advanced creative writing pdf

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Advanced creative writing

This module develops your writing ability by widening your generic range and developing your knowledge of structure and style. The module works on the forms introduced in  Creative writing  (A215) – fiction, poetry and life writing – and supplements these with dramatic writing, showing you how to write for stage, audio and screen. You’ll explore how skills and techniques from one form of writing might usefully cross over to others: how does a short story become a film? How are scriptwriting techniques employed in novels? And how might poets and life writers fruitfully engage with the strategies of dramatists and writers of prose fiction? The module offers guidance on structuring compelling narratives and cultivating distinctive voices, and is a natural progression from the OU level 2 module.

Modules count towards OU qualifications

OU qualifications are modular in structure; the credits from this undergraduate module could count towards a certificate of higher education, diploma of higher education, foundation degree or honours degree.

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Module code.

• Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
• One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
• You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
• For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.

Study level

Study method, module cost, entry requirements, student reviews.

This module was very different from Creative Writing (A215) which I also enjoyed, although it did build on the skills... Read more

When I enrolled on this module, I wondered what writing techniques could be improved upon after studying Creative writing (A215).... Read more

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Explore our subjects and courses, what you will study.

This module is structured in four parts. At the core of the module is a handbook that takes you week-by-week through methods, readings and writing exercises. This handbook covers the first three parts of the module. The fourth part is a period of independent study and project work. The handbook is complemented by online study material containing audios, videos, animations and other interactive exercises to enhance your learning, such as interviews with writers and discussions with publishing industry professionals. Online tutorials offer additional opportunities to receive guidance and support from tutors.

Part 1: Ways of writing You'll begin by looking at different approaches to writing. In particular, you'll focus on the influence of genre, world-building in dystopian and fantasy fiction, setting in life writing and narrative in poetry. Work includes readings and writing exercises in fiction, poetry, and life writing.

Part 2: Dramatic writing You'll progress to explore writing techniques for three dramatic media: stage, film and audio, which will illustrate the narrative strengths and constraints of each medium. You'll examine the conventional layouts for these media, and this part will also deal with dramatic principles connected to dialogue, subtext, status and exposition, as well as media-specific elements such as sets for the stage, aural contrast in audio and montage in film. You’ll also consider the techniques involved in adapting work in other genres to script.

Part 3: Developing style and structure You'll look at how some of the methods used in dramatic writing can improve fiction writing, life writing and poetry. You’ll consider the inner world in life writing and dramatic techniques in poetry. This section goes on to explore writing approaches in a wide-ranging fashion, covering time, voice, long and short-form work, theme and structure, and the uses of rhetoric and analogy. You’ll focus on improving your approach to structure, style and voice in all genres.

Part 4: Independent study This final part involves working on a larger project, culminating in the presentation of an end-of-module assessment comprising a substantial piece of creative writing in one of the forms taught in the module – fiction, poetry, life writing or drama.

As in Creative writing (A215), the emphasis is very much on practice through guided activities, although as the module progresses, you will increasingly be expected to generate and develop your own ideas without reliance on the study materials. In comparison to the OU level 2 module, the emphasis will be on working independently to enhance and improve your approach to structure style and voice. You'll spend longer developing, editing and redrafting your work and will write a dramatic adaptation and explore the influence of drama on your work.

Online tutor-group forums will enable peer-group discussion of some of your work. You'll be expected to engage in these activities, giving impersonal and informed evaluations of your own and others’ work through constructive criticism. Some of the tutor-marked assignments will require evidence of engagement on the online forum.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor.

You’ll have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work. You can ask your tutor for advice and guidance both via an online forum and by phone or email. Your tutor also offers general support throughout the module, as you progress through the Handbook, which is the principal guide to your learning.

There will be online tutorials that you are strongly encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. You can access recordings of tutors covering material that was delivered in online tutorials.

Full guidance will be provided on accessing the teaching via online forums. Online tutor-group forums enable peer discussion of some of your work and allow tutors to make general points of relevance to the whole group.

Contact us if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.

Future availability

Advanced creative writing starts once a year – in October. This page describes the module that will start in October 2025. We expect it to start for the last time in October 2035. 

Regulations

Course work includes:.

This module builds on the explicit skills taught in Creative writing (A215), ideally which you'll have completed, or equivalent study, before embarking on this module.

If this is your first creative writing module, then ‘equivalent study’ would comprise preparation, including our Creative Writing Tasters and Exercises , which has interviews with writers, sample writing exercises and links to other creative writing study at the OU.  

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an  adviser .

Preparatory work

You are also strongly advised to prepare for the module by reading  Creative Writing: A workbook with readings  (2nd edition).

Additional Costs

Study costs.

There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.

If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.

Ways to pay for this module

Open university student budget account.

The Open University Student Budget Accounts Ltd (OUSBA) offers a convenient 'pay as you go' option to pay your OU fees, which is a secure, quick and easy way to pay. Please note that The Open University works exclusively with OUSBA and is not able to offer you credit facilities from any other provider. All credit is subject to status and proof that you can afford the repayments.

You pay the OU through OUSBA in one of the following ways:

• Register now, pay later – OUSBA pays your module fee direct to the OU. You then repay OUSBA interest-free and in full just before your module starts. 0% APR representative. This option could give you the extra time you may need to secure the funding to repay OUSBA.
• Pay by instalments – OUSBA calculates your monthly fee and number of instalments based on the cost of the module you are studying. APR 5.1% representative.

Joint loan applications

If you feel you would be unable to obtain an OUSBA loan on your own due to credit history or affordability issues, OUSBA offers the option to apply for a joint loan application with a third party. For example, your husband, wife, partner, parent, sibling or friend. In such cases, OUSBA will be required to carry out additional affordability checks separately and/or collectively for both joint applicants who will be jointly and severally liable for loan repayments.

As additional affordability checks are required when processing joint loan applications, unfortunately, an instant decision cannot be given. On average the processing time for a joint loan application is five working days from receipt of the required documentation.

Read more about  Open University Student Budget Accounts (OUSBA) .

Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.

More than one in ten OU students are sponsored by their employer, and over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. 

• Your employer just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
• You won’t need to get your employer to complete the form until after you’ve chosen your module.  

Credit/debit card

You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module. 

We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron. 

We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may wish to pay part of your tuition fee with a debit card and pay the remainder in instalments through an Open University Student Budget Account (OUSBA) .

For more information about combining payment options, speak to an  adviser  or book a  call back at a time convenient to you.

Can you study an Access module for free?

Depending on eligibility and availability of places, you could apply to study your Access module for free.

To qualify, you must:

• be resident in England
• have a household income of not more than £25,000 (or be in receipt of a qualifying benefit)
• have not completed one year or more on any full-time undergraduate programme at FHEQ level 4 or above or successfully completed 30 credits or more of OU study within the last 10 years

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process , either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible and funded places are still available.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069 , or you can request a call back .

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

• monthly payments through OUSBA
• part-time tuition fee loan (you'll need to be registered on a qualification for this option)

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding .

What's included

You’ll be provided with the printed module Handbook, which is the principal guide to your learning, and have access to a module website, which includes:

• a week-by-week study planner
• module materials, including the Introduction to the Module guide
• audio, video and interactive content
• assignment and assessment details and submission section
• online forums and tutorial access.
• electronic versions of the printed study materials
• online exercises and activities
• further links to online resources

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher.

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards, and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop, as described above.

If you have a disability

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this  Accessibility Statement  outlines what studying A363 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our disability support pages .

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Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

Book Title: ENGLISH 087: Academic Advanced Writing

Subtitle: A Guide for Writers

Author: Nancy Hutchison

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This book was cloned from a source that is no longer available. The source URL was https://pressbooks.howardcc.edu/nhutchison . This book may differ from the original.

ENGLISH 087: Academic Advanced Writing Copyright © 2020 by Nancy Hutchison is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.