Welcome to the Creative Writing for High School Students Course at SA Writers' College.
In creative writing you are trying to tell a story and create a mood. You want the reader to be swept away into another world that you create for them. You want to ignite their emotions. This course will teach you how to do that.
This course is for anyone who wants to spruce up their creative writing essays at school. It is also for aspirant writers who dream of getting published one day.
The course offers expert, one-on-one training, line by line, from a professional, award-winning writer, Helen Brain.
Course Details:
-
Modules: 10 Modules
-
Duration: Course can be completed at own pace: up to three months
-
Start date: At any time; applications all year round via our website
Student must complete:
-
42 writing exercises of varying length
Admission Requirements:
-
Basic writing skills are essential
-
Computer skills, e-mail and Internet access required
-
Must be between 13 and 16 years of age
Tutor for this course : Helen Brain
Course Curriculum
Module 1 - Three Basic Tools
|
-
Understand Latinate versus Anglo-Saxon words.
-
Show don't tell
-
Cut back unnecessary words
-
Assignments: Four short exercises
|
Module 2 - Introducing the three elements of Creative Writing
|
-
Action
-
Description
-
Dialogue
-
Assignments: Five exercises of varying length
|
Module 3 - Dialogue
|
-
Basic punctuation rules to improve reading dialogue
-
Cutting dialogue tags
-
Using action instead of dialogue tags
-
Reported speech and dialogue
-
Observing people talking
-
Assignments: Six exercises of varying length
|
Module 4 - Description
|
-
Using sensory details
-
Setting description
-
Finding the correct level of detail
-
Creating images in your readers head
-
Assignments: Five exercises of varying length
|
Module 5 - Action
|
-
Writing action
-
Body language
-
Using action to build characters
-
Verbs or adverbs?
-
Assignments: Five exercises of varying length
|
Module 6- What is a scene?
|
-
What is a scene?
-
Different kinds of scene
-
Balancing dialogue, description and action
-
Writing your own scene
-
Assignments: Five exercises of varying length
|
Module 7- Building a scene layer by layer
|
-
Creating a scene from a given synopsis
-
Assignments: Write two short scenes
|
Module 8 - Write a Practice Scene
|
-
How to create "back stories"
-
Assignments: Four exercises of varying length
|
Module 9 - Preparing to Write your own Scene
|
-
How to prepare for writing your own scene
-
Assignments: Five exercises of varying length
|
Module 10 - Write Your Own Scene
|
-
Writing your own scene
-
The use of feedback, editing and rewrites
-
Assignments: Submit one scene for review
|
|
|
How does the course work?
Students will receive a 100-page course manual consisting of 10 modules, either in MS Word or PDF, depending on the student's preference. These modules will be e-mailed to the student as he or she progresses through the course.
Each module will contain:
-
Relevant theory pertaining to the field
-
Practical and writing tips
-
Practical assignments that build towards the word count of the manuscript
Once the writing assignment has been completed, and e-mailed to the tutor, an assessment and feedback will be sent to the student, and the module will be considered complete.
Students can also participate in ongoing online discussions by posting comments about the materials covered in the course, as well as give feedback to students who have posted their pieces in the Discussion Forum.
Conditions of Certification:
Students will receive an SA Writers' College Certificate upon successful completion of the course, provided they meet the following conditions:
-
Students must have completed all assignments
-
The course must have been completed within three months of registration.
-
Students are expected to attain a minimum average of 50% for the course
Minimum Estimated Time Commitment:
This is hard to predict, as some people are simply faster writers than others. However, each module should take approximately one hour to complete. This means a minimum of ten hours of writing for the course.
