Writing Short Stories Course.

Introduction.

If you READ short stories, this writing course shows you, the novice writer, (or developing writer who may lack confidence), how to develop from story reader to story writer.

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Your journey takes about a year, but you can go faster. By the time you graduate you should have a collection of short stories completed. Some could be up to story magazines quality. Or ezines. (They both mean you can receive royalty payments.)

Independent self-publishing on Amazon Kindle, Smashwords and Lulu are exciting new options for today’s writers. One good story can produce a passive income for 50 years.

Each of the eight tutorials teaches you something new and exciting. Your personal tutor will guide you with constructive feedback and helpful advice as you progress through the course. This is fun, not drudgery. It’s healthy mental stimulation.

Keen readers make the best new writers. If you have made a start at writing short stories and given up in frustration, welcome back. No new writer should struggle alone. Just follow the steps prepared for you, as you would a road map.

In this course you’ll learn how to write all kinds of stories. There are hundreds of magazines and publishers looking for new stories in every category. Mystery, romance, historical, fantasy, adventure, children’s, sea, war, sport – they want all kinds of stories. They welcome exciting new authors.

Get Brochure.

Complete the short form below to download the prospectus.

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The Enrolment Application is contained within the download and is also available online.
Please email ([email protected]) or call if you have any questions. Toll Free: 0800 80 1994 International: +64 9 272 3974.

Testimonials.

More Testimonials

You Receive.


  • Tutoring from New Zealand industry experts

  • Course books, folder and stationery pack

  • Printed copies of all course materials

  • Cutting edge eLearning systems for online learning option

  • Access to online forums to network with other students and tutors

  • Support from admin staff to help you through the learning experience

  • Training from a trusted distance learning institute with over 30 years of experience

Tutor Profile.

Joan is a professional writer, teacher, lecturer and mentor to new writers. Joan has been a travel agent and extensive world traveller. Joan has been our tutor since 1996.

Her skills cover creative writing, journalism, family history and play scripts. During 1999-2001 Joan was President of NZ Society of Authors. This required her to travel widely and represent NZSA authors in dealing with publishers etc.

Joan’s own work includes these novels: Cast Two ShadowsVoyagersCanterbury TalesMother Tongue and her latest novel, Yes; a play: The Stars Go Down; instructional guides for writers: Writing Your Family History and So You Want To Write. You’ll find Joan very patient and helpful.

Joan Rosier-Jones

Caroline Barron

Caroline Barron is an author, manuscript assessor and book coach, book reviewer and Creative New Zealand peer assessor. Caroline’s passion for helping writers find their voice and improve their writing craft is at the heart of her work.

Caroline has a Masters in Creative Writing and a journalism degree. She was a trustee of Michael King Writers Centre for four years, where she led the committee responsible for selecting residency recipients, and was on the selection panel for the New Zealand Society of Authors Complete Manuscript Assessment Programme.

Caroline’s book Ripiro Beach: A Memoir of Life After Near Death won the 2020 New Zealand Heritage Literary Award for Non-fiction. Her recent awards also include: 2021 Ngaio Marsh Award nominee (Ripiro Beach); 2020 National Flash Fiction Day (Auckland region winner); 2020 Surrey Hotel Residency (shortlisted); 2018 New Zealand Heritage Literary Award (winner, short prose); 2018 NZSA CompleteMS programme recipient; and winner of the 2015 NZSA LiIian Ida Smith Award. Her website is carolinebarronauthor.com.

Writing has been a life-long passion for Joanna, with a first chapter book published in serial form in the Nelson Evening Mail when she was nine followed by high school prizes for poetry and essays. She has written everything from articles for trade and interest journals, interpretation panels and brochures on historical, environmental, and cultural topics, to award-winning fiction and non-fiction books that range from social and environmental history to historical and adventure novels for children, young adults, and adults.

Mentoring and supporting other writers has always been part of her writing life, including critiques for writers during thirty years’ experience as an editor/writing tutor for the Forest Research Institute and Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, student mentoring for Hagley Writers’ Institute, and for the last five years has been a mutual critiquer of historical fiction with a small peer group of international writers.

Joanna has been short-listed six times in the Children’s Book of the Year Awards, twice winning her category. Two of her non-fiction titles for adults won New Zealand Awards in History, her historical novel Shifting Currents was short-listed in the 2021 Heritage Book awards, and Riccarton and the Deans family was a finalist in the 2016 Heritage Book Awards. Joanna was the 2009 University of Otago College of Education Children’s Writer in Residence.

Joanna Orwin

What You'll Learn.

1. Getting Started

2. Writing Needs Ideas

3. Life As Fiction

4. Creating Characters

5. Great Dialogue

6. Exploring Genre

7. Words, Words

8. How To Edit

NZIBS Writing Blog.

  • Beyond Words: The Role of Setting in Creative Writing
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  • Benefits of Writing Poetry
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  • No More Lemons! | Kirsty Geary
    Someone very wise once said when life gives you lemons, make lemonade (Elbert Hubbard in 1915 specifically, thanks Google). I decided that I’d had my share of s …
  • Proofreader vs Spell Check
    Proofreading and spell checking are tools that can improve the quality of written content, but they offer different benefits. Here are five benefits of using a …
More Testimonials

FAQs.

We have been operating since 1991 and have thousands of graduates all over the world. Our courses are conducted by correspondence. You decide when and where you study. The course material (including books) is sent to you, and you submit your assignments regularly. You don't have to take time off work or travel to classes.