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Creative Writing Courses

The Writer’s Studio offers a wide selection of creative writing courses for writers of every genre, and at every stage of their writing journey. Our courses take place in Vancouver and online, and provide an ideal way to connect with our writing community, gain fresh perspectives and receive support to reach your writing goals.

Our courses are scheduled throughout the year and you’re welcome to register at any time. 

To explore our part-time creative writing program, workshops, open houses and other events, visit us at The Writer’s Studio . 

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Everyone is a writer, even if few would claim to write well. Both personally and professionally, we use writing every day in a multitude of forms to communicate and connect with one another. Regardless of your desired outcome, developing the writing skills to express yourself and your ideas in a clear, compelling or creative way is an invaluable endeavour.  

Our writing programs and courses cover a broad range of relevant and engaging content created and taught by experienced writers, journalists, authors and educators. Start with the basics and build your foundational skills to apply at work or in your personal writing; add in-demand writing skills to your professional wheelhouse; pursue a creative passion project or launch a career in writing.  

With diverse options and levels to choose from, you can focus on the skills that matter to you, build your confidence and gain the expertise to get your ideas noticed.  

Learn more about our writing courses and programs

Watch the recording of our latest information session to get an overview of our writing micro-certificates and 20+ courses. Instructors share tips on how to choose the right course for you.

Writing and Communication Skills for the Workplace: Business Communication

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Improve your business writing and presentation skills in this part-time online program. Stand out at work and develop skills that will help you throughout your career.

Writing Skills for Digital Content: Copywriting and Content Marketing

Learn to write digital content that gets noticed, an essential skill for online content creators, editors and marketers working on various digital platforms and media.

Writing Skills for Digital Content: Freelance and Interviews

In this part-time program, build skills in conducting effective interviews and writing compelling articles for podcasts, web content, brand stories and more.

Writing and Communication Skills for the Workplace: Grammar and Style

Enhance the accuracy, style and impact of your writing, and build strong writing and communication skills sought after by employers in this part-time online program.

Writing Skills for Digital Content: Website Strategy

Develop strong website writing skills, and learn the essentials of planning and executing website content strategies that align with users' need and clients' goals.

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May 30, 2024:

Real Vancouver Spring Jam 2024

• Writing School

Quarterly online and in-person writing workshops for Canadian writers. Created in partnership with the Vancouver Writers Festival.

Join our writer’s workshops

A haven for the innovative and independent, Real Vancouver Writing School is the go-to destination for those seeking to unleash their creativity. Our classes are designed to challenge and inspire our students, pushing them beyond traditional boundaries to explore the extraordinary. We embrace revolutionary ideas, celebrate ingenuity, and provide a platform to share thought-provoking work. Our programs range from the basics of creative writing to advanced courses in experimental Canadian prose. Browse our latest events below.

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• December 18, 2023

Becoming Monsters: Free Online Writing Workshop with Tania De Rozario

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Queer Little Nightmares: Real Vancouver Writing School 02

• June 18, 2022

Resonance: Real Vancouver Writing School 01

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Creative Writing

Welcome to the Creative Writing Department at Douglas College! You've always wanted to write. Let us show you how.

Program Highlights

Transfer options.

Our program offers students a variety of first, second and third year university transfer courses in writing poetry, fiction, speculative fiction, stage play, screenplay, personal narrative, memoir, songwriting, and children's literature.

Face-to-face Workshops

In addition to writing and discussing your own creative works, Creative Writing classes at Douglas College include discussions of published writing and craft lectures. All our classes are built around a classic face-to-face workshop model that invites and encourages participation from students. 

Degrees and Programs

Please see the links in the sidebar on this web page for information about Douglas College's Creative Writing Program, including detailed information about all our courses, instructors, and scholarship opportunities, as well as information about the Associate of Arts Degree with Specialization in Creative Writing and other items of interest.

Student Success Story

Creative Writing student wants to effect change in her community.

Associate of Arts Degree

The Associate of Arts Degree with a Specialization in Creative Writing provides successful students with the first 60 credits of an undergraduate degree and helps these students compile a competitive portfolio of creative writing with which they might apply to creative writing programs at university. Courses focus on theory and practice in writing poetry, plays, fiction, speculative fiction, children's literature, songwriting, and personal narrative.

Students may further specialize in one (or more) of the genres by taking advanced courses. We also offer dual admission at SFU, and have established relationships with Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UK) that may interest you.

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What is a Creative Writing Workshop?

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Creative Writing

Study literature, literary criticism, and key aspects of the writing process – from crafting a scene, to pacing a story, working with imagery, and hooking a reader’s interest. The Creative Writing program will familiarize you with the practical aspects of writing, and include courses in poetry, short fiction, editing and publishing, and more.

This program is also offered at UBC's Vancouver Campus

Why this program.

• Learn how to convey meaning through imagery, narrative, and drama in a variety of literary forms
• Share your work and engage in lively discussions with fellow writers and faculty at community events, readings, poetry slams, and workshops
• Be part of a close-knit learning community, with upper-year classes capped at 15 students

Program information

• Campus: Okanagan
• Length 4 yrs
• Co-op Yes You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
• Honours No You can study intense specialization in a single field.

The Creative Writing program on UBC’s Okanagan campus provides you with an opportunity to study literature and literary criticism, and to bring what you learn from these studies into your own work. Course options include poetry, creative non-fiction, short fiction, novels, playwriting, screenplay, writing with media, editing and publishing, and community learning. The program fosters a supportive community of faculty and peers in which you’ll find encouragement to explore new genres and writing forms.

You’ll be actively involved in writing projects, chapbook production, magazine editing, new media work, student anthology production, and community learning projects. You’ll also have the chance to build a varied body of work for your own portfolio – all while studying under a faculty of award-winning writers dedicated to helping you experiment and grow as a writer.

Experiential learning and research

As part of your coursework, you’ll have the opportunity to complete extensive manuscript production. You’ll also have the option of taking a directed studies course, where you can investigate a creative writing practice and complete a significant writing project. The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies  offers $2,500 undergraduate research awards to support student research and creative activities over the summer months.

The Creative Writing program on UBC’s Okanagan campus organizes author readings throughout the academic year and runs an annual short story contest. A visiting writers series and Writer-in-Residence program provide additional opportunities to meet and learn from accomplished writers. You can also join the Creative Writing Course Union to connect with peers and share your work.

Life at UBC's Okanagan campus

The Creative Writing program on UBC's Okanagan campus is designed to build your range and confidence to the professional level, while familiarizing you with practical aspects of the writing life.

Your future

As a Creative Writing student, you’ll be actively involved in writing projects that are relevant to future careers in writing, including chapbook production, magazine editing, and more. As a program graduate, you can go on to pursue a career as an arts journalist, a web writer, a novelist, or a publisher.

Program graduates

• Published Writer, Puritan Magazine
• Content Writer Coordinator, Walt Disney Co.
• Contributing Writer, The Phoenix News
• Script Writer, Edge Digital Media
• Freelance Writer

Related programs

Program requirements.

• Canadian high schools
• International high schools
• International baccalaureate

English-language requirements

English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the  English Language Admission Standard .

General admission requirements

IB Diploma Programme

• Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.

IB Certificate Courses

• IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
• IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.

Degree-specific requirements: Arts

• No specific courses required beyond those needed for general admission

Related courses

The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.

• Language Arts
• Mathematics and Computation
• Second Languages
• Social Studies
• Visual and Performing Arts

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Meet peter, a residence advisor and all-around fan of the okanagan, ready to choose your degree.

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Creative Writing and Journalism (BA)

Program calendar icon program length, program credential icon credential.

• Bachelor Degree

Program option icon Options

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• tiwšɛmawtxʷ (Powell River)

Do you want to write for a living? In VIU’s Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Journalism program, learn the skills you need to become a master of words from professors who are published, award-winning authors, poets and journalists.

Experience small class sizes for a unique workshop format in many creative writing courses, and more one-on-one time with instructors at Vancouver Island University's journalism school.

Whether you want to work in the publishing, entertainment or journalism industries, this degree in Journalism and Creative Writing will sharpen your literary skills and introduce you to the realities of working as a professional writer. 

The Creative Writing and Journalism (BA) Program

The Creative Writing and Journalism department offers introductory, intermediate and advanced-level courses in book publishing, dramatic writing (including writing for the stage and scriptwriting for radio, television and film), fiction, journalism, and poetry, leading to a  B.A. with a Major or Minor in Creative Writing  and a  B.A. with a Minor in Journalism . Students have the opportunity to combine applied and creative writing skills with a background in all aspects of print and electronic publishing including editing, distribution, promotion, and production of print materials.

Note:  some courses may not be offered every year.

Program Outline

Requirements for a creative writing major.

Students must fulfill all the  Institutional B.A. degree requirements , including  Degree English Requirements  and courses listed below.

Note:  All senior-level courses require completion of at least one prerequisite course at the 200-level; students must attain a minimum grade of “B-” in the prerequisite course in order to progress to a senior-level course in the same genre.

Note : All 200-level courses have a 100-level prerequisite. Also, note that students must complete 200-level courses in at least three genres in order to have sufficient prerequisites for entry into courses in three genres at the senior level.

*  Directed Studies courses  CREW 450  - (Directed Studies in Writing and Publishing I) and  CREW 451 - (Directed Studies in Writing and Publishing II) may, depending on the nature of the project, be used to satisfy genre requirements for any of the five genres.

**   CREW 452  - (Special Projects in Writing and Publishing) can be used to meet either Non-fiction or Publishing categories depending on the nature of the student's project.

Note:  Upper-level Creative Writing (CREW) courses can be taken no more than twice for credit.

Requirements for a Creative Writing Minor

Note:  Required courses applied to the Journalism Minor may not also be applied to another Major or Minor.

Note:  Students taking  CREW 300  - (Creative Non-Fiction Workshop) and/or  CREW 301  - (Advanced Feature Writing) may use  ENGL 315  - (Advanced Workshop in Composition) as part of their upper-level credits.

Recommended Electives

Courses in  English ,  Graphic Design ,  Media Studies ,  Music ,  Theatre , or  Visual Arts  are recommended. Students wishing to pursue careers in journalism should consider taking upper-level courses in  Digital Media Studies ,  History ,  Political Studies ,  Economics ,  Media Studies ,  Philosophy ,  Sociology , or  Women's Studies .

Requirements for a Journalism Minor

Students are advised to consider completing a Major in a complementary discipline such as Political Studies, Economics, History, Sociology, First Nations Studies, Women's Studies, Business, Criminology, or Global Studies.

Program Fees

Domestic fees.

Tuition and Other Mandatory Student Fees

When applying to the program, applicants will be charged a non-refundable application fee .

When applying to graduate, students will be charged a non-refundable graduation and alumni fee .

Some courses have additional fees to pay for extraordinary class–related expenses.

The VIUSU Health and Dental Plan fee is assessed for all students enrolled in 6 credits or more per term, or in Trades/Vocational programs of 5 months or longer.  

All fees are subject to change without prior notice and are expected to increase by 2% each year on April 1.

International Fees

Start date, deadlines, and additional application details, domestic (canadian), international.

Further information on this program can be found on the Department website.

Previous versions of this program can be found in the Program Archive .

• Creative Writing Programs
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• Optional Summer Residency

How to Write a Novel

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Continuing Education

Further your writing skills, career opportunities and personal development through our flexible, accessible and inclusive online courses.

Take your novel from concept to completion with this series of non-credit online courses created by our fiction professors Nancy Lee and Annabel Lyon.

Hosted on Harvard and MIT’s innovative edX learning platform , these non-credit courses are open to anyone and run several times per year.

Professional Certificate in Writing For Video Games

Learn how to write for video games and advance your career in one of the world’s most exciting creative industries.

In this Professional Certificate Program you’ll learn the tools and techniques of writing for video games in a comprehensive program designed by successful, working game writers and teachers. From story and character development to worldbuilding and interactive narrative, this Certificate will help you excel in a creative field that requires creative, flexible team players.

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Home » New & Events » Blog » Creative Writing Workshops & Classes

Creative Writing Workshops & Classes

Mar 20, 2023 | Blog , Coal Harbour , Feature Programs , West End

These courses cover writing articles, stories, poetry, and drama. Activities help you hone skills for writing dialogue, descriptions, characters and settings.

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