I wasn’t sure if I had the confidence to do this course, but I succeeded and I enjoyed it very much. The materials were really enlightening, and I learned such a lot of new things.
Do you have the urge to write, but struggle to know where to start?
Our new online creative writing course is perfect for beginners. It introduces you to the many different types of fiction and non-fiction writing that you can do for fun, profit … or both!
We also offer additional course content on essential topics such as finding a steady supply of good ideas to write about, presenting your work professionally, and working with images.
You will receive full tutor support throughout and personal feedback on your course assignments.
If you would like to take your writing further as a career or an exciting part-time income opportunity, the final module is dedicated to helping you sell your work to a variety of markets.
So, whether you are a writing novice looking to broaden your writing horizons or just seeking a creative new hobby, our comprehensive creative writing course is the perfect place to find inspiration.
This course gets results
Many of our graduates testify that our courses have helped them to find jobs, set up as freelancers, or boost their skills at work.
Our aim is to give you the best learning experience you’ve ever had, or ever will have.
Successful creative writing course graduate, Pamela Parrish, said the course materials were really enlightening. See her review
What will I learn?
Our comprehensive creative writing course takes you through the basic writing skills before moving on to the main types of writing, such as:
Feature articles, biographies and reviews.
Filler material, readers’ letters and competition entries.
Scripts for theatre, TV and radio.
Writing for specialist markets, including religious and children’s publications.
You will benefit from unlimited tutor support from Mitch Larney, who is a professional lecturer and creative consultant. He will help you every step of the way.
He will also give you personal feedback on every assignment, answer your questions and provide expert careers guidance, so you get the very best out of the course.
When you graduate, you will receive the ABC Awards level 4 diploma in creative writing. It proves you are a qualified creative writer. ABC Awards is regulated by Ofqual.
Enquire about this course
You should receive a personal reply within 30 minutes during office hours.
We may take up to one working day during busy periods.
How does the course work?
Our courses are delivered online. So, you can study at a pace you’re completely comfortable with and fit your studies around your lifestyle.
You can use a computer, or our exclusive app to work on a tablet or smartphone.
Qualifications
Our creative writing course has been independently endorsed under the ABC Awards and Certa Awards Quality Licence Scheme, which is regulated by Ofqual. So, when you finish, you will receive the ABC Awards and Certa Awards level 4 diploma in creative writing course, and a learner unit summary. This lists the subjects you have studied.
The ABC Awards and Certa Awards diploma guarantees that you have been assessed at level 4 standards, and are competent to practise. ABC Awards and Certa Awards are leading national awarding bodies that are both regulated by Ofqual.
In addition, you will receive the fully accredited CMP diploma in creative writing, which is recognised in the UK and beyond. It proves you are a qualified creative writer.
These awards will equip you to apply for creative writing jobs, learn new skills to use at work or find freelance work.
Creative writing course: Julian Brouwer
Proofreader | freelance journalist
Julian Brouwer worked for a group of newspapers and a host of other London-based organisations.
He runs a successful news agency Manhattan News, which supplies US-based news and features to national papers in the UK. He used to have his own column in the Daily Express.
He is often praised for his good-humoured and encouraging manner.
This vocational course covers every aspect of creative writing. Each lesson includes a practical assignment, based on real-world creative writing.
Every assignment is personally marked and graded by your tutor, so you’ll receive expert feedback on your progress.
How long will it take?
Our online courses are flexible. There are no deadlines, time limits or expiry dates. So, you can study at a pace that suits you, and fit the course around your lifestyle.
Most people take around three months to complete this course, but each learner is different.
There are no set start dates. You can enrol and begin studying when you want to.
What will I need?
We aim to keep our course delivery as simple as possible, so people of all ages, locations and abilities can take part.
This is what you will need to study our creative writing course:
Access to a computer, tablet or similar device.
Internet access.
Microsoft Word or equivalent: OpenOffice, iWork pages.
An email account.
Payment options
This course costs £494.50 including VAT. This is all you pay. There are no hidden charges, and we have a range of payment methods, so you can purchase your course wherever you live.
You can either pay the fee in full, or with four monthly instalments of £123.62 including VAT.
What happens when I enrol?
There are no set enrolment dates. You can begin studying when you want to.
Once you have completed your enrolment form and paid your fee, you will receive a login to our Online Learning Area.
There, you will find your learning materials and other resources. You can start studying when you want to.
Our courses are often used for staff training
Some of the world’s biggest corporations use our courses to train their workers.
They appreciate the flexibility. People can work step-by-step, in their own time, with input from an expert tutor when they need it. Many learners find they can apply their new skills to their jobs straight away.
Organisations who use our courses:
Accreditation and quality
We comply with the very highest external standards. We are:
I wasn’t sure if I had the confidence to do this course, but I succeeded and I enjoyed it very much. The materials were really enlightening, and I learned such a lot of new things.
Creative writing course subjects
This course covers every aspect of creative writing. Each lesson includes a practical assignment which is based on the real world of creative writing. All assignments are personally marked and graded by your tutor, so you’ll be receiving expert feedback at each stage of the course.
Lesson 01: You can be a writer
How to get started.
Where, when and what to write.
Finding your form, including experiments in fiction and non-fiction prose, poetry and drama.
Who you can write for: how to appeal to varied audiences including children, young adults, and adults.
Lesson 02: The basics
Writing and publishing terminology.
Applying a style guide.
Presenting your work correctly.
Creative a cover sheet.
Keeping legally safe notebooks and records.
Lesson 03: What to write about
Developing your imagination and producing ideas.
Overcoming writer’s block.
Finding original angles and follow-ups.
Reading as a writer.
Writing as a reader.
Lesson 04: Writing techniques
The importance of drafting.
Develop your own style: finding your unique “voice”.
Achieve brevity, fluency and consistency.
Writing for a reader.
Lesson 05: How to write fictional prose, including:
Short stories: different types of short story, and flash-fiction. Scene setting, characterisation, dialogue, narrative point of view.
Novels: different genres, and traditional and modern forms. Scene setting, characterisation, dialogue, narrative point of view.
“Genre” fiction: sci-fi, fantasy, crime. Scene setting, characterisation, dialogue.
“Literary” fiction: history, scene setting, characterisation, dialogue, narrative point of view.
Lesson 06: How to write non-fiction prose, including:
Identify the key characteristics of free verse, sonnets and haiku.
Use key poetic terminology including caesura, rhyme and metre.
Employ key poetic techniques and features such as metaphor, rhyme and metre.
State the importance of dialogue and stage directions in dramatic scripts.
Employ stage directions in a script.
Lesson 08: Gathering information and content
Researching your content.
Writing previews.
Producing listings.
Carrying out interviews.
Using your own experiences.
Taking and using photos and videos.
Lesson 09: Preparing work for publication
Checking / revising your work.
Proofreading and editing your articles.
Legal issues, including libel, copyright, plagiarism.
Lesson 10: Selling your work
Submitting articles for publication.
Writing an effective query letter and synopsis.
Securing commissions.
Negotiating fees and contracts.
Spotting photojournalism opportunities.
Selling fiction: contacts, agents.
When can I start?
You can sign up for this course 24 hours a day – 365 days a year.
Once you’ve registered, it’s up to you when you start. We offer complete flexibility. This means you can study at a pace that suits you. The course never expires, so you can take as long as you need.
Enquire
What will I get?
Unlimited tutor support
Contact your course tutor whenever you need help. Your tutor will mentor you through the course, mark your assignments, and give you expert advice.
Your own study area
Learn in our easy-to-use online classroom, where you can access your course materials and other exclusive resources.
An app for flexible learning
Study on your tablet or smartphone with our app. Do your coursework, contact your tutor, chat to other learners and check your progress on the go.
Rapid marking
Receive personal, detailed feedback from your course tutor. Your work will be returned quickly - within three working days - usually quicker.
Immediate access to course materials
If you decide to enrol, you will receive your login details immediately, so you can access your new course straight away. You can choose when to begin studying.
Free online library
Download our free podcasts, videos, ebooks and tips files, during and after your course.
A personal reference
Receive a personal reference from the college when you finish. Use it on your CV, website, and LinkedIn profile.
Government-recognised qualification
Qualify for an ABC Awards and Certa Awards diploma. ABC Awards and Certa Awards are regulated by Ofqual and both have a long-established reputations for awarding high quality qualifications.
Career coaching scheme - free!
Join our free career coaching scheme when you finish the course. Work with our experts to find work and create a winning CV, job application letters, career blogs, websites and social media profiles. Stay on the scheme as long as you need to.
Charter Mark
Use the CMP Charter Mark on your CV, website, professional profiles and stationery.
Amazon best seller slot for creative writing graduate
CMP freelance journalism course graduate, Phil Hilton, started the year in style by publishing two books on Amazon Kindle.
They are crime thrillers focused on a notorious character called Harry Royle, who is based on someone close to Phil’s heart: his father, who was once Britain’s most wanted man.
One book is called A question of honour, and the other is A code of conduct. They both include a tribute to CMP principal Cleland Thom, who Phil says turned him “from a dreamer into a writer”.
“Harry Royle didn’t simply spring fully formed from my imagination, he is in fact based on a real person.
“The man behind the fiction is my late father. He was the classic wronged man, who having made a mistake turned to a life of crime and in the process became a notorious jailbreaker.”
Phil added: “In 1951, he was Britain’s most wanted man, having escaped from Dartmoor prison. His face made the front pages of the national press. In 1954, his story was serialised in the Sunday People. He was picked up from the gates of Dartmoor by the most famous crime reporter of the time, Duncan Webb.
“Harry Royle as a character is not intended to make a hero from a criminal, but to show how different, things could have been, if another path had been taken. It is my tribute to the man behind the headlines.”
Phil is working on the third book in the series and a collection of short stories for release in the spring.
A question of honour is set in 1937. Sergeant Harry Royle, on the eve of becoming an officer, is framed for murder and forced to run. Royle forced in to hiding, friendless and lost, as hunted, he runs from place to place.
His journey which eventually takes him to the brutal streets of London’s gangland Soho, where he finds friendship, comrades and a hope of redemption, in the twilight world of smoky jazz clubs and those who live in the shadows.
Harry’s story is told against a backdrop of wartime cities, daring prison escapes and stolen moments of happiness. It is one man’s truth and his battles with an unjust world, a world populated by those who live by their own rules and who would stop at nothing to keep him locked away and his true story untold.
Pamela Parrish: Creative writing course review
I wasn’t sure if I had the confidence to do this course, but I succeeded and I enjoyed it very much.
The materials were really enlightening, and I learned such a lot of new things. To my surprise, I was soon able to write articles on all kinds of subjects.
The course showed me that I was sitting on a goldmine of material, I just needed to be shown how to put it to good use.
My tutor was so helpful and supportive, and was always on hand to give advice and encouragement.
I feel like there is a gap in my life now that I have finished the course, and so I am busy looking for another one to do with CMP.
Make sure you try this course if you were like me, and knew that you could be a writer, but didn’t know how to go about it.
Mitch Larney: Course tutor
Lecturer | Creative consultant | Freelance writer
Emagazine | OCR | Johnston Press
I have more than 14 years’ experience teaching English and creative writing to A-level standard.
I am a keen writer and have had articles and resources published in magazines, newspapers and exam board publications.
I have worked to successfully help countless students to succeed over the years and have acted as an editor and story consultant for a number of writers including Ray Cluley, winner of the British Fantasy Award 2013 (short story).
Ray writes: “Mitch Larney’s services were of tremendous help throughout the writing of my collection Probably Monsters as well as dozens of other stories, novellas, and various non-fiction articles.
“His experience as an English lecturer and as a published writer himself means he is able to offer a wealth of expertise, not only regarding the grammatical and structural aspects of a piece, but also concerning more creative concerns such as character development, tone, and thematic ideas.
“I have always found, and continue to find, Mitch Larney’s readings and critiques to be of great value and my work has certainly benefited from his keen eye and insightful comments.”
Do you have the urge to write, but struggle to know where to start?
Our comprehensive creative writing course takes you through the basic writing skills before moving on to the main types of writing, such as:
You can sign up for this course 24 hours a day – 365 days a year.
CMP freelance journalism course graduate, Phil Hilton, started the year in style by publishing two books on Amazon Kindle.
I wasn’t sure if I had the confidence to do this course, but I succeeded and I enjoyed it very much.
Lecturer | Creative consultant | Freelance writer
