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Creative Writing

The winner of the 2009 Katherine Mansfield Short Story Competition (novice section for previously unpublished writers) studied this Creative Writing course.

It's fun to write from your imagination. It's mentally satisfying to write really well.

During this one year course, aspiring fiction writers learn the basic techniques of many different styles and genres. By the time you graduate (with a diploma) you will know how to write stories with a proper beginning, middle, and tidy ending; how to create characters your readers either love or hate; how to put a plot together so your readers want to know what happens next (we call that a page-turner); how to use “dialogue” to move your story along; how to switch scenes and time zones. You will become reasonably proficient at these writer’s skills. Warning: becoming an expert fiction writer takes a lifetime, but all accomplished authors have to start somewhere.

This is the right place to start. It’s where Karen Phillips started. She was only part way through when one of her course assignment stories won the Katherine Mansfield award!

You will learn a little about a lot. For instance, how to write a short story, novella, poetry, memoir, family history, personal journal, autobiography, plus various other forms of fiction.

When this course is completed you will be ready to specialise. You might choose from: writing more sophisticated short stories, novel, poetry, song writing, stories for children, romance, mystery, historical, fantasy, life stories, family history, biography etc. All your options are OPEN.

Students also enjoy a significant though unexpected benefit. Their improved writing skill means they create better quality letters, emails, work documents, reports, blogs, websites etc. Even their general conversation is peppered with fresh insights inspired by newly discovered authors.

Please wait until you’ve graduated before you decide whether writing will stay as a fun part time hobby, or whether you will take on paid (commissioned) writing work. You’ll be introduced to these options during the course. Exciting times lie ahead, even if you’ve never done creative writing since your school days. Age and infirmity are no barriers when your mind is kept active.

The Institute Prospectus gives you complete information on the Creative Writing course, including tuition fees. The Enrolment Application form is contained within. Complete the boxes below and you will get an instant email with the course Prospectus as a pdf attachment.