Creative Writing Course

Are you interested in creative writing? This course covers autobiography, short stories, and novels. It also looks at the different types of genre as well as looking at the younger reader. There is a section on Poetry and non fiction, covering articles and reviews. This course is ideal for anyone that wants to be involved in writing and provides an introduction to all forms.

Distance Learning Support

At Start Learning we pride ourselves on our friendly and supportive tutors. Your tutor support will start as soon as you receive your course and will be valid for 12 months. All our tutors are highly qualified with extensive experience in supporting distance learning students. You contact your tutor via email and they are responsible for marking assignments answering your questions and guiding you through the course.

Home Study Entry Requirements

At Start Learning we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and study further, so we try to keep our entry requirements to a minimum. 

Recommended Hours of Study

We recommended you spend approximately 110 hours of your time studying for the Creative Writing course. The pace of study is completely up to you. To give an example, if you dedicate 2 hours a week to the course it would take you a year to complete but if you could spare 4 hours a week you could complete it in six months.

Course Contents

The course is divided up into 10 units, these are as follows:

Unit 1: Autobiography
Introduction
Diaries and journals
Letters and letter writing
Autobiography

Unit 2: Short Stories
Introduction
Developing an idea
Preparing an outline
Openings, conflict, characters and dialogue
Viewpoints: first or third person?

Unit 3: Novels
Introduction
Read before, during and after writing
Theme
Plot
Character
Conflict
Viewpoint
Looking at published novels
Novels: what other writers say

Unit 4: Younger Readers
Introduction
Using your memory
Starting a story
Action!
Dialogue
Poetry for younger readers

Unit 5: Genre
Introduction
Gothic horror
Crime
Science Fiction
Magical Realism

Unit 6: Play writing
Introduction
Dialogue
Act 1 scene 1

Unit 7: Poetry
Introduction
Miniature observations
Spells and spells
Word pictures
Rhythm
I see a voice

Unit 8: Non-fiction
Introduction
Types of non-fiction writing
Travel writing
Biography

Unit 9: Articles
Introduction
Types of article
Styles of article
Finding and recording facts
Interviewing
Summary
Going public

Unit 10: Reviews
Introduction
Everyone is a critic
Book reviews
Getting your enthusiasm across
Points of view
Consumer reviews

Qualifications

Upon successful completion of this course, you will receive a Start Learning certificate in Creative Writing.

Examination Centre

There is no exam as such, although you will be required to complete a series of 11 tutor marked assignments. There is no word count for these assignments although you do have to prove to your tutor that you have fully understood the questions asked.

Language of Course

English