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Creative writing and critical reading

Introduction.

This free course, Creative writing and critical reading , explores the importance of reading as part of a creative writer’s development at the postgraduate (MA) level. You will gain inspiration and ideas from examining other writers’ methods, as well as enhancing your critical reading skills. A diverse range of examples will cover the genres of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and scriptwriting. You will be able to listen to professional writers discussing the creative process in relation to their reading habits. You will also have the opportunity to apply the insights you have gleaned to your own writing, by producing a short creative piece in your chosen genre.

This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course MA in Creative Writing [ Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. ( Hide tip ) ] .

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Advanced creative writing

Advanced creative writing develops your writing ability by widening your generic range and developing your knowledge of style. The module works on the forms introduced in the OU level 2 module Creative writing (A215) – fiction, poetry and life writing – and supplements these with dramatic writing, showing you how to write for stage, radio and film. You’ll explore how these scriptwriting skills might enhance your prose style, improve your writing across the range of forms, and further develop your individual style and voice. The module offers guidance on professional layouts for the dramatic media and is a natural progression from Creative writing (A215).

Modules count towards OU qualifications

OU qualifications are modular in structure; the credits from this undergraduate module could count towards a certificate of higher education, diploma of higher education, foundation degree or honours degree.

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Module code.

• Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
• One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
• You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
• For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.

Study level

Study method, module cost, entry requirements, student reviews.

This module was very different from Creative Writing (A215) which I also enjoyed, although it did build on the skills... Read more

When I enrolled on this module, I wondered what writing techniques could be improved upon after studying Creative writing (A215).... Read more

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Explore our subjects and courses, what you will study.

This module is structured in four parts. At the core of the module is a handbook that takes you week-by-week through methods, readings and writing exercises. This handbook covers the first three parts of the module. The fourth part is a period of independent study and project work.

Part 1: Ways of writing  You'll begin by looking at different approaches to writing. In particular, you'll focus on the influence of genre, world-building in dystopian and fantasy fiction, setting in life writing and narrative in poetry. Work includes readings and writing exercises in fiction, poetry, and life writing.

Part 2: Dramatic writing You'll progress to explore writing techniques for three dramatic media: stage, film and audio, which will illustrate the narrative strengths and constraints of each medium. You'll examine the conventional layouts for these media, and this part will also deal with dramatic principles connected to dialogue, subtext, status and exposition, as well as media-specific elements such as sets for the stage, aural contrast in audio and montage in film. You’ll also consider the techniques involved in adapting work in other genres to script.

Part 3: Developing style and structure You'll look at how some of the methods used in dramatic writing can improve fiction writing, life writing and poetry. You’ll consider the inner world in life writing, and dramatic techniques in poetry. This section goes on to explore writing approaches in a wide-ranging fashion, covering poetic form, time, voice, long and short-form work, theme and structure, and the uses of rhetoric and analogy. You’ll focus on improving your writing style and voice in all genres.

Part 4:   Independent study This final part involves working on a larger project, culminating in the presentation of an end-of-module assessment comprising a substantial piece of creative writing in one of the forms taught in the module – fiction, poetry, life writing or drama.

As in Creative writing (A215), the emphasis is very much on practice through guided activities, although as the module progresses, you will increasingly be expected to generate and develop your own ideas without reliance on the study materials. In comparison to the OU level 2 module, the emphasis will be on working independently to enhance and improve your writing style and voice. You'll spend longer developing, editing and redrafting your work and will write a dramatic adaptation and explore the influence of drama on your work.

Online tutor-group forums will enable peer-group discussion of some of your work. You'll be expected to engage in these activities, giving impersonal and informed evaluations of your own and others’ work through constructive criticism. Some of the tutor-marked assignments will require evidence of engagement on the online forum.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor.

You’ll have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance both via online forum and by phone or email. Your tutor also offers general support throughout the module, as you progress through the Handbook, which is the principal guide to your learning.

There will be online tutorials that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. You can access recordings of tutors covering material that was delivered in online tutorials.

Full guidance will be provided on accessing the teaching provided via online forums. Online tutor-group forums enable peer discussion of some of your work and allow tutors to make general points of relevance to the whole group.

Contact us  if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.

Future availability

Advanced creative writing starts once a year – in October. This page describes the module that will start in October 2024. We expect it to start for the last time in October 2035. 

Regulations

Course work includes:.

This module builds on the explicit skills taught in Creative writing (A215), ideally which you'll have completed, or equivalent study, before embarking on this module.

If this is your first creative writing module, then ‘equivalent study’ would comprise preparation, including our Creative Writing Tasters and Exercises , which has interviews with writers, sample writing exercises and links to other creative writing study at the OU.  

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an  adviser .

Preparatory work

You are also strongly advised to prepare for the module by reading  Creative Writing: A workbook with readings  (2nd edition).

Additional Costs

Study costs.

There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.

If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.

Ways to pay for this module

Open university student budget account.

The Open University Student Budget Accounts Ltd (OUSBA) offers a convenient 'pay as you go' option to pay your OU fees, which is a secure, quick and easy way to pay. Please note that The Open University works exclusively with OUSBA and is not able to offer you credit facilities from any other provider. All credit is subject to status and proof that you can afford the repayments.

You pay the OU through OUSBA in one of the following ways:

• Register now, pay later – OUSBA pays your module fee direct to the OU. You then repay OUSBA interest-free and in full just before your module starts. 0% APR representative. This option could give you the extra time you may need to secure the funding to repay OUSBA.
• Pay by instalments – OUSBA calculates your monthly fee and number of instalments based on the cost of the module you are studying. APR 5.1% representative.

Joint loan applications

If you feel you would be unable to obtain an OUSBA loan on your own due to credit history or affordability issues, OUSBA offers the option to apply for a joint loan application with a third party. For example, your husband, wife, partner, parent, sibling or friend. In such cases, OUSBA will be required to carry out additional affordability checks separately and/or collectively for both joint applicants who will be jointly and severally liable for loan repayments.

As additional affordability checks are required when processing joint loan applications, unfortunately, an instant decision cannot be given. On average the processing time for a joint loan application is five working days from receipt of the required documentation.

Read more about  Open University Student Budget Accounts (OUSBA) .

Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.

More than one in ten OU students are sponsored by their employer, and over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. 

• Your employer just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
• You won’t need to get your employer to complete the form until after you’ve chosen your module.  

Credit/debit card

You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module. 

We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron. 

We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may wish to pay part of your tuition fee with a debit card and pay the remainder in instalments through an Open University Student Budget Account (OUSBA) .

For more information about combining payment options, speak to an  adviser  or book a  call back at a time convenient to you.

Can you study an Access module for free?

Depending on eligibility and availability of places, you could apply to study your Access module for free.

To qualify, you must:

• be resident in England
• have a household income of less than £25,000 (or be in receipt of a qualifying benefit)
• have not completed one year or more on any full-time undergraduate programme at FHEQ level 4 or above or successfully completed 30 credits or more of OU study within the last 10 years

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process , either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible and funded places are still available.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069 , or you can request a call back .

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

• monthly payments through OUSBA
• part-time tuition fee loan (you'll need to be registered on a qualification for this option)

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding .

What's included

You’ll be provided with the printed module Handbook, which is the principal guide to your learning,  and have access to a module website, which includes:

• a week-by-week study planner
• module materials
• audio, video and interactive content
• assignment and assessment details and submission section
• online forums and tutorial access.
• electronic versions of the printed study materials
• online exercises
• links to online resources

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher.

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards, and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop, as described above.

If you have a disability

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this  Accessibility Statement  outlines what studying A363 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our disability support pages .

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Creative Writing: Free Online Resources

Introduction.

In addition to resources the Bodleian Libraries purchases, there are a number of alternative free online resources to support the study of Creative Writing. If you have any suggestions to help us expand this page, please contact [email protected].

Free online resources

• Open Educational Resources (OERs)
• Websites of useful organisations
• Audio resources

OERs are any type of teaching and/or learning materials that are freely available in the public domain, published under open licenses. Those listed below are applicable to the study of philosophy.

• Future Learn A diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world. Includes several courses relating to Creative Writing.
• MERLOT The MERLOT system provides access to curated online learning and support materials and content creation tools, led by an international community of educators, learners and researchers.
• open.conted The gateway to Open Educational Resources and other freely available resources created or selected by tutors of the University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education.
• Open Culture An aggregator of free, downloadable courses from the world's leading universities, including many courses relating to Creative Writing.
• Open Learn Free online courses and resources provided by the Open University. Covers many subjects, including Creative Writing.
• The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing The Centre is committed to outreach, collaboration, and fostering research into life-writing. It promotes a lively, cross-disciplinary dialogue on the full range of life-writing, including biography, memoir and social media forms, through a busy programme of events, including lunch talks, performances, panel discussions, seminars and full-day workshops.
• The Poetry Society Membership organisation providing events, publications, competitions and education to support poets and poetry audiences. The Society supports small local groups around the country called "Stanzas".
• BBC Writers Room Training, advice and opportunities for script writers. Includes the Script Library, where you can read BBC film, TV and radio scripts in full.
• Oxford Playhouse residencies Oxford's local theatre supports playwrights through two residencies: the Playhouse Playmaker programme for playwrights at any stage of their career, and The Plot for later career playwrights.
• Writing Lives: biography and beyond Interviews with leading biographers, writers, and scholars about life writing in all its forms.
• Oxford Writers House Talks A series of talks exploring writing mediums, methods, interests, and approaches, produced by the Faculty of English Language and Literature at Oxford University.
• Writers in Dialogue Peter D. McDonald, Professor of English and Related Literature in the Faculty of English and Fellow of St Hugh's College, talks to contemporary writers about their work.
• BBC Writers Room Podcast Writers of popular BBC shows answer listeners' questions

The Poetry Archive exists to help make poetry accessible, relevant and enjoyable to a wide audience. It came into being as a result of a meeting, in a recording studio, between Andrew Motion, soon after he became U.K. Poet Laureate in 1999, and the recording producer, Richard Carrington. They agreed about how enjoyable and illuminating it is to hear poets reading their work and about how regrettable it was that, even in the recent past, many important poets had not been properly recorded.

The Archive is a not-for-profit organisation with charitable status. It is run by a small staff, supported by a distinguished board of trustees and a panel of specialist advisers. We depend for our existence on funding from public bodies, charitable trusts and generous individuals. The money we earn from sales of Poetry Archive CDs goes towards making more recordings.

• LibriVox Public domain audiobooks, including both fiction and non-fiction.

We accept no responsibility for the content of these external websites, which may have their own terms and conditions.

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• Last Updated: May 16, 2024 3:04 PM
• URL: https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/creative-writing

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