advanced Creative
Non Fiction short course
Advanced Creative Non Fiction online course (six weeks)
The Advanced Creative Non Fiction course builds on the content covered in Sian’s Creative Non Fiction course. (Note: the Creative Non Fiction course is NOT a pre-requisite.)
The course involves two ‘live’ contact hours (online via Zoom) per week, 7 pm to 9 pm, and some homework writing and reading tasks. You will also receive private individual feedback on some of your work.
course content
Making your personal essays resonate
Great personal essays are pieces of creative non fiction writing, often written from the ‘I’ perspective, in which we can all recognise our own humanity because of their universal themes. We look at how to make sure your personal stories will resonate with a broad readership.
Working with rhythm and texture in your writing
We look at how to use a more interesting and varied approach to creating texture (including lengths of paragraphs, lengths of sentences, etc.) and how to employ rhythm in your writing.
Playing with form and content
Creative non fiction offers many avenues for being playful with form as a way of reflecting and communicating content. Found texts, redacted texts, listicles, collage, fantasy, braided and discontinuous narratives are just some of the forms we explore in this class.
Writing authentic dialogue
Dialogue is a fantastic writing tool, especially when it comes to moving the ‘plot’ along, revealing important aspects of character, and ‘showing’ rather than ’telling’ your reader what’s going on. We will look at some examples of effective dialogue in non fiction writing.
Structuring your writing projects
There is no correct or perfect structure for your non fiction project. There are many creative options and, in the end, you will need to choose one. An editor may then come along and suggest another. Flexibility is important. We look at how to choose the best way to structure your story.
How to begin and how to end
Finding an engaging opening for your story is sometimes the hardest part of writing. You probably only have a paragraph or two to get your reader’s attention and/or engage them emotionally in your story. We will look at some techniques you can use to work out the best way to start – and the best way to finish.
C0urse fee: $450 ($400 concession)
Next online course: Thursday March 6th to Thursday April 10th 2025, 7 pm to 9 pm.