£75 or less
Short, self-paced writing courses
Writer's Toolkit Online
Writer's Toolkit Online
Set your own pace. Learn new skills. No pressure.
These online courses are easy to pick up, fitting around your schedule. It’s easy to dip in and out around your writing, family and work commitments. The course remembers where you got to, so you can pick up from where you left off.
Visit the Courses homepage for longer courses, workshops and mentoring
Supercharge Your Writing – FREEThis free course is packed full of advice to help you examine your habits and figure out how you can increase your productivity. It’s also been designed to not take up much of your time – in just one weekend you’ll be able to revitalise your writing.
In this quick-fire, no-procrastinating course you will:
How to Write More and Stay Happy – £75Building on our free How to be a Productive Writer course, writer and tutor Ben Johncock reveals more tips and tricks for writing more, writing faster and staying healthy as a writer. Packed with exercises, this course will help you push past writer’s block, identify bad habits and use technology responsibly.
During this info-packed course you will:
Know Your Publishing Options – FREEThe world of publishing can be confusing and intimidating. This course is your map to navigating the different paths to publication, from the traditional Big 5 to the DIY ethos of self-publishing. Along the way you’ll find out about the emerging possibilities of social and online publishing and learn how to identify and avoid the scams.
In this straight-to-the-point course you will:
Writing Science Fiction: World Building – FREEStart building your science fiction world in this free course, hosted by Ian Nettleton. All stories need good settings but science fiction has its own unique and particular needs, whether you’re writing in the past, an alternative present or the far future. This course guides you through classic sci-fi settings and explores ways to craft your own.
By the end of the course you’ll know:
Writing Science Fiction: Characters & Point of View – £75Science fiction is known for its incredible world-building, brain-melting ideas and imaginative technology. But a story doesn’t come to life without engaging characters, no matter the genre, and this course is designed to help you infuse your sci-fi stories with memorable characters.
By the end of the course you will:
Writing Science Fiction: Plotting & Endings – £75Discover how to plot a story, from its beginnings through to redrafting and its end, with tutor Ian Nettleton. The focus is on science fiction storytelling: how to craft a scene and use dialogue and subtext to bring your ideas to life, packed full of examples from sci-fi film and literature.
You’ll find out:
Writing Science Fiction Bundle – £125Join award-winning children’s author Mitch Johnson as he guides you through the techniques and art of creating characters that will appeal to middle-grade readers.
Watch Mitch’s course intro
That’s the theory. In reality, it can be a challenge to think of yourself as a poet, no matter how far through you are in your writing career. Anna Cathenka has been on that same journey to find her confidence as a writer and, in this course, shares what she’s learned to give you self-belief in your work.
During the course you’ll learn:
Watch Anna’s course intro
Super-short forms of writing give us the gift of concision; the ability to drive straight to the beating heart of something.
There are many ways the super-short form can speak to us and, in this course, you will:
There are new poetic forms, trends and traditions being created all the time. Aki Schilz, editor and poet, has been at the forefront of super-short form poetic trends and is here to guide you through the latest in super-short poetry.
In this course, you will:
Watch Aki’s course intro
Ready to take the next step?Explore our 12-week online courses with 1-2-1 tutor feedback. Choose from: