Creative Writing Courses Online

Discover 4 unique ways to tell your stories

Whether you're new to creative non-fiction -- or an experienced writer just discovering these four "outlier" forms -- this course will inspire you to tell your stories in innovative new ways.

Join a small cohort of 10 learners led by award-winning writer, Nicole Breit, for a 6-week exploration into the creative possibilities of flash non-fiction, the prose poem, lyric essay, and hermit crab essay. Students will be encouraged to read and discuss essays by diverse writers working in each sub-genre with an emphasis on craft. In addition to weekly readings, discussions in our private forum, and skill-building pre-writing exercises, learners will submit five written assignments for instructor feedback.

By the end of the course, learners will have gained experience and confidence writing in each of the four CNF sub-genres, with a deeper understanding of how form and craft work together to create compelling stories.

In this 6-week course learners will:

• Examine the characteristics of each form and craft techniques that make our life stories powerful in course readings and assignments
• Explore flash non-fiction, prose poems, lyric and hermit crab essays by Isaac Yuen, Mary Ann Samyn, Susan Olding, Brenda Miller, Dinty W. Moore, Randon Billings Noble, and more.
• Learn from published CNF sub-genre authors as they discuss inspiration, challenges, and process in audio interviews and text-based Q and A's
• Ask questions, discuss readings, and share learning discoveries in our private discussion forum
• Complete pre-writing exercises designed to tap intuition, improve skills, and spark a first draft of each written assignment
• Practice each form with a brief written piece submitted for instructor feedback
• Incorporate revisions in one final piece submitted in week 6 for a more in-depth response, recommendations, and next steps
• Find out how to prepare your work for publication in a Q and A with the editor of a CNF literary journal

CNF Outlier learning goals:

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Identify the characteristics of flash non-fiction, the prose poem, lyric essay, and hermit crab essay -- and what makes each sub-genre unique.
• Understand the elements of craft -- including point of view, image, and voice -- that improve our writing so we can tell our stories to best effect. 
• Continue a writing practice that incorporates new knowledge, skills, and confidence in crafting the compelling stories they want to tell. 

Learner support:

The instructor will be available for "office hours" Tuesdays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm PST and Thursdays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm PST. At these times, students can expect the instructor to be available for "live" discussions in our Facebook group, communication by instant message, and/or prompt email response.

Outside office hours learners can expect to receive a response to their emails within 24 hours.

Course dates and fee

Next session: March 27 - May 1, 2017

Fee: $349 USD via e-transfer or Paypal*

*Some students have had issues with Paypal settings defaulting to USD. Please contact me directly to make payment in CAD funds.

What students say...

"I'm so thankful for this course. The different modalities and opportunities to learn about CNF that you provide is beyond helpful. It's inspiring and thought-provoking. Not only am I learning about different forms of CNF and tools that I can use as a writer, but I'm becoming more reflective while writing (considering the influences of structure and form in a way I hadn't done before).
~ Rowan Smith-McCandless

"I absolutely loved the first lesson, such a wonderful overview. It really helped me to contextualize some of the reading that I've absolutely loved over the past few years, and to start to deconstruct the elements of the essays that resonated with me."

~ Emily Kellogg

"Love, love this course."
~ Karen Zey

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