Creative Writing for Beginners

Learn the craft of storytelling with our writing short courses in Sydney!

Every great story starts with a spark of an idea, but turning that spark into a story that grips a reader takes a few key skills. Creative writing gives us a way to play with ideas, explore other lives and perspectives, and discover our own voice on the page. With some encouragement and regular practice, anyone can begin to write with more confidence and imagination.

In this creative writing for beginners course, we will explore the building blocks of fiction and creative prose through lively reading discussions, short exercises and guided writing time. Over eight weekly sessions, we will look at how stories begin, how characters and scenes come alive, and how to develop a draft through revision.

Please note: Sharing your writing in class is entirely optional, and all feedback focuses on craft choices in a supportive environment.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this creative writing course, you should be able to:

• Generate original story ideas and craft engaging openings
• Create vivid scenes, distinctive characters and evocative settings
• Use dialogue, point of view and structure with greater intention
• Revise your work constructively and establish a realistic writing habit

Course content

What will be covered in this creative writing for beginners course?

• Beginnings, hooks and generating ideas. Learn how to turn an ordinary situation into a compelling opening.
• Show, don’t tell. Explore how sensory detail, action and scene can engage readers.
• How to create compelling characters. Build believable characters with tensions and contradictions.
• Setting and atmosphere. Explore how to make place active in a story and use it to shape mood.
• Dialogue and conflict. Reveal character and tension through what is said and what is left unsaid.
• Point of view and voice. Explore how perspective and audience can change a story.
• Plot, structure and story. Shape a narrative through selection, sequence and recurring detail.
• Revision and writing practice. Learn how to rework a draft and plan your next steps as a writer.

Intended audience

Who is this creative writing course for? This course is for anyone who is curious about writing fiction or creative prose, including complete beginners and people returning to writing after a break. No prior experience is needed.

Course venue

Where is my class located?

This course is delivered live online via Zoom. A link to join each session will be emailed to you before the course begins.

Course materials

What to bring to class

• A computer, laptop or tablet with a stable internet connection, webcam and microphone
• Zoom installed and tested before your first session
• A notebook and pen, or a device for writing on
• Any writing you have started and would like to develop (optional)