CREATIVE WRITING
Advanced Short Story Course
Write a Collection of Short Stories
Master advanced writing skills in this practical course
The Advanced Short Story Course follows on from the the Short Story Writing Course. Now it’s time to learn more sophisticated techniques for even better story telling. You’ll learn how to write authentic dialogue, how to use setting to build atmosphere and mood, and how to create tension that leads to strong climaxes in each story.
If you’d like to build up a collection of stories, this is the course for you.
This Course Gives You...
Expert, Individual Feedback
Get prompt, honest, detailed feedback on every assignment from an award-winning writer. We focus on your unique writing strengths.
No Peer Reviews!
You will only be assessed by your tutor, a leader in their field. No more guessing and wondering how to write; you'll be guided line by line.
No Automated Marking
We use traditional methods of assessing work, as editors at publishing houses would. No generic feedback!
A Flexible Schedule
Work wherever and whenever you want. You can easily fit our courses around work and other commitments.
Relevant, Usable Content
Easy-to-digest course notes that capture a lifetime of writing experience, ready for you to apply to your own writing.
Ongoing Assessment
Your writing is assessed continuously as your course progresses.
Introducing the Advanced Short Story Course
An immersive, practical course in storytelling
Our Advanced Short Story Writing Course is designed to help you write a collection of short stories, tutored by multi-award-winning authors, Alex Smith and Andrew Salomon.
This challenging course provides 12 to 24 months of expert mentoring and support. There is no theoretical component to this course; it is structured entirely around the stories that you write and develop in response to feedback. Notes will be given regarding compiling and formatting a collection.
* Please note that this course is only open to successful graduates of our Short Story Writing Course. However, we may take on other students based on the merits of their short story writing.
Assignments consist of eight text installments with feedback, and four read-throughs of edits. While not compulsory, one of the stories should be entered into a short story competition, and if you choose to create a personal collection of your work, a final review will also be given. You will also submit a review of an anthology or collection you have read.
‘My tutors, Ginny Swart and currently Alex Smith, have taught me so much, especially the power of effective and sometimes ruthless editing.’
Shelley Kirton, Advanced Short Story Course
Course Overview
Start your course at any time – applications open all year round.
COURSE FEE
Price includes GST/VAT
Other currencies will be converted at time of invoice
- UK £ 825
- NZ $ 1595
- ZAR 9495
NUMBER OF ASSIGNMENTS
14
The assignments vary in length.
NUMBER OF MODULES
14
This is a practical course; brief notes accompany the assignment documents.
COURSE DURATION
24
Work at your own pace – up to a maximum of 24 months.
START DATE: ANYTIME
Working with an individual tutor means you can start the course at any time.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
Basic writing skills are essential. Computer skills, e-mail and Internet access required. No previous tertiary qualification required.
Our Graduate Students' Successes
We are proud of our graduates who have achieved success. Here are a few among dozens of our creative writing success stories.
Meet the Tutors
Alex Smith
Alex Smith is the award-winning author of five novels: Algeria’s Way, Drinking from the Dragon’s Well, Four Drunk Beauties, Devilskein & Dearlove (published by Random House/Umuzi) and Agency Blue (published by Tafelberg).
Her work has received widespread acclaim. Drinking from the Dragon’s Well was longlisted for the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award and Devilskein & Dearlove was nominated for the 2015 CILIP Carnegie Medal in the UK. Agency Blue won a Sanlam Youth Literature Award, while Four Drunk Beauties won the Nielsen Booksellers’ Choice Award.
Alex tutors the Novel Writing Course, the Advanced Novel Writing Course, the Advanced Short Story Writing Course and the Grammar Skills Course, sharing her knowledge and expertise with students of all skill levels.
Andrew Salomon
Andrew Salomon’s young adult novel The Chrysalis was published by Oxford University Press. His latest novel, the fantasy thriller Tokoloshe Song, was published by Random House/Umuzi.
Andrew was shortlisted for the Terry Pratchett First Novel Award, twice shortlisted for the Science Fiction and Fantasy SA Short Story Competition, and was one of the winners of the PEN/Studzinski Literary Award for African Fiction.
He has had short stories published in numerous magazines, journals and collections, including A Thousand Faces: The Quarterly Journal of Superhero Fiction, Something Wicked, New Writing From Africa 2009, African Pens 2011 and the crime collection Bloody Satisfied. More of his short fiction will appear in the collections Dream World and Other Stories and The Journey and Other Stories.
Tania Hutley
(Subject to availability)
For many years, Tania Hutley worked as a Technical Writer in the software industry, but she always dreamed of writing creatively. She began by writing literary short stories and has been a runner up in New Zealand’s two most prestigious short story competitions, the Katherine Mansfield Awards and the Sunday Star Times Short Story Competition. In 2010 she won the Page and Blackmore National Short Story Award.
After branching out into novel writing, she published two middle-grade chapter books for children. Then she wrote the Skin Hunter science fiction trilogy, and co-wrote The Trouble With Witches urban fantasy series. Under the pen name Talia Hunter, she has also published eleven contemporary romance and romantic comedy novels and even made the USA Today Bestsellers List.
Though Tania started off with traditional publishers, she’s now enthusiastic about self-publishing and the control it gives to authors.
She was born in New Zealand, but has recently moved to Australia where she’s constantly amazed and not at all freaked out by the weird and wonderful critters. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her with a glass of wine, a good book, and a jumbo-sized can of bug spray.
Course Curriculum
Task 1
Submit first story: 1 500 to 2 000 words with feedback. Submit initial idea for the theme of your collection (optional).
Time to complete: one month.
Task 2
Submit next story: 1 500 to 2 000 words with feedback.
Time to complete: one month.
Task 3
Submit next story: 2 000 to 3 000 words with feedback.
Time to complete: one month
Task 4
The Components of Fiction
Submit next story: 2 000 to 3 000 words with feedback.
Time to complete: one month.
Task 5
Learn How to Write Scenes
Submit next story: 2 000 to 3 000 words with feedback.
Time to complete: one month.
Task 6
Write Your Own Scenes
Submit next story: 2 000 to 3 000 words with feedback. Submit a review of a collection or anthology that you have read. Start researching a short story competition to enter one of your stories into (optional).
Time to complete: one month.
Task 7
The Components of Fiction
Submit next story: 3 000 to 5 000 words with feedback.
Time to complete: one month.
Task 8
Learn How to Write Scenes
Submit final story: 3 000 to 5 000 words with feedback.
Time to complete: one month.
Task 9
Write Your Own Scenes
Edit and re-work first two stories and submit. Edits clearly tracked.
Time to complete: one month.
Task 10
The Components of Fiction
Edit and re-work next two stories and submit. Edits clearly tracked.
Time to complete: one month.
Task 11
Learn How to Write Scenes
Edit and re-work next two stories and submit. Edits clearly tracked.
Time to complete: one month.
Task 12
Write Your Own Scenes
Edit and re-work final two stories and submit. Edits clearly tracked. One story to be ready for submission to a competition (optional).
Time to complete: one month.
Task 13 + 14
Learn How to Write Scenes
Final draft of collection, layout and title (including considerations for your introduction). This is optional if you have chosen to compile a personal collection.
What Our Students Say
Get These Additional Benefits
Lifetime Course Access
Benefit from free lifetime access to future course updates and access to our writing resources.
Join a Community of Writers
You will have access to our friendly Facebook community, daily writing tips and writing inspiration.
500+ Bonus Articles on Our Blog
A superb, constantly updated resource with articles on writing and interviews with writers.
Work at Your Own Pace
Our courses work around you. You can pace your course around your busy life.
Work Opportunities
Top students are invited to join our writers and editors for hire service.
Be the First to Know About Writing Competitions
We'll help you keep up to date with the latest competition announcements
Risk-Free 100% Money-Back Guarantee
We are so confident that you will love your course that if you’re not 100% satisfied with the quality of our training, simply ask for a refund within 30 days.
Complete the Application Form to Enrol on the Advanced Short Story Course
You will receive an approval email and invoice within one working day.
Questions? We've Got Answers
The course consists of eight modules. Detailed course notes covering the content of each module are emailed to you. At the end of each module, you will be required to complete a writing exercise. In total, the course includes eight short writing assignments, all of which count towards your final result. Once a writing assignment has been completed and emailed to your tutor, you will receive an assessment and feedback, and the module will be considered complete. The next module will then be emailed to you.
Absolutely. You have direct communication with your tutor for the duration of the course. The more questions you ask, the more you will get out of the course.
You will get lifetime access to the course. You will also benefit from future updates and improvements to the course!
For the majority of our courses, only your tutor will see your work. It will remain completely private unless you get it published, a decision that is yours to make.
You will receive a Writers College Certificate upon successful completion of the course, provided you meet the following conditions:
- You must have completed all assignments.
- The course must have been completed within 24 months of registration.
- A minimum average of 50% must be achieved.
Students should be a graduate of the Short Story Writing Course. We may consider students who have not previously completed a course with us. Acceptance on to the course would be based on the merits of your writing.
Computer skills, e-mail and Internet access required.
Because you will work with an individual tutor, you can start your course as soon as your application has been approved. There are no specific start dates as would be the case with a traditional college.
An application is usually approved within one working day. Once we receive proof of payment, your can start your course.
You could be starting your course today!
The speed at which you work is entirely up to you. We would estimate that each story would take at least five hours to write and polish. To get one story up to publishable standard may take between 20 and 30 hours per story. This would include several rewrites by the student.
Once your application has been approved, you will receive notification of approval and an invoice via email. As soon as we receive proof of payment, your first module as well as your tutor’s email address and your login details will be sent to you. Your tutor will also be in touch to welcome you.
Any work created on our courses is owned by you. We will never make a claim to anything you produce. We follow the rule that copyright subsists with the creator (you).