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WRITING FICTION BWR105

Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification
Statement of Attainment

Why Study Fiction Writing?

Fiction writing is a large proportion of the book and eBook market. In recent years, we have seen a massive growth and interest in fiction stories, due to promotions on social media and changing trends in the writing industry.

Fiction writing includes writing books, ebooks, short stories, articles, blogs, vlogs, content etc.

Fiction is writing that includes imaginary characters, events and/or settings created by the writer.   

There are so many different types of fiction writing, such as -

  • 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 start for the aspiring writer - it will enhance your confidence through tutor support and encouragement.
  • Or existing writers who want to improve their writing.
  • Workshop your work - gain great insights and informative critiques.
  • Builds confidence.
  • Improves writing skills and fundamentals involved in the creative writing process.
  • Well-suited to writers wanting a better understanding of genres, modes of writing and writing styles

What Will You Learn in This Course?

One aspect of this course involves both factual information geared to developing an understanding of processes. Another major part of this course involves you undertaking practical tasks of writing pieces of your own fiction; and analyzing the writing of other authors.

Fiction is writing that encompasses imaginary characters, events and/or settings created by the writer. All of the components of a fictitious story do not necessarily need to be fictitious though:

  • Imaginary characters might be set in a real world setting such as a well-known city or a particular country.
  • Characters might be fictitious but set in a “real” event. For example, you might write about the experiences of a fictitious character during World War II.
  • Real characters may be used for a fictitious story that embraces an imaginary event or setting (e.g. a story about William Shakespeare travelling through time; or something more realistic, like a summer’s holiday at a fictitious beach resort, taken by a famous historical figure such as Mozart).

In this course you will study various types of fiction writing and learn how to apply various techniques to hone your craft. The course also looks at the nitty gritty of how to go about submitting a manuscript and getting your work published.

  • Learn to write fiction from our highly experienced tutors.
  • Develop your creativity with this Fiction Writing course.
  • Improve your fiction writing skills with this great online course.
  • Learn the basics of plot development, characterisation and developing your own style.
  • Study different genres of writing and identify the characteristics that set them apart from each other.
  • Learn how to plan a novel and submit a manuscript.

 Above all, learn how to turn your germ of an idea into a potentially publishable work.

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

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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, a 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.

What Are the Advantages of Studying Writing with ACS Distance Education?

  • You can start at any time to suit you.
  • The courses are self-paced.
  • You can study when and where suits you. They are flexible to fit in around you and your lifestyle.
  • Keep up to date on your learning.
  • Update your CV.
  • It is not just a course, it is a package of learning that includes – course notes, tutor feedback, self-assessment tests, research tasks and assignments.
  • Our tutors are all experts in their field, with years of experience in writing.
  • They are also keen and enthusiastic about their subject and enjoy working with students to improve their knowledge and skills.
  • Courses are also updated regularly to meet the demands of the changing needs for knowledge and to keep our courses up to date.

What is Fiction Writing?

Fiction is writing that includes imaginary characters, events and/or settings created by the writer. All of the components of a fictitious story do not necessarily need to be fictitious though:

  • Imaginary characters might be set in a real world setting such as a well-known city or a particular country.
  • Characters might be fictitious, but set in a “real” event. For example, you might write about the experiences of a fictitious character during World War II.
  • Real characters may be used for a fictitious story that embraces an imaginary event or setting (e.g. a story about William Shakespeare travelling through time; 00or something more realistic, like a summer’s holiday at a fictitious beach resort, taken by a famous historical figure such as Mozart).

Two Types of Fiction

There are traditionally two types of fiction:

a) CATEGORY
Also referred to as ‘genre’, these stories have a distinct theme and as such are easy to categorise. Examples of category or genre fiction are science fiction, westerns, adventure, historical, romance, erotica, mystery, suspense, fantasy and war stories.

b) MAINSTREAM
These stories are aimed at the widest possible audience. They typically deal with most aspects of modern life including relationships, careers, and the search for success and fulfilment. Popular mainstream writers include Jeffrey Archer, Jackie Collins, Colleen McCullough and James Michener.

Student Comments:

"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.

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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

Writing for Childrenby John Mason and staff of ACS Distance Education
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.
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.