Emma Read is a children’s author and creative writing mentor and tutor. Her debut novel for young readers, Milton the Mighty, was one of The Times’ Best Children’s Books of 2019. It also won the N. Somerset Teachers Award and was shortlisted for the Bath Children’s Novel Award. Other published works include short stories and flash fiction.
Emma provides mentoring to unagented writers and, when possible, also runs in-person workshops for schools, libraries and festivals.
She lives in Bath, with her young family and many, many notebooks.
Start Date: 25th February, 2025
Duration: 6 Weeks
Fee: $350
3 places remaining
Ignite Your Imagination: Join Our Online Beginners Fiction Course
Start your journey of self-expression and storytelling with our beginner-friendly creative writing course. Tailored for aspiring writers from all backgrounds, this program will help you uncover your unique voice and unleash your creativity.
In six engaging sessions, you’ll delve into the essentials of creative writing, covering character development, plot structure, and descriptive techniques. Through a mix of writing exercises, group discussions, and constructive feedback, you’ll gain confidence in your writing skills and learn to transform your ideas into captivating narratives.
Whether you aspire to write a novel, craft short stories, or explore poetry, this course equips you with the tools and inspiration to kickstart your writing journey. Join us and discover the storyteller within you!
Limited Enrolment: Reserve Your Spot Today
To ensure an intimate and high-quality learning experience, enrolment is capped at ten students. We recommend booking early to secure your place and embark on your literary adventure.
Extended Access: Lifetime Access to Course Materials
After the course concludes, you’ll have access to the materials for a full year, allowing you to revisit lessons and refresh your learning as needed.
Global Reach: Open to Students Worldwide
You don’t need to be in New Zealand to enrol. Our online courses welcome aspiring authors from around the globe. Join our diverse community of passionate writers and gain from their varied perspectives and experiences.
Weekly Assignments and Personalised Feedback
When the course begins, your tutor will email you your first module (be sure to check your Spam/Junk folder and add us to your contacts for smooth communication). You’ll receive weekly assignments designed to enhance your skills and keep you motivated. Each assignment will be reviewed by your dedicated online tutor, who will provide personalised written feedback to support your growth as a writer. The course is structured around weekly modules, with new materials released in text format. We suggest dedicating 2-3 hours per week, with the flexibility to study at your own pace.
Course Outline
Module 1: The Premise
Beginning, like David Copperfield, at the beginning. Here we examine ideas – assessing what works, what doesn’t and where to find inspiration when we get stuck. How to build an idea into a premise and beyond into a solid pitch for a viable story
Module 2: Character
The heart of any story is a memorable cast of characters. Here, we’ll be looking at what makes a compelling and believable character, and why this is important. The module will also introduce the concept of ‘voice’ and how dialogue and point of view tie a character to their story
Module 3: Plot vs Story
What is plot and how is it different from story? In this module we’ll discover how our fully-formed characters will drive the plot forward, and search for the story at the heart of it all. We’ll also be looking at plot structures, introducing a simple, four-act, method to begin building on and learning how sub-plots can enhance the main thread
Module 4: Stakes, Goals, Conflict
Next we’ll be taking a deeper dive into how our characters interact with their story, how their wants and needs will be thwarted throughout the plot, creating pace, tension and reader engagement. From saving the world, to surviving the day, we’ll discover how characters’ goals connect the reader to the work
Module 5: Craft Tools
Ready to get writing? First let’s take a look at the basics of good writing craft – techniques such as varying sentence length, showing internal thought, writing believable dialogue, showing rather than telling (or sometimes the opposite), avoiding purple prose and finding your author voice
Module 6: Starting, Finishing
Examining opening lines and hooks and overcoming being daunted by the blank first page. And once you’ve started, you must finish, so this module will provide tips to get to the end, to keep going when you’re struggling, to find a writing routine or motivation that suits. Finally we’ll take a quick look at editing skills, so you can start to look back over your work and polish it to a high shine.
Start Your Journey – Enrol Today
Join our Online Writing for Beginners Fiction course and invest in your development as a writer while captivating the imaginations of eager readers. Your words can inspire dreams, ignite curiosity, and nurture empathy, influencing the hearts and minds of future generations.
Seize this opportunity to embark on a transformative adventure and make your unique mark in the world of fiction. Enrol today and take the first step toward creating unforgettable stories that will enchant and inspire readers for years to come!
