Hi all,

This looks to be a great site and am looking forward to reading more.

I am after some advice I want to do a writers course but have no idea which one, can you recommend any?
I have loads of ides for writing but have NO idea how to put my work onto paper and find an audience for it....if you know what I mean!

Any help appreciated :-)

Hi HoneyBlue
welcome to the site. Our site hosts will be around I'm sure if you need help navigating.
Re. courses- are you looking for something online or face-to-face course? and in what area, general creative writing, or focusing on something like short fiction?

Hi
A home study course would be good, in general creative writing I guess.

Hi Honeyblue, and welcome to WW

You could have a look at the OU courses, which are all online, including forums so you can workshop work and interact with your fellow-students. There are short 12-week Level One courses in particular form - fiction, poetry etc., or a longer Level Two course, A215 which covers fiction, poetry and life writing, and is very good.

http://www.open.ac.uk/start-writing/index.html
http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/a215/index.html

Your local FE college may well have 'start writing' courses, so that's a place too look too.

Another option which is a real kick-start, if you can clear a week, is an Arvon Foundation course, which are residential.

http://www.arvonfoundation.org/p3.html

If you really feel you don't know where to start with getting words down you could start with a how-to book, and save the money for a course for when you feel you've got as far as you can on your own, and also when you know your own writerly self a bit more and can decide what kind of course would suit you best.

The textbook for the OU A215 course, Creative Writing edited by Linda Anderson, is available to buy and it's excellent. Another good one is The Creative Writing Coursebook ed. by Julia Bell and Paul Magrs. Another classic for getting going, though more about finding and shaping your own writing, and less about learning technique, is Dorothea Brande's Becoming a Writer.

Alternatively, just sit down and decide you're going to write a story. Think up a person - a character - with an urgent need or desire, start writing what they do to get that need/desire fulfilled, think up something which gets in the way, and write your way towards what happens when the need and the obstacle gets in the way... The story ends with that climax/crisis/clash, and some of the fallout from it, so that the reader understands what's changed from the beginning of the story.

Then join a suitable WW group, post the piece, and start looking at what others write - you'll learn as much from commenting on theirs as you will from their comments on yours.

Good luck!

Emma

Or try this, Honeyblue:

http://www.oca-uk.com/distance-learning/writing-1-starting-to-write

I did a level 2 OCA writing course (Storylines) and found it helpful. I had been writing for some time which is why I chose level 2. A friend of mine did the level 1 Starting to Write and found it very useful.

They are distance learning courses and the timescale is flexible - you can start at any time and go at your own pace, within reason. This is different from most OU courses afaik.

Best wishes,

Deb

<Added>

I have also done two residential Arvon courses and agree with Emma that they're very worthwhile.

Thanks very much all for the ideas...I will certainly look into them all, although a residential course would be out at the moment ;-(

Deb, thanks - I'd forgotten about the OCA, and that structure can work very well if life is complicated...

Emma

Hi, Honeyblue, and welcome to Writewords.

If you need any help navigating the site just give us a shout.



- NaomiM

Hi there,
I am new to this site to. It really is a good site and very useful. I am in the middle of a writing course. It is a comprehensive writing course by The Writers Bureau. I find it really really useful and covers everything you need to know, from the basics to selling your work. They even offer a money back guarantee if you have not sold the value of your course fees by the time you have completed the course. It appears to be highly thought of and there are no time limits.
I am sure there a many many good courses available...I just found this one to be perfect for me.
Good luck
Carlton

Thanks Carlton thats really interesting because I have all their info but was put off by a couple of bad reviews...but before I read them I really liked the sound of it!!
Will have a look again I think!

Writer's Bureau is one of those marmite courses: you either love it or hate it. It is something you need to have the time to commit to, otherwise you start begrudging the cost.

<Added>

I've heard their courses are skewed towards writing short pieces for magazines, rather than novels.

Twenty years ago I did a Writer's Bureau course and thought it was cr*p. But they may have improved - I don't know. I would treat them with caution IIWY, Honeyblue.

Deb

Hi Honeyblue,

It is interesting to see the comments about the writers bureau from other members. All I can say is that I am doing it and enjoying it. I would not say it is directed towards any area, but appears to cover all areas. Im new to all of this so it may be worth listening to members with more experience. Its confusing when you start out. To be honest, this site really is the most useful tool.
Good luck. Let me know what you choose as I may do another course after this one.
Cheers
Carlton

We also offer a range of courses here at WriteWords- see here