Writing Fiction: An Introduction



Overview

If you’re a beginner with little or no experience in creative writing, this course is for you; and if you’re an intermediate writer, this course will deepen your understanding.

Each week a different aspect of the novelist’s craft will be introduced and we’ll discuss how it works in our two set texts and in excerpts from other stories.

You’ll learn about the messy process of fiction-writing, from getting ideas (tip: always carry a notebook) through outlining, drafting and of course, revising. You’ll end up with a full toolbox of fiction-writing techniques and the confidence to exercise your unique literary talent.

Programme details

Course starts Monday 29 September 2025

This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Mondays, 7-9pm.

Week 1: Writer Mindset + Scenes

Week 2: Character

Week 3: Motivation

Week 4: Idea into Story

Week 5: Detail 

Week 6: Point of view

Week 7: Outlining

Week 8: Dialogue

Week 9: Backstory

Week 10: Revising

Digital Certification

Academic credit

Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS Points)

Please note, students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you wish to gain credit from completing this course you must register to do so before the course starts.

Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.

Learn more about the Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme.

If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee for assessment and accreditation.

Digital certificate of completion 

Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee (with no assessment) £300.00
Assessment and Accreditation fee £60.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. See details of our concessionary fees for short courses.

 

Tutor

Ms Helena Echlin

Helena Echlin’s psychological thriller, Clever Little Thing, is published by Headline/Hachette (UK) and by Pamela Dorman Books/Penguin Random House (US), as well as in many other territories. She taught fiction-writing for Stanford University in California for eight years and has written for many publications such as the Guardian and the Times. 

Course aims

This course aims to introduce the fundamental tools of fiction-writing and to enable students to use these tools in their own creative practice.

Course objectives

  • To encourage creativity and experimentation in creative practice.
  • To develop good critical reading habits.
  • To encourage participation in discussion and debates about writing.

Teaching methods

This is a practical class in which students are expected to complete a short writing exercise every week.

At least half of every class will be a supportive and fun writing workshop, in which we examine three to four of their pieces.

Following a brief lecture on an aspect of the fiction-writer's craft, and we will have a discussion, often based on a close reading of a set text. The writing exercise for the next week will then be explained, and there's time for questions. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have been given the opportunity to have learnt how to:

  • understand the underlying concepts of fiction;
  • be confident in the use of these concepts;
  • complete a piece of original work.

Assessment methods

Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.

Assessment

1. Formative assessment: one story outline - 500 words.

2. Summative assessment: one short story – 1,500 words.

Application

How to enrol

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

How to register for accreditation and assessment

To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for this course, if you wish to do so, you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. 

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.

If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support