Are you a beginner writer? Do you know you want to put pen to paper but not know where to start? This eight-week online creative writing course, based on writing workshops I give in the North East of England, will give you an introduction to the basic elements of creative writing from prose fiction to poetry. The course is entirely free and you can work through it at your own pace. Feel free to ask any questions along the way by posting in the comments box. If you would like feedback on your work we charge £5 per exercise (payable via Paypal). In addition to this we offer a reasonably priced critiquing service. But if you don’t want feedback, that’s fine too.
The creative writing course will cover:
- Releasing your creativity and finding your niche: poetry or prose.
- How to write a short story. Narrative and plot development
- Writing from a point of view
- Active vs passive writing - bringing your writing to life.
- Character development.
- Writing dialogue.
- An Introduction to poetry.
- Getting into print.
For a list of recommended reading, please see the creative writing section of my bookshop. Buy them, borrow them from your library, whatever, but try to get a look at them. In particular, The Creative Writing Coursebook is as close to a setwork for this course as you’re going to get - this one’s worth having on your shelf.
>> Click here to get started.
Happy writing!
Welcome to The Crafty Writer, published by Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, editor, author, playwright, screenwriter and writing teacher. This site is full of information and resources to help you to become a better writer. 
Hi Fi,
Sorry I missed last week. Feeling a lot better now. I wrote a short story. Do you want me to send it to you, or just bring it in on Wednesday?
Take Care love
Tammy
xxxx
Your professional critique is badly needed. If you have time, it might interest you to go through some of the fiction stuff I have posted up on my fiction blog at http://siquijoriantales.blogspot.com. Comments coming from a published writer like you is definitely an honor. Thanks, thanks, thanks.
Miss
I am beginner writer. i want take participate in this course plz send me relevent study material.
Hello Attia. This is the course. Just work through the material online in your own time. Click on each number 1 - 8 and you will get the next session. If you’ve got any questions or comments just leave them at the bottom of each session like you’ve done here. Good luck with it and happy writing.
I am a teacher from Pakistan and am very grateful to people like you who offer help to people like me who have a thirst for knowledge but cannot physically or financially be part of your learning program.Please tell me how i can be part of your brilliant program
Yours Thankfully
Nazneen
Hello Nazneen, everything you need is already on the site. Just work through the eight sessions (links above) in your own time. If you have any problems, just contact me. I hope you enjoy the course.
i want study the technical writing what are the advanages and how to study the technical writing course, pleasesend the informain as early as possible
Hi Parameswara. I don’t offer a technical writing course, just a creative writing course and a non-fiction writing course. Perhaps by technical you mean non-fiction - ie factual. Which ever one you want to study, just click on the green or blue block on the home-page and it will take you to the course. All you have to do is click on each session listed 1 - 8 and it will take you to the course material. Just work through it at your own pace.
I would like to join the free eight week course in Creative Writing.
I understand that it is an on line course, please correct me if I’m wrong
I’m not an experienced write but I do have an honours degree in Economic History with English to pass degree level.I also have many years ago experience of teaching language and literature.
I started your course yesterday and want to continue from where I stopped which was excercise 3
This is the first time that I have studied on line and I am just getting used to handling the online creative writing course.I have reached excercise 3.
I woulg like to study excercise 3
Hi Jean, I don’t know what else I can tell you other than what I already have. You are already on the right page so you obviously know how to get there. Take your mouse and move your cursor over the list of sessions 1 - 8. Each session is hyperlinked which means that when you click on it it will take you to the next session. When you’ve finished that, go back to this introduction page and click on the next session. If you’re still struggling, perhaps you can find someone who knows a bit more about computers to help you navigate. Good luck.
Thank-you for your help. I have completed excercise 3 and am now ready to proceed to excercise 4
I found excercise 3 stimulating as the encouragement to express myself on someone else’s terms created by my own work made me more disciplined in creative application.I am looking forward to completing excercise 4 when I find it and if it’s available.
Hi Jean, glad you enjoyed session 3. Session 4 is constantly available - the whole course is. Follow the instructions I’ve given you before and you should get to it. Good luck and happy wriing.
When will the next classes take place. If I have not already missed them.
Sincerely,
Tracie Wallace
Hi Tracie. The course is now constantly online. Just click on the first session and get startted. Good luck and happy writing.
please i wish to apply for the free on line course.am interested
please isnt there any forms i could fill? how do i know that i have been admitted
Hi Essenanwan. There are no forms and no application process. The course is already ‘live’ online. Just take your mouse and click on the link to the first session in the list above and you can get started. Work through it in your own time. Happy writing!
Would like to join this course. How do i go about doing this?
Hi Jenny. You just click on the first session - in the list above - and work you way through it. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions along the way. This was a ‘real time’ course in , but now that it’s finished it’s free for anyone who wants to do it. To get to the next session there should be links at the end of each session, if not, just come back to this page. Happy writing.
Hello there, I am interested in taking your Creative Writing course. Please let me know how I would go about signing up. Thank you.
Dear Fiona,
Just wanted to take a moment to Thank You for your writing course. I’ve been searching for weeks for all the info I possibly could get a hold of. The entire page is so full of info. Finally I can stop spending hours searching and start learning. I just finished lesson one and about to do exercise 3.I felt after hours, of being chained to my computer and getting no where, I was losing any ability I might have ( piting my self). I have a lot to learn and have learned so much in just one lesson, and appreciate your site. Thanks again for taking the time to set it up and leaving it for people like me who are so hungry to become writers. I can’t wait to move on to lesson 2.
Sincerly
B.Spiegelhoff
Thank you Brenda, you’ve really made my day. How very kind of you. Good luck with the rest of the course and happy writing.
Fiona
Hi, I am interested in taking your course. I have taken Creative Writing before at my school, but couldn’t because of my course load this semester.
Welcome to the Crafty Writer Kelly and thanks for introducing yourself. Just work your way through the course and shout if you have any queries or comments. There’s someone called Jamie doing the course at the moment too, so hi if you ’see’ him / her (not sure of the gender Jamie, sorry.
Hi Fiona,
I’d just begun the first session and decided to go back and read some of the comments left on this site. I don’t know where you get the patience to respond to the same question over and over again, but you do a fabulous job of it! I’m hoping to use your course in expanding my own skills in marketing. I am a single parent of 4 so both the time and finances to attend traditional classes is not an option. To that end, I really want to express my thanks to you for making this online course available. Regardless of wether I can apply what I learn in my career or not I’m sure to have a lot of fun along the way! Thank you again.
how am i supposed t join your course?
Hi Rahul,
Just work through the sessions listed at the top of this page at your own leisure. There is no enrolment form to fill in. If you would like feedback on any of the exercises, please contact me. I charge £5 per excercise payable by paypal. But you don’t have to get the feedback and can just work through the course on your own for free
Happy writing,
Fiona
Hello: I was just wondering if your courses could be done online.
Thank you
Charlie
Hi Charlie. This course and the non-fiction course are free online. Just work through the material in your own time. If you have any questions, just ask.
What a wonderful idea and what an incredibly generous person you are for providing this service to budding authors.
Thank you.
What a lovely thing to say Steve, thank you! Now, if only I can figure out how to make this free service tax deductable … do aspirant authors qualify for charity status?
Hope you enjoy the course Steve.
Hi
I;d like to start the creative writing course. i currently live overseas. Can u please tell me what i need to do?
Thanx
Hi Reza. We have people from all over the world doing this course. There’s no need to enrol, just click on the first session and work your way through it in your own time. Shout if you have any questions. Happy writing, Fiona.
i love to be part of course.i believe enroll to the program is sharpen my sense of imagination and thinking faculty.
Good morning,
I am about to commence with the creative writing course. Just thought i would introduce myself and send a warm hello from Australia.
Welcome Anni and happy writing!
Hi, I just want to say thank you for offering this. I haven’t started it yet, but from what I’ve read, I think it may be just what I’m looking for. I am currently a freelance writer and have been published extensively on the web and in a couple of print magazines and newspapers, but I’m really itching to write a novel. I need to learn how to write fiction a lot better! Thank you so much, and I can hardly wait to start!
This site helped me so much in my writing. Thank you!
Lori and Regina, you’re welcome! Happy writing to both of you. Fiona.
When is the first lesson of free creative writing class?
Hi Romina. If you read through the comments before yours you’ll see that this course is ongoing. Just click on the first session and get started. Happy writing.
Hi, I have always loved writing, and now that I am in school for film production, screenwriting is much needed. I am so glad that this course exist.
Now that I’m making inroads into screenwriting myself, I’ve found that the creative writing techniques of prose in general have served me well in the transition. I would advise all screenwriters to do a general creative writing course in order to develop their storytelling and characterisation techniques.
Hi Fiona,
I have just found your website and I have gone through the first 3 exercises. I really enjoyed doing this. Thank you so much for putting this course up.
In the third exercise I found the poem easy to write and had it completed in a very short time. I don’t know if it is a good poem though. I took longer on the prose but I think it portrays my creative thought much better than the poem does. I wrote 282 words and the story could be longer.
Glad you’re enjoying it Christina. Keep on writing!