Company Name: SA Writers College Telephone: Fax: Cell Phone: Email: adminsawriterscollege.co.za Website:

Course Title:   Short Story Writing

The perfect course for story-tellers who want to get published!

Learn the skills needed to write saleable stories - plus how to stretch your imagination and stimulate your writing creativity! You'll also receive dozens of tips about where and how to sell your work as a professional writer.

Tutor:

Ginny Swart has sold well over 200 short stories to women's magazines all over the world. On any day of every month she has at least 15 stories out there on editors' desks. Her more serious work has appeared in literary publications in South Africa, Canada, and New Zealand and on the Web. In 2003 she won the esteemed UK The Real Writers Prize from over 4000 entrants.

Moderator: Penny Alexander has been writing for UK woman's magazines for the past 10 years, and runs a writing group in Northamtonshire, England. She has worked as a teacher for many years, and has an Honours Degree in History. Currently, Penny is writing a serial for People's Friend.

Curriculum:

Module One: Getting Started

·       What to think about if you want to sell your story
·        How much you can expect to earn writing short stories
·        Writing for a specific market
·        Studying your market
·        Knowing your readers
·        Studying the house style of the target magazine

Writing Exercise: Write a warm-up1500-word story, in response to a given prompt. (20)

Module 2: Characterization

        * Different ways to introduce your characters and make them believable
        * The importance of the “back story”
        * Making use of all the senses
        * Writing a three-dimensional character
        * The importance of the right name

Writing Exercise: In two parts. Part One: A 100 word “back story” about one of the characters mentioned. Part Two: 150 words of dialogue between the two characters. (20)

Module 3: Dialogue

·       Writing believable dialogue
·       Keeping conversation sounding natural and up to date
·        The use of “said”
·        Using slang and dialect effectively
·        How to convey thoughts

Writing Exercise: 500 words of conversation between mother and son after the son has crashed the family car, taking into account the different age and character of each person. (20)

Module 4: Point of View

·       How different points of view can shape and alter a story.
·        First person and third person writing.
·        How writing in the First Person affects your story
·        One event = six points of view!

Writing exercise: Read one girl’s account of something that happened in the office. Then re-write this as seen through the eyes of two other people concerned. (20)

Module 5: How to plot your story

·        What is a plot?
·       Various classic plot patterns (as applied to popular stories)
·       Avoiding clichéd plots.
·        The Twist in the Tale
·        Finding ideas

Writing Exercise: A ten-sentence synopsis of a plot, choosing a character and a situation from the lists provided. (20)

Module 6: Setting and story structure

·        The definition of structure in a story
·        Structural devices to add interest
·       Writing style: Using metaphors for maximum impact
·        How settings can define your story. Or not.

Writing Exercise: 1500 words. Think of a story line and write the opening paragraphs. The setting must be seen to affect the story that will follow. (20)

Module 7: Editing your story

·        Keeping it clean
·       The importance of the word count
·        Lean and mean is good
·        How to cut for maximum impact
·        Tying up the ends

Writing Exercise: Read a 360-word excerpt from a story and edit it down to 230 words without losing any of the important features. (20)
Module 8: Writing purely for personal satisfaction, not financial reward!

·        Advice for creative writers
·        Outlets for literary work
·        Competitions
·        Self- publishing

Writing Exercise: 500 words. Decide on a character. Try to become that person and record his or her thoughts and observations so that the reader has a deep insight into the state of mind of your protagonist. (20)

Module 9: Marketing and submitting your story

·        Presenting your story
·        Writing a cover letter to the editor
·        Things to remember when submitting
·       Keeping track of your submissions
·        Addresses of magazines
·        Sample guidelines of magazines.
·        Methods of payment

Writing Exercise: Write a 2000 word short story of any genre aimed at YOU magazine. The final assignment will also be marked by an outside moderator. (80)

How does the course work?

The course consists of nine modules. Detailed class notes covering the content of each module are e-mailed to students, or students can download these off the site.

At the end of each module, students will be required to complete a writing exercise. In total, the course includes eight short writing assignments, all of which count towards the final result of the student and one 2000 word short story. However they are welcome to turn each writing assignment into a short story for critical feed back if they would like to do so.

Once the writing assignment has been completed, and e-mailed to the lecturer, an assessment and feedback will be sent to the student, and the module will be considered complete. The next module will then be e-mailed to the student.

Please note: Assignments should be returned as attachments, not in the body of the e-mail.

Mark Allocation:

Each of the 8 short assignments are marked out of 20, according to criteria such as:

·        Style
·       Credibility
·        Logical flow
·        Readability (i.e. does the reader enjoy what you’ve written)

The final short story is marked out of 80.

Conditions of Certification:

Students will receive an SA Writers College Certificate upon successful completion of the course, provided they meet the following conditions:

· Students must have completed all 9 writing assignments.
· The course must have been completed within five months of registration.
· Students are expected to attain a minimum average of 50% for the course

Minimum Estimated Time Commitment:

There is no research required for this course, just planning and writing. The speed at which you work is entirely up to you.  After studying the modules, the exercises should take between half an hour and two hours to complete. A completed story of course could take longer.

Course Title 2 Short Story Writing Classification Writing & Publishing -> Short Stories Course Requirements Admission Requirements: Basic writing skills are essential Students must be proficient in the English Language E-mail and Internet access required No previous tertiary qualification required Price Cost: R3495.00 Notes Course Details: Modules: 9 Modules Student produces: 1. 9 writing exercises (assessment and feedback on each) 2. 1 full-length story (assessment and feedback)

Course Information Location Western Cape - Cape Town Course Type Online Start Dates Length of Course Modules: 9 lessons Final Registration Date

Contact Details Name SA Writers College Phone Email adminsawriterscollege.co.za