Course Overview
Learn about the craft of writing through exercises, online workshops, course reading, regular feedback from your tutor and other students, but most of all through writing itself. In the introductory week you’ll get to know your fellow students, be assigned to a small group, and practise using the online programme.
Your tutor is available for contact throughout the course and offers feedback on material presented at workshops at various intervals.
You can enrol for the online Diploma in Creative Writing
* as a one year, full-time Diploma
* as the first year of the Bachelor of Applied Arts (Creative Writing) you need to complete two extra classroom modules (Contextual Studies I and Research & Presentation I) to do this
* as a part-time student.
All six modules are offered in Semester 1 and repeated in Semester 2 (depending on enrolment numbers). The modules are designed to build on one another, starting with Short Fiction I. One full-time pathway through the Diploma is:
Semester 1: Short Fiction I, Writing for Children, Poetry.
Semester 2: Short Fiction II, Scriptwriting, Non-Fiction.
You can also do the Diploma at your own pace by completing a module at a time.
Study and practice involves approximately 12 hours per week per module.
COURSE OUTLINE
Short Fiction I
Join this intensive, practical writing course, balancing imagination and craft. Each week you'll do writing exercises, and some will lead to completed short stories. Through online workshops you work closely with other writing students. This module is the foundation for the rest of the Diploma and is a prerequisite for Short Fiction II. It has been developed by Adrienne Jansen, writer and teacher.
Tutor: Anna Taylor
Credits: 20
Length: 16 weeks
Start date 2012: Monday 20 February and Monday 16 July
Writing for Children
Teaching material from internationally renowned children's author Joy Cowley forms the core of this module, which guides writers through the requirements of writing for a variety of age groups. You produce original pieces in a variety of genres – short fiction, plays, non-fiction and chapter books. This course draws on the expertise of a number of writers for children. Adrienne Jansen compiled the course material.
Tutor: Julia Wall
Credits: 20
Length: 16 weeks
Start date 2012: Monday 20 February and Monday 16 July
Poetry
Written by Wellington poet, James Brown, this course will take you through the many and varied forms of writing poetry. At the end of the course you will have a portfolio of work and a good understanding of what makes good poetry and how to critique it.
Tutor: Hinemoana Baker
Credits: 20
Length: 16 weeks
Start date 2012: Monday 20 February and Monday 16 July
Short Fiction II
For the fiction writer who wants to be challenged in technical skill and imagination, in both what you write about, and how you write it. Through online workshops you'll work closely with other writing students. A strong emphasis is given to revising and crafting your first draft. This course is also written by Adrienne Jansen. You must complete Short Fiction I before doing Short Fiction II.
Tutor: Anna Taylor
Credits: 20
Length: 16 weeks
Start date 2012: Monday 20 February and Monday 16 July
Non-Fiction
Learn the skills to write a feature article for a magazine, a proposal for a non-fiction book, text for websites, and a personalised essay. This course is a collaboration between Pip Byrne, journalist and editor, and Adrienne Jansen, with a special section on writing by novelist and playwright, Renee.
Tutor: Anna Taylor
Credits: 20
Length: 16 weeks
Start date 2012: Monday 20 February and Monday 16 July
Scriptwriting
If you’re a writer who wants to move into writing for the screen, this course provides an introduction to the craft of visual writing, and the requirements of a screenplay. By the end of the course you will have a short film script – an invaluable calling card for entering the film writing industry. The course is written by Suzi Pointon, a script consultant and teacher with many years experience in the industry both locally and overseas.
Tutor: Vanessa (Ness) Simons
Credits: 20
Length: 16 weeks
Start date 2012: Monday 20 February and Monday 16 July
Entry Requirements
This is based on samples of your writing. These may be a technical report or a collection of poems. Send work which shows your writing experience and represents you as a writer. You will also need to send in a CV and covering letter.
If you are applying to do the Diploma as the first year of the Bachelor of Applied Arts (Creative Writing) you will also need to meet the Whitireia Degree Entry Requirements.
Overseas students must meet the above criteria plus have IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.
Online Access
To find out about the technical requirements needed to do this Diploma online, go to the Online Learning section under Resources and Tools.
Online students studying with Whitireia New Zealand use the Moodle Learning Management System (L.M.S). At Whitireia Moodle is named ‘Whitireia Online’. It can be accessed:
• anywhere in the world
• anytime, 24 hours a day.
Students say...
The online Diploma at Whitireia is a brilliant course – it really increased the depth of my writing. Because the course was distance-learning, I could work at my own pace which was great. The tutors were really supportive and I got to know them and the other online students well. Studying it full-time rather than part-time was intense and made me commit to writing. It wasn’t difficult to make that commitment – I found I either had to be in completely or not do it at all. Rachel Sawaya, who is now studying for her Masters in Creative Writing at Victoria University, Wellington
I originally wanted to write for younger children but after sampling different genres on the online Writing for Children course, I realized I wanted to write novels for children. The course helped me discover where my talents really lay. It was a great starting place. Ragne Maxwell, shortlisted for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award
Read work by current and former students in the 4th Floor Literary Journal.
further information
Frequently Asked Questions about the Diploma in Creative Writing [delivered online]
Overview of Creative Writing Programme
Diploma in Creative Writing (on-campus)
Diploma in Creative Writing (Advanced)
Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing
Bachelor of Applied Arts (Creative Writing)
Whitireia Writing Programme Success Stories