Creative Writing students see their short stories published on Mazed Tales

Four students from Falmouth’s School of Communication have recently had the stories they wrote as part of a new creative writing module published on the short story website, Mazed Tales.  

Taking inspiration from Cornish folktales and myths, the ‘Innovations’ writing module encourages students to retell these stories while considering different parts of the local landscape, using their unique voice to bring the tales to life through different perspectives.  

Madison James, Alex Jefferis, Jessica Robinson-Jones and Dolly Nash all study across Falmouth’s BA(Hons) Creative Writing, BA(Hons) English & Creative Writing and BA(Hons) Journalism & Creative Writing courses, and took inspiration from Cornwall’s rich folklore, delving into the intriguing world of piskies, mermaids, stone circles, fishing, beasts, monsters and pirates to create their own version of both popular and forgotten myths. Speaking of the module, Dolly shared: “I’m really grateful to our lecturer, Dr Luke Thompson, for arranging this opportunity for us. It’s a new module for this year and it has been a lot of fun, it feels serendipitous that I got to do it!” 

Reflecting on her published stories, Dolly told us “I submitted three stories: The Adventures of Cherry of Zennor, Skerry Werry and The Mermaids of Sennen. I really love writing, but sometimes I can struggle to write from imagination rather than real life experience. Having this opportunity to work on a retelling of local folktales was ideal for me and a lot of fun.”  

She added: “The course content at Falmouth really is unique and striking; we are constantly pushed to broaden our writing horizons. And where could be more inspiring, than by the sea?” 

Fellow student, Madison James, shared how her story, The Lovers of Porthangwartha, is a tragic ghost story about two lovers who promise to meet again at a Cornish cove, only for the sea to ultimately claim them both. “I was inspired to write this story because it is a piece of Cornish folklore that has been passed down through generations and I wanted to create my own retelling,” Madison told us. “Like many old Cornish tales, it exists in fragments, but I wanted my version to blend traditional folklore with a more intimate, emotional perspective of the lovers. 

“Studying at Falmouth has been an incredible experience; it’s given me the opportunity to experiment with different forms, from journalism to creative nonfiction and fiction. The course has encouraged me to find my own voice as a writer, take creative risks and draw on my personal experience in my work.” 

For Alex Jefferis, his story The True Tale of Morgawr is a reimagined version of the classic folktale of Morgawr, Falmouth's legendary sea serpent. “In my retelling we delve into the story of how Morgawr came to be and how a Cornish witch cursed the local witch hunter into becoming the beast, forced to forever swim the seas.”  

He added: “I was inspired by the classes I took for the ‘Innovations’ module and the fairytale genre which is something I already loved to write. I'm born and raised Cornish, but we were taught so much history and folklore that I didn’t know about! These classes helped me to both learn about my hometown and discover new myths and legends that I’ve grown to love. 

“At Falmouth I’ve found I have a lot of freedom with what I can write; I’ve been able to experiment with genre and form and find what my strengths and weaknesses in writing are. Falmouth is always working with other organisations or with the students themselves to create writing events and publication opportunities!” 

Read the students’ stories on the Mazed Tales website 

Explore Falmouth’s creative writing courses