Creative Storytelling and Creative Writing

“Tell me a story!” Something we all have heard or said so many times. As children, it is through stories we begin to learn how the world works – and that is why we are all so strongly attracted to them. Stories can invite us into an unthinkable reality, they help us learn from the past or even see the future, they offer archetypes of good and evil and can very well play with our imagination as well as logic. A good story can sell everything – not only does this apply to books and movies, but also to everything we do in our professional and personal life. We need a story to design a strong presentation, create an effective post for social media, manage an interview, deliver a business pitch or write an academic essay. While this course focuses on the importance of a story, we will mainly pay attention to the writer (his/her imagination, vocabulary, narrative styles, critical thinking, experience, dreams and memories) – YOU.

ACQUIRED SKILLS

  • Mastering the art of storytelling (“Show Don’t Tell” techniques)
  • Thinking imaginatively, creatively with an “outside the box” attitude
  • Writing for the audience with an ability to make them see your point of view
  • Selling your idea, concept or product through a variety of narrative tools and methods (presentation, advertisement, blog, CV, essay, public speech)
  • Enhancing your English vocabulary, composition and writing style

GENERAL INFORMATION

Course term: 
Available seats: 
Price: 
Category: 
Status: 
Deadline: 

20. 07. – 31. 07. 
6 
950 € 
Personal Development & Communication Skills 
Available 
20.07.2026  

Course term: 20. 07. – 31. 07. 
Available seats: 6 
Price: 950 €
Category: Personal Development & Communication Skills 
Status: Available 
Deadline: 20.07.2026 

DESCRIPTION

Whether your dream is to write a bestselling novel, design an award-winning advertisement, create inspiring content for your presentation or to simply capture stories from your own life, this course will help you adopt a variety of creative writing methods and narrative styles. Not only will you learn how to write, but also how to think outside the box and develop your imagination.

SCHEDULE


Day 1

Storytelling and Creative Writing (students will receive some homework before the class starts)


Day 2

The development of a story (main structure, set-up, characters, plot) + Why every story needs some drama (conflicts, problems, arguments and their solutions) – book writing perspective + the use of AI tools


Day 3

Applying storytelling to business presentations – by Zuzi Leskova


Day 4

The importance of a story (historical consequences and their current influence)


Day 5

Creative writing techniques (metaphor, hyperbole, oxymoron, plot twist, fiction versus nonfiction writing methods)


Day 6

Who, Why, Where and When (why you need more than a “what” in your story)


Day 7

Content and Copywriting from Business Perspective – by Katerina Wiesnerova


Day 8

Applying storytelling to online advertisements, social media and blog articles – Online Ads, Social Media, Content and Copywriting – by Katerina Wiesnerova


Day 9

Applying storytelling to academic essays (argumentative, factual, narrative essays)


Day 10

Presentation and discussion about your coursework (share a portfolio of your creative writing pieces with the class)

<span class="kurz-detail-output" data-field="lecturer_kurz" style="display: contents;">Martina<br>M. Arboleda & team</span>

LECTURER

Martina
M. Arboleda & team

Charles University 

Martina is a Czech writer, reviewer, travel blogger and copywriter with four belletristic books published. As a graduate from the Charles University, Pedagogical Faculty, in the field of English literature and linguistics and Czech literature and linguistics, she had been teaching English as a foreign language and Czech for foreigners at the UCT (University of Chemistry and Technology) in Prague for 10 years and working for various literary magazines. She was the chief editor of nenudtese.cz, a web portal focused on reviews of cultural events such as theater, opera, ballet, concerts etc. Currently, she dedicates her time to writing her fifth book, articles on her travel blog and for Jóga dnes yoga mazine and Hedvábná Stezka travel portal. Having lived in various countries worldwide, most recently Peru, she draws inspiration for her articles and literary characters from socio-cultural diversities and peculiarities. (https://www.martinamartinez.cz/)

+

PhDr. Zuzi Lešková, PhD

While creative copywriting, employer branding and public speaking have always been in the centre of her attention, Zuzi is simply obsessive about anything that has to do with communication. She has developed several branding campaigns for big corporations or smaller businesses, obtained a PhD in marketing communication at Victoria University in Melbourne, have been working as a leading lecturer of various communication classes at top universities both in Australia and the Czech Republic and she especially enjoys turning her current profession of a copywriter into a hobby (writing blogs and books because, as Zuzi puts it: “not only does it sound good to say it, it simply feels good to do it”).

+

Katerina Wiesnerova

Katerina is an experience Online marketing speacialist focused on content marketing – working for example for PrimaTV – second biggest private TV broadcast company in Czechia. She also used to teach Online Marketing course for us.

Literature

  • Allan, D (2002). Sticky Wisdom: How to Start a Creative Revolution at Work, Capstone, Mankato.
  • Anderson, C. (2017). TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, Mariner Books, New York.
  • Bettinghaus, E.P. (1980). Persuasive Communication. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.
  • Davnes, K. (2009). Creative Writer's Handbook. Pearson, New York.
  • Harcourt, M (2012). The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make us Human. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston.
  • Harford, T. (2016). Messy: How to Be Creative and Resilient in a Tidy-Minded World. Little Brown Book Group, New York.
  • King, S. (2000). On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft. Scribner, New York.
  • Moody, S. (2014). Better English Writing: Improve Your Writing Power (Webster's Word Power) . Geddes & Grosset Ltd, Glasgow.
  • Manson, M. (2019). The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life. Harper, London.

Course outline

COURSE GALLERY

CREDITS

You will receive an official Certificate of Attendance upon completion of your course. Please inform the organizing staff if you require any extra supplements, such as Transcript of Records. The student is eligible to receive up to 5 ECTS credits, however please follow the instructions here and consult the acknowledgment process with your university in advance.

ASSESSMENTS

– attendance in class 15%
– team assignment 40%
– individual assignment 35%
– exam 10% (optional, if required by home University)

COURSE TIME TOTAL 125 HOURS

– Course runs 2 weeks Monday to Friday 9:00-14:00
– Total time of in-class work = 50hours
– Preliminary assignment = 10hours
– Preparation = 65hours

PRICE

Course fee includes the course itself, application fee, study materials, afternoon/evening social activities and events, welcome and goodbye drink as part of the graduation party. Other expenses, such as meals, accommodation, insurance, personal expenses, public transportation ticket, extra activities (such as trips outside of town over the weekend and entrance fees), and required equipment (i.e. pencils, paper for illustrations) are not included in the price.

Please note, after the 30th of April 2026 there will be a late enrollment fee charged in the amount of 100EUR on top of the course fee.

Terms and Conditions – Cancellation fees

Costs of living in Prague

ACCOMMODATION

For accommodation options, please visit the dedicated page

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ANY QUESTIONS?

Feel free to contact our coordinator:

Andrea Josífková 
Coordinator

+420 777 879 192

info@europeansummerschool.com

Testimonials

Elia Marmora

Supply Chain Management in a world of e-commerce (ON CAMPUS)

European Summer School means Knowledge & FUN. All the staff of ESS is highly qualified, from the teachers to the group leaders. I really recommend you all this experience, book your seat at ESS you WON’T regret it :)

Student Jakub avatar

Jakub

Design Thinking (ON CAMPUS)

I enjoyed time in Prague very much, the city is splendid, people were awesome. Even though I am not a party guy, the program offered me a lot of sightseeing, city tours, I visited museums, parks and everything possible. Two weeks is ideal time for getting to know new people, making new friendships, to learn something and enjoy city. I would recommend joining ESS for everyone.

Mary Corcoran

Digital Graphics

Amazing experience! This program was exactly what I was looking for as it offered the perfect balance between class and fun activities/excursions to ensure that we experienced all that Prague has to offer. I took the digital graphics class and cannot believe how much I learned in only two weeks. Highly recommend this opportunity to meet some amazing people, form lasting friendships, explore an enchanting city, and learn new skills!

Max Strasser

Personal Development (ON CAMPUS)

Really cool experience. Visited two SummerSchools this summer and this one was by far the better one. Beside some really cool courses the two weeks are filled with leisure activities, which ensure that there is no stodgy minute. You get some views of prag, that a normal tourist wouldn't get so fast. Furthermore, you will meet new people from all over the world, which will make it an unforgettable trip for you. 10/10 ??


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