Freelance Writing Distance Learning Course
Study Advanced Freelance Writing by Distance Learning and learn the skills you need to write professionally.
"The Freelance Writing course has been one of my most favourite due to the ease & flexibility of correspondence. I have found the staff always helpful and friendly. I appreciated that there were no deadlines and I could complete the work involved when I had time."
- Janine
Advance your writing ability under the guidance of our expert tutors. Learn the skills you need to write for profit across a range of writing styles.
Duration: 100 hours
COURSE STRUCTURE
The course is divided into 8 lessons as follows:
1. Introduction.
Writing Themes, Sentence Structure, Summary Skills, Theme Development (eg. Deductive, Inductive, Classic, Chronological, Descriptive, Analogy, Cause & Effect, Classification, Definition Analysis, Comparison & Contrast, Flashback etc)
2. Writing a Regular Column
Newsletters, News Columns, Criticism Journalism (eg Theatre Critics, Book Reviews, Film Reviews, etc)
3. Educational Writing
Interviewing Skills, Illustrating an article, Putting it all together
4. Scientific Writing
Technical Writing, Statistics
5. Writing a Biographical Story
Developing a draft plan, Research, Writing the final manuscript
6. Writing a News Article
Analysing a news article; writing and illustrating a sporting event
7. Fiction Writing
Category Writing; Mainstream Writing; Characteristics of good fiction (ie. A strong plot;. A hero or heroine; Obvious motivation; Plenty of action; A colourful background), Forming and developing an idea.
8. Other Writing
TV & Radio Scripts, Science Fiction, Conducting a Survey; Developing a Story.
Aims
- Review basic writing skills and discuss theme development
- Develop skills in writing a regular magazine or newspaper column.
- Describe the key elements of educational writing.
- Describe the key elements of technical writing.
- Develop skills in interviewing and preparing a biographical story.
- Develop skills in writing news articles.
- Develop skills in writing fiction.
- Describe other writing styles including script writing.
WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THIS COURSE?
This course develops and sharpens your writing skills largely through interaction with the tutor. Apart from that though, you will read about different writing techniques, you will conduct research and interviews, and plan projects.
WHO ARE YOU WRITING FOR?
In the past, most writing was for print media or performance media (eg. Stage plays), but writers today are increasingly writing for electronic media (web sites, e books, broadcast media etc). Thisa is where the work is!
Writing for the Web
Increasingly, companies, government departments, community organisations and individuals use websites to impart up-to-date information to a wide audience.
As a freelance writer, it is quite likely that you will be required to write for the web at some stage in your career. You may be asked to construct or develop a website, or to contribute to an existing website. You may even decide to develop your own website as a showcase for your writing talents.
In addition to the more obvious benefits of lower production costs, faster and smaller print runs, more flexibility, and greater profits for publishers (and perhaps for self-publishing authors), electronic publishing allows more presentation options, such as animation, interactive elements, videos, etc., and greater research options, such as direct searches by keyword, publication, or author, etc. Also, an electronically published article may contain active links to other web pages, articles, or files. Such possibilities simply do not exist for print media.
Articles may also be submitted and managed differently. Publishers have more opportunities to control, edit and manage work, and can allow writers opportunities to become more involved in ways that are not possible with print media.
In some respects, writing for the web is similar to writing for any other purpose. You need to have clear objectives before you start writing. You need to work out what you want to write. You need to identify your target audience and then tailor your writing accordingly. Your writing must be lucid, concise and relevant.
However, when writing for the web, it is important to get the attention of the reader immediately, otherwise it is easy for them to “click” and they’ll be on to the next page. You have lost them. If you are writing with the aim of selling products or encouraging clients to use their services, you will want to keep them on your webpage to get them to buy your products.
Good writing skills are as important online as they are in printed publications.
One of the main differences in writing for the web is structuring and presenting the material so that it can be easily located and read. Reading from a monitor is tiring and time-consuming so people rarely spend much time actually reading online passages in depth, line by line. Instead they surf different websites to target relevant information, then they skim through the main points, jumping from section to section. Typically a person spending one hour on the web might only read a handful of passages.
It is imperative therefore to write concisely and to keep the word count low. Ruthlessly edit your writing – excessive and irrelevant details that will cause readers to tune out. Use short words, sentences and paragraphs. Use headings, subheadings and bullet points to break up chunks of writing and optimise ability to scan.
More Information on ACS Distance Education and our courses
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.
Sample Course Notes
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.
What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”
How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.
I don’t think this is the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.
You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.
If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk
Recognition and Accreditation
For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.
Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
