. A significant reflection is that I couldn't have done it when I was 18. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve experienced the tension that accompanies waiting for a TMA result, the disappointment of getting a grade that I wasn’t happy with, and the elation of finally getting a distinction for a TMA. The big question is, of course, how do I use my degree? (Presuming, of course, I pass my EMA).
I have a few thoughts.
And a lot of people to thank, including all tutors and fellow students I have met along the way.