Creative writing is stimulating, but also challenging, and not always completely what the student expects it to be. If you want to be a successful, creative writer, and have the commitment to follow that dream then this course could be the path you have been looking for.

WHERE CAN CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS BE USED?

There are many different types of writing which may be regarded as creative writing. Occasionally, a genre may lose popularity and drift into obscurity. Likewise, every so often, a new genre may evolve which becomes subsumed under the canopy of creative writing. For instance, a relatively new genera is that of 'flash fiction'.  Flash fiction involves writing a very short story. There is no universal agreement of how short, but the word length ranges from 300 words to 1000 words.  

The chief categories of creative writing are poetry and prose. In fact, all writing is either poetry or prose. Whilst all poetry is creative, not all prose is. For instance, a statute is a written law which most would not consider to be creative writing - although the law itself may be quite inventive. Creative prose can include:

• Novels.
• Autobiographies.
• Magazine and newspaper articles.
• Plays.
• Film scripts, and more.
• Marketing and Advertising.
• Letters, emails, memos.
• Within prose and poetry are many subcategories.

Poetry

There are many different types of poetry ranging from ballads to rhyming couplets to free verse. Poets will develop their own style and way of writing their poems. Some poets may mostly write about specific topics such as nature, situations or events, or love. Others adopt a more eclectic approach to subject matter.

Essays

In the modern world, many people regard essays as something which are written at school. However, essays have long been a form of creative writing before they ever became a part of a school language curriculum. An essay is a piece of writing from the author’s point of view.

News Items

Although news items are not fictional, the way that the story is constructed involves some degree of creativity. Whilst most media outlets purport to be impartial in their coverage of events, this is clearly not always so. The use of words, phraseology, headline, and organisation of the story, all involve creative input. Next time you listen to the news, take note of how the story is presented, and think about how else the same story could have been presented to give greater emphasis to another aspect of it. If the news is on the television, you might also observe the news summary on the tickertape at the bottom of the screen. This is based on the bare facts of the story, but is still creative, albeit often in a sensational manner.

When it comes to the reporting of political news items, whilst a story may be expressed creatively, it is also often tainted with the bias of the reporter, or the broadcasting channel's or newspaper's underlying allegiance. Even the reporting of history is distorted by the views, and creativity, of whoever has told or written it. We must accept that the Bible, which to some is one of the best story books of all time, contains narratives which have been diluted over the years each time it has been rewritten. Even the original recording of events would have been influenced by the writer's interpretation and their biases.  

Spin Doctors

A spin doctor is spokesperson who gives a favourable version of events to the media or general public. Spin doctors are usually used by political parties. To be able to put a positive spin on a negative situation can require a great deal of creativity.  

Screenplays and Stage Plays

Whilst screenplays are written to appear on the cinema or television screen and stage plays are written for stage performances, there is a great deal of overlap in the two styles of writing. There are also some subtle differences too which relate to such things as:

• The amount of character speech used.
• Narration.
• How ambience is created.
• How characters position themselves for their respective audience.
• How they project their voice.

Novels

Novels are one of the most popular forms of creative writing, and novelists are perhaps the most influential role models for up-and-coming creative writers. Whilst poets such as John Betjeman, and stage play writers such as William Shakespeare are very well-known, in recent times many of the most famous writers have been novelists such as J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Charlaine Harris, Robert Ludlum, and so on. However, popularity, as with any other creative art, does not necessarily equate with talent.
 
There is no limit to the storyline for a novel, but there are fashions in terms of different genres that sell well at certain times. For instance, two of the authors listed above are associated with the popular teenage vampire genre of the mid-late noughties.
 
Recent changes in publishing, such as the growth of eBooks and internet sales, have seen more and more authors successfully self-publishing. In some cases, they may sell books themselves by installing secure checkouts on their own websites. Alternatively, they may sell through a third-party website which does the marketing and promotion for them exposing them to a larger audience and handles sales for a commission. In other cases, some authors have been successful in obtaining a publishing deal after self-publishing.

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 do our students think of the creative writing courses?

"I found the course to be extremely helpful. It has given me the confidence and skills to present my work to publishers."
Dilys, Creative Writing
 
"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, Creative Writing

What Next?

If you want to -

• Learn how to take your ideas and develop them.

• Find the type of writing that works for you and learn how to plan, produce and edit your own work ready to submit to publishers.

• Discover how to source publishers and submit drafts of your work.

Then this is the course for you.

Learn from our experience!

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

Or

Click here to contact a writing tutor.

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