July 14, 2026 - 150 views
An aspiring North Wales author has turned a long-held ambition into reality after a creative writing evening class at Coleg Llandrillo gave him the confidence to complete and publish his first novel.
For Gus Wood, attending the part-time creative writing course at the college's Abergele campus proved to be the catalyst he needed to finish a project that had been years in the making.
"I've started so many books," said Gus. "I've always done bits of writing but attending the course has given me the confidence to do more.
"With encouragement from my tutor I finally finished the book and self-published it."
His debut novel, Broken Pictures, was published on Amazon last June, and Gus is already working on his next writing projects.
He described the evening class as relaxed, welcoming and inspiring, saying it had introduced him to like-minded people who shared a passion for writing.
"It's been absolutely brilliant meeting other people with similar ideas to me," he said. "They might write about different topics but it's lovely to share ideas and explore different ways of expressing things."
As well as helping him complete his novel, the course encouraged Gus to experiment with new ideas across different forms of writing.
"I've had discussions with people that inspired ideas for books, plays and poetry. It's been really inspiring, and I enjoy hearing other people's work too."
Gus also credits the course with helping him develop his editing skills and become a more confident writer.
"It's helped me to refine what I'm already doing," he said. "I've gained hints, tips and tricks from the tutor and sharing ideas with other people in the class is really helpful too."
His growing confidence was recognised when he entered a college writing competition.
"I submitted a piece of work not thinking for a moment that anything would come of it, and was really thrilled to win the competition," he said.
"I won a £50 voucher, which was great, but it was just wonderful getting some recognition for my work and it boosted my confidence."
With one novel now published, Gus says another book is already well underway.
"I've started writing one or two more things and I've got another book that's well on its way to being finished hopefully in the next few months."
Coleg Llandrillo says its part-time creative writing courses are designed for adults of all abilities, whether they are looking to pursue a new career, develop a hobby or simply meet other people with a shared interest in writing.
The college offers a wide range of adult learning opportunities across North Wales, with evening and part-time courses aimed at helping people gain new skills, boost confidence and explore new interests alongside work or family commitments.
Gus's success is an example of how adult education can help unlock creative potential, with his first novel now in print and further writing projects already in development.
