FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does this course differ from other online creative writing courses?
It's very different. Most other creative writing courses run a predictable menu - setting, character development, plot, and structure. You get information but no process to lead you into what drives all these technical elements and makes them hum together. Technique can be learnt, but imagination needs to come first. Our lessons are thoroughly artistic: they invite you into a deeply creative process and build your capacity to imagine more, and with greater authenticity.
'I see this course as being of greater value than any creative writing or literature courses I have taken as part of my five years of university study. .... For anyone with any interest in writing, art or the human being, this course will help you realise the limitless potential we all have....' John Stubley, PHD. (English)
I'm a real beginner - is this course for me?
Yes. You do not need any prior experience to embark on a creative writing journey with us. We work with the premise that everyone can find their voice and we've had the great pleasure of watching beginners blossom in ways they never thought possible.
'From the beginning of the course I knew I had found something that would enable me to contact the childhood innocence that holds my creative force. You find yourself constantly surprised at what appears on the page. Stories and poems begin to write themselves.' Sue McBurnie
I'm a published writer - what does this course offer me?
It offers you the chance to find a deeper source from where you might draw your next work. Many writers have missed the literary biography of the world, or know it only in patches. This course is a chance to fill in the gaps and find new inspiration in the archetyes that, once met, yield up the finest imaginations for the writer. Many published writers have completed our course. They report the long-term benefits of having been through this schooling of the imagination based on the great stories and poetry of the world.
'As a professional writer, I especially appreciated my year as a student of The Writer's Passage.... If you are on the outer journey of learning to write well, and the inner journey of learning to live well, then this course will be a steady inspiration to you during the coming year.' Adrian Glamorgan, writer, creative writing teacher and community activist
Do I have to be an IT expert to deal with the online set-up?
No. We have made it simple, as simple as it gets. We are using an online platform called openlearning to host our course. Once you have booked and paid you will have access to the course site. We've spent time simplifying the navigation. We are committed to helping anyone who has problems.
What is my time commitment?
Each week for seven consecutive weeks you will listen to an audio presentation and write responses to the exercises. You will post them on the lesson forum for your tutor and your fellow writers to read. You can read the work of others and converse on the conversation forum. You will read the guiding words of your tutor. Depending on your working style it may take up to two hours per week to complete this process.
Can I just do one module?
Yes. But we think you'll want to continue the journey! The first module is ‘The Mother of Tongues’. The next module, ‘Baking the Stars’, will be available two weeks after the first one finishes.