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Creative Writing Course Outline
Our creative writing course is perfect for those who are interested in more than one writing style. The course consists of 15 units full of tips, insider information, and professional pointers you’ll need to get your work published.
You’ll learn from our proven methods how to turn what you know into articles and stories for your favorite magazines and newspapers. We’ll show you how to tackle radio, television, and theater as well.
Unit 1
Identifying Your Market Niche
You learn how to decide on the right publication for a specific idea and analyze the range of available market areas. In the first unit, you’ll take the “Marketable Knowledge Test” and “Market Tester” and start, with your tutor’s help, to produce your first stories and articles. Learn how to write queries, cover letters, and outlines that really help sell your work. Your confidence as a writer will improve as you learn the right way to deal with editors.
Unit 2
From Thought to Paper
In From Thought to Paper, you’ll learn so many practical skills. How to research your topic, the right way to interview, developing your subject. Learn about the different kinds of leads, how to “paint with words,” how to self edit in a professional way, the correct preparation of a manuscript, the right way to use quotes and how to protect yourself.
Unit 3
The Short Story
The Short Story is a fascinating insider’s look at the world of fiction. You’ll learn how to develop an outline, how to set up and break down conflict in a whole range of different kinds of fiction. You’ll understand the place of narrative and how to establish place, setting and time to contribute to the story. Find it hard to develop ideas? Not after you’ve learned from this unit of your course!
Unit 4
Developing Unique Characters
Characterization is a vital ingredient of fiction. Learn how to make your readers really care about your characters. Learn how to build emotions, understand motivation, gain the reader’s sympathy, and introduce cause and effect. The importance of dialogue and how to use it convincingly and effectively are also introduced. Create supporting characters so that they are believable and interesting without “taking over” the story. Avoid clichés, and develop narration and characterization hand in hand.
Unit 5
Writing For Children
Writing For Children is not just kid’s stuff. You’ll learn just what sets this exciting genre apart and how to ensure your work rates highly. Find out all the details on subject matter, length, narration, dialogue, plotting and titles. Use Wonderful Words to create images that children will carry with them forever. Learn how to tackle sensitive issues and the vital ways to market your work.
Unit 6
Writing Romance
You’ll love to write romance with the expert technique you acquire in this unit. Discover how to detail the emotional and sensual elements of passion and how to introduce and solve conflict. Make your settings complement the story, and ensure your characters really come alive. Romance writing is enormously exciting. By the end of this course unit, you’ll be master or mistress of it.
Unit 7
Technical Writing
Technical Writing is all business. You’ll acquire a solid foundation of rules, techniques, requirements and styles. Then you’ll learn how to apply them to a wide range of applications. Ensure that your presentations, reports, manuals, proposals, business letters and memos are efficient, successful and well written.
Unit 8
Specialty Writing
Specialty Writing requires special techniques. Learn to determine the most profitable area for you. Then we’ll show you how to write for it. Want to write for newspapers? You’ll need different skill sets for hard news vs. soft news, travel writing, sports features or sports reporting, reviews, How To articles, fillers, topical stories. Learn all of the special skills you’ll need and how to apply them to the right area in the “write” way.
Unit 9
Writing Humor
Writing Humour is no laughing matter. It contains tragedy and comedy. That’s why we take you into the writer’s psyche and soul. You’ll learn how to dissect humour, how to include the essential elements, how to structure your work, how to balance sensitivity with a tough punch line. Learn all about the markets and how to present your work in a winning way. You’ll be laughing all the way to the bank!
Unit 10
Novels
You’ll take a novel approach to novel writing. Learn how to develop creative techniques, build believable characters your readers will love (or love to hate). You’ll understand how to solve plotting problems, motivate your characters and make their dialogue really “sing.” You’ll know how to establish viewpoint. A novel is a major undertaking. We structure and support your work so that your finished manuscript stays firmly in your reach.
Unit 11
Biographies and Poetry
In Biographies and Poetry, we get up close and personal. You’ll find out how to research details and find information sources, which of the various biography styles is right for you, how to develop your family’s history, what themes to include. It’s all there for you. Poetry is another area that may be close to your heart. You’ll discover how to determine themes, learn all about the different poetry categories, the techniques of rhyme, the specific language of poetry and how to market your work.
Unit 12
Writing For Television
Writing For Television needs careful scrutiny. Trends are everything in the great ratings battles. Real-life documentary may be the rage one year, gritty drama the next, pure escapism the next. Learn how to analyze and satisfy audience and network demand, the best ways to break into the field, how to produce professional working outlines, script submissions and special TV treatments.
Unit 13
Writing For Radio
There are many opportunities in Writing for Radio. You can learn to write (and present on air) many different kinds of radio work. Choose from fillers, editorials, drama, serials, comedy, specialty local news and reviews, personal profiles, regular columns, travel pieces. It’s an enormous and thriving market. You’ll know how to tackle it efficiently and effectively.
Unit 14
Writing For Theater
The world of the theater is an exciting and dramatic one but you have to understand the rules. We’ll teach you the conventions of time, place, and action that you have to master for this genre. You’ll learn how to develop conflict, characters, crises, and conclusions which satisfy the needs of the market. Learn about dialogue, dialects, specific types of plays, stage directions, and writing within a production budget. Learn about the pitfalls that have trapped many budding playwrights.
Unit 15
Writer’s First-Aid Kit
Writer’s First Aid Kit is a real fund of knowledge and help for you, the writer, working in the real world. Read all about ethics and its practical implications in the field. There are chapters on copyright, the different types of ownership over your work, advice on rights violations and what to do if it happens to you. Learn the best way to deal with the taxman and how to document your writing business so that it really works for you. A fascinating look at the practical implications of being a writer.