Litopian stalwart Richard Howse is celebrating becoming one of the first students to graduate from the National Academy of Writing.

Richard, or R1X as he’s known around the Colony, was one of four aspiring writers who joined the Academy’s inaugural creative writing course in January 2007 with the aim of creating a final project ready for publication.

The Academy is based at Birmingham City University and the four graduates will receive their diploma certificates at a ceremony in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, on February 1.

Richard, of Bracknell, Berkshire, is a moderator in the Colony and can be heard as a regular guest panellist on Litopia After Dark. He co-wrote and produced the Alternative Reality Game tie-in to fellow Litopian MG Harris’s Joshua Files for Scholastic Books.

‘Every writer suffers ability anxiety, so there’s a great deal of satisfaction and vindication in graduating,’ explained Richard, who is working on a young adult urban fantasy series. ‘That’s an amazing feeling, especially now that I can rely upon the writing styles and concepts covered by the course and masterclasses. But the prestige the course provides is only half the story.
‘I've been a member of Litopia since its first year, suffering from the old adage of the more I learn the less I know. But Litopia has had the single, greatest influence on my writing. For making the transition from eager wannabe-writer to a fully-fledged one, I couldn't have asked for a better environment to learn from my peers and I guess that proves that writing is no longer the solitary existence it once was for Woolf, Hemingway and Fowles.

‘The opportunities Litopia, its members, and [founder] Peter Cox in particular, have provided, the tools I have been taught, have all stretched my abilities beyond what would have been possible had I been doing this alone. The next step is to pull my finger out and prove I'm now more than just a repository of learning; I've got to get on and do some proper writing now.’

Peter said: ‘It’s a fantastic achievement for Richard, and a very satisfying and proud moment for Litopia. Richard has been with us from the start, and given so much of his time to help make the Colony what it is today.’

Richard’s fellow graduates are Rena Brennan and actress Sophie Ward, both from Gloucestershire, and Robert Ireland, of Worcestershire. Keep an eye out for their names on bookstore shelves over the next few years.

Author Richard Beard, Director of the National Academy of Writing, said: ‘All four of our first graduates are ideally placed to benefit from the Academy’s close links with publishers, agents, and other media professionals.’

The NAW is supported by internationally renowned writers and allows students to develop techniques and explore their talents as novelists, playwrights, screenwriters, and non-fiction writers. Teaching is by individual tutorials and in small groups led by established writers, with other leading writers visiting the Academy to give masterclasses and lectures. Patrons include Margaret Atwood, Iain Banks, Melvyn Bragg, Bernard Cornwell, Roddy Doyle, Kazuo Ishiguro , Philip Pullman, Ian Rankin and Jacqueline Wilson.