Creative Writing Distance Learning Course
- Study Creative Writing -self paced, 100 hour distance learning
- Learn to write better, learn ways to be more creative in your writing
- Explore opportunities to use your work, and develop your skills professionally
Student Comment:
"I found the course to be extremely helpful. It has given me the confidence and skills to present my work to publishers." - Dilys
"I commenced the Creative Writing Course with the ACS having had no prior experience in this field whatsoever. Having always been in accounting or payroll jobs, I decided to give the course a go.The course demonstrated to me what I enjoyed writing about, the types of writing I was good at, and not so good at. It broadened my horizon to show me what was 
out there to write about. It gave me knowledge and confidence. I have continued to write, and in the future want to commence with the next course, but in the meantime, I have submitted various articles of mine to some magazines and have had nothing but positive feedback from all the editors and some of my work is to be published!! Which I personally feel is fantastic as I have only been doing this for a year or so. Thank you for opening up a whole new world of creativity to me which I can only enhance upon!" - Jo
Duration: 100 hours
COURSE CONTENT
The ten lessons (plus a project) are as outlined below:
Lesson 1. Introduction
What is creative writing, What’s different about creative writing, Information and creativity, Creative genres, Forms of Writing, Form, Structure, Purpose, Creative Writing resources, What is needed for success, The business of writing, Getting published, Self publishing, Vanity publishing, Terminology.
Lesson 2. Basic Creative Writing Skills
Words and their proper use, Types of language, Informative language, Persuasive, Imaginative, Literal, Figurative, Formal, Colloquial language, Parts of language (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, plurals, possessive nouns & pronouns, gender, adjectives, articles); Common grammatical errors (fragmented sentences, run on sentences, comma splices, dangling modifiers. Run on sentences, irregular verbs, Whom or who, Pronouns and Antecedents, Punctuation, Creating and critiquing, Generating ideas, Developing ideas, Narrative theory, Storyline, Narrative structure, Settings or scenes, Mood or atmosphere, Time, Voice, Point of view, Creative reading.
Lesson 3. Writing Clearly and Concisely
Making things clear, Slice of life fiction, Conciseness and Succinctness, Understanding ambiguity, Causes of ambiguity, Doubt and ambiguity, Hinge points and ambiguity, Defamiliarisation.
Lesson 4. Planning What You Write
Writing routine, Establishing a theme, Organising ideas, Paragraphing, Writing a synopsis, Titles, Developing objectives.
Lesson 5. Writing Fiction
Elements, Clues, Signs, Common errors, Scope or Range, Theme problems, Authenticity problems, Tone problems.
Lesson 6. Writing Non-fiction
Creative non fiction, scope, Developing ideas, Narration, Story line, Deduction, Induction, Classical Development, Chronological development, Analogy, Cause and effect, Classification, Comparison and contrast, Definition, Analysis, Developing a profile, Interviews.
Lesson 8. Newspaper Writing
What to write, Scope, News values, Writing guidelines, Regular columns, Fillers.
Lesson 9. Writing for Magazines
Scope of magazine writing, What publishers want, Magazine articles, Travel writing, Writing for public relations, Selling your work.
Lesson 10, Writing Books
Themes, Consistency, Believability, Variety, Getting started, Getting a contract, Book publishing, Non fiction books, Fact finding.
Lesson 11 Special Project
Organising a portfolio to sell yourself.
WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE
Some of the activities and exercises that you will do as part of this course are:
- Analyse three texts to identify their genres, describe their layout, and any key elements;
- Locate a vanity publisher and a well-known publisher and obtain information on their submitting requirements;
- Write part of a newspaper feature article in 3 different ways, using 3 different types of language to create different impressions;
- Critique a piece of your own writing (250 words or more), noting its good points and its weaknesses;
- Develop one short scene for three different storylines, letting the setting, characters, dialogue and action show what is happening, what might have gone before and what might follow;
- Make notes on two authors' uses of concealing and revealing (transparency and ambiguity), and analyse their effectiveness in each case;
- Describe a place or person in your life from two completely different perspectives;
- Rewrite an assignment in a different voice
- Use defamiliarisation to make a common object appear mysterious, or dangerous, or alien.
- Discuss the organisation of texts, considering why the authors might have organised their texts this way, and discuss how the structures contribute to the overall effectiveness of the text;
- Write a first draft in 3 hours, without editing;
- Edit the draft for structure, clarity, flow of ideas, content, mood, voice etc.
- Edit 3 items of your writing (include one short story) for clarity and succinctness; explain your changes;
- Research likely publishers for one of your stories and submit it.
- Construct outlines of fiction stories using the first and last sentences of published works.
- List 3 possible non-fiction writing projects for specific publishers, and explain your choices;
- Write three outlines for non-fiction pieces, modeled on the outlines of your three creative writing readings;
- Interview someone in preparation for writing a profile on that person. Explain why you think that person might be of interest to others.
Aims
- Describe elements and forms of creative writing.
- Develop skills that will help a writer generate, evaluate and communicate ideas in creative writing.
- Discuss the functions of clear writing, and the art of revealing and concealing in writing.
- Establish theme and structure as planning tools.
- Identify and discuss various forms of fiction writing and publishing opportunities.
- Analyse different non-fiction genres to determine key elements and strategies.
- Analyse different forms of creative writing commonly found in newspapers.
- Analyse magazine articles to determine what makes a good feature article.
- Discuss the main elements of book writing, including theme, organisation, and weaving different narrative threads into a unified whole.
- Prepare a portfolio of creative writing ready for submission and of future ideas.
Where can this course lead?
Learning to write well can help with every aspect of your life. It can get you out of sticky situations, help you to better express your views and improve your employment prospects.
The pen is indeed mightier than the sword! If you are keen for a change of career or simply wish to nurture your creative side then this Creative Writing Course is for you.
Want to be a famous writer? Gain an insight -Read this article written by one of ACS's tutors.
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 hours long 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.
