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WRITING FICTION BWR105

Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification
Statement of Attainment

WRITING FICTION Online Course

 

  • Flexible studies - self paced, start any time, work fast or slow as it suits - no fixed timetable, no cut off date (unlike some colleges)
  • Learn to structure a story, create drama and fantasy. Write novels and short stories.
  • Supported by professional writers, helping you each step of the way -submitted assignments in each lesson marked and returned with constructive feedback 
  • Study for professional development or personal interest.

It's easy to enrol...

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COURSE STRUCTURE

There are eight lessons in this module as follows:

1. Scope & Nature of Fiction

  • Elements of fiction writing,
  • Two types of fiction,
  • Characteristics of category fiction,
  • Characteristics of mainstream fiction,
  • Book, play or short story,
  • Category stories,
  • Getting an idea,
  • Backstory,
  • Types of writing,
  • Theme development,
  • Writing an analogy,
  • Writing a balanced theme,
  • Are you suited for writing,
  • Imagination,
  • Being informed,
  • Human behaviour,
  • The importance of focus,
  • Terminology.

2. Components of a Story

  • Beginning, middle and end
  • Components of a story,
  • What is a story,
  • Basic story structure,
  • Theme,
  • Plot,
  • Characterisation,
  • Setting,
  • Style,
  • Aspects of style,
  • Case study of genre - romance.

3. Technique - The Creative Process

  • Conception,
  • Developing a plot,
  • Systematic approach,
  • The creative process starts with conception,
  • Writing a synopsis of the story
  • Developing a story
  • Examples of plot structure,
  • Method writing,
  • Developing characters,
  • Where do characters come from,
  • Changing characters,
  • Appropriate characters, names,
  • Avoiding stereotypes,
  • Writing a draft,
  • Editing and rewriting,
  • Reviewing your draft.  

4. Conception and Research

  • Conceiving a story,
  • Real life observations,
  • Start with a fantasy setting,
  • Parts of conception,
  • Make your conception original,
  • Researching for writers,
  • Types of research,
  • Planning a formal survey.

5. Drama

  • Writing a dramatic story,
  • Common mistakes in writing dramatic stories,
  • Time shifting,
  • Transition in time between events,
  • Changing protagonist,
  • Dramatic conflict, 
  • Motivation,
  • Dialogue,
  • Points of view,
  • Representing character's speech.

6. Fantasy -

  • Writing fantasy,
  • Science fiction,
  • Points to consider,
  • Writing fairy tales.

7. The Short Story

  • Writing a short story, Characteristics of the short story,
  • Common problems for short story writers.

8. The Novel

  • Writing a novel,
  • Planning your novel,
  • What makes a story endure,
  • Tips for writing a publishable novel,
  • Getting started, Submitting a manuscript, which publisher.

Aims

  • Describe the nature and scope of fiction writing.
  • Determine the components of a fiction story, as the first step in planning a story.
  • Determine a systematic approach to building a fiction story.
  • Develop your capacity to conceive fiction stories.
  • Develop your ability to write dramatic stories.
  • Develop your ability to write fantasy
  • Develop your ability to write short stories
  • Develop your ability to plan for success in the writing of a novel.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why Study Fiction Writing?

There has been a massive growth in the fiction market in recent years, due to trends in social media and the writing industry. Writing fictions offers so many genres and opportunities to use your imagination in your writing.  Create your own characters, your own world! Write vlogs, blogs, short stories, books, novellas, articles, content.

What Types of Fiction Writing Are There?

There are so many different types, but popular and common ones include - 

  • Fantasy
  • Fairy Tales
  • Fables
  • Myths
  • Legends
  • Science Fiction
  • Westerns
  • Drama
  • Romance
  • Comedy
  • Horror
  • Crime
  • Suspense
  • Erotica
  • Romantasy
  • And many other genres.

This fiction writing course will help you to develop and improve your writing skills in the fiction genre.

Who Is This Course Suitable For?

This course is a great way to gain confidence in your writing with support from our experts tutors.

It is useful for -

  • Beginners
  • Existing writers who want to improve their writing

What Will You Learn in This Course?

In the course, you will learn -

  • More on theory and tips for writing fiction.
  • Practical tasks to put this knowledge into practice.
  • How to write fiction.  
  • World build in your writing.
  • Create believable and interesting characters
  • Learn to develop drama and tension in your writing.
  • How to plan your writing.

 This course is suitable for professional/career development, CPD or personal interest.

Who are the Writing Tutors on the Course?

The course was written and developed by international writers and tutors, including –

John Mason - author of over 150 books, 2000+ articles, for a range of publishers including Simon and Schuster, Landlinks Press (CSIRO Publishing), Harper Collins and Hyland House.

Rosemary Davies – Horticultural writer and presenter. Full time columnist with the Herald and Weekly Times for years.  Worked for a number of companies in writing and publications.

Tracey Jones – Psychologist and writer. Course writer and developer for over 25 years. Fiction writer, particularly interested in supernatural fiction and folklore.

How does the course work?

The course requires around 100 hours of study.  It is made up of 8 lessons. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment to submit to your tutor for marking and feedback. You can also contact your tutor with any questions throughout the course.

What do our Writing students say? 

"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

I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. Thank you for making it available"  

 S. Cooke

What Next?

There are many different types of fiction; and once you learn the principles taught in this course, you should have a foundation to tackle whichever interests you.

Study Writing to improve your Fiction Writing and realise your dream of being a writer.

Always dreamed of writing a novel, short stories or screen plays?

This could be the course for you.

You can enrol today by clicking the “Enrol Now” button above.

Or

Click here to contact a writing tutor.

Or Request a Prospectus Here.
Courses can be started anytime from anywhere in the world!

Meet some of our academics

John MasonMr Mason has worked 45+ years in Writing, Education, Horticulture and Recreation. His experience in both public & private sectors is extensive; particularly across Australia and England.
Maggi BrownMaggi is regarded as an expert in organic growing throughout the UK, having worked for two decades as Education Officer at the world renowned Henry Doubleday Research Association. She has been active in education, environmental management and horticulture across the UK for more than three decades. Some of Maggi's qualifications include RHS Cert. Hort. Cert. Ed. Member RHS Life Member Garden Organic (HDRA) .
Tracey Jones (writing)Tracey has enjoyed creative writing since she was a child. She has had several short stories published and a novella. She is also a keen writer of children's stories and poetry. She has also written many academic and non-fiction books in the fields of psychology, sociology, child development, writing and marketing.


Check out our eBooks

Creative WritingThe Creative Writing ebook can be useful for writing students or even professional writers to help improve their writing techniques and skills. The Creative Writing ebook is a fabulous starting point for budding writers. The topics that are covered within this book are an introduction to creative writing, Methodology and technique- the building blocks of writing, Genres, Creative non-fiction, creative writing techniques, developing your skill, building your career and a Glossary.
English GrammarThe English Grammar ebook can be a great reference for students, people who are learning English and anybody who writes anything- ever. The English Grammar ebook takes grammar back to basics to help confirm correct use of grammar. Topics that are covered within this course include 1/ Introduction- the components of language, 2/ Types of words, 3/ Punctuation, 4/ Upper and lower case, abbreviations, numbers, bullet points and 5/ Using words together.
Professional WritingProfessional writing is any writing that you are being paid for. It can include fiction writing, a best-selling book, articles in a magazine, articles in a newspaper, blogs for companies, technical manuals or procedure manuals, copy for catalogues, newsletters, text books and other academic material and so on.
Writing for Childrenby John Mason and staff of ACS Distance Education