Creative Writing 101

Introduction

Do you like to write? Does answering letters come naturally to you? Do you often note down anecdotes or scraps of verse, or dream up plots for stories?

Do you enjoy rewriting or improving experiences in your mind? Do you make up conversations or descriptions? Can you forecast what a character in a soapie serial is going to say or do next? If an acquaintance has an adventure, do you imagine it in detail? Do you think about how you would have reacted if it had been you? Do you think about other ways it might have turned out? Do you fall in love with book characters? Do you sometimes find them stiff or wooden? Do you know the perfect way to plan a heist, even though you’re too law-abiding to carry it out? Did you write for fun as a child? Did your teachers think you were good at writing? Have you written things for fun or self-expression since leaving full-time education? Do you daydream a lot? Does music or colour change your mood? Do you enjoy research and picking up bits of trivia?

Have you written stories or novels and submitted them to publishers? Have you had some success, but less than you would like? Have you written stories and not submitted them to anyone? Have you had a rejection letter (or six) that you didn’t understand? Or do you just feel that you’d like to write, but don’t quite know where to start? Have you looked at brochures for creative writing classes and maybe found them intimidating or a bit expensive for your needs? Are you afraid of being taught to write like someone else instead of yourself?

If several of these questions have you nodding or smiling in rueful recognition, then Introduction to Creative Writing is the course for you. It is fun and informal, and specialises in practical advice. You will not be studying the classics, or learning how to write in an academic fashion. There will be no formal essays.

There will, however, be writing exercises, always with a practical purpose. The purpose of each exercise will be fully explained, and any technical terms made clear. Best of all, you will be learning to use your existing skills and talents to better advantage.

Matters covered in this course will include 'Genres', 'Getting Started', 'Plots and Themes', 'Planning Stories', 'Controlling Length', 'Characters', and 'Style'. There will also be a segment on using your own background, and some tips on fitting creative writing into a normal life.

What Students Are Saying...
It was interesting and I had fun doing the exercises. The books Ms. Odgers wrote or used as examples sounded pretty good!

Course was great, Sally was very helpful. The subject matter was very worthwhile for an introduction, and the convenience of on-line presentation meant that I could delay study until I had time.

I admire Sally’s techniques and her professionalism, and highly recommend this course to anyone wishing to discover, begin developing, or hone their writing skills. Jodi Wetherup

I found Sally’s style easy to follow and her light touch made difficult, though important, subjects both entertaining and informative. John Neill

Lessons

Click here to see course syllabus