open university creative writing

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Creative writing

This module takes a student-centred approach to creative writing, offering a range of strategies to help you develop as a writer. The emphasis is highly practical, with exercises and activities designed to ignite and sustain the writing impulse. The five-part module starts by showing ways to use your memory and experience in your writing, and build a daily discipline for your work. This is followed by the demonstration and practice of the three most popular forms or writing – fiction, poetry and life writing (which includes autobiography, biography and travel writing). The concluding part aims to demystify the world of agents and publishers, teaching you how to revise and present your work to a professional standard.

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OU qualifications are modular in structure; the credits from this undergraduate module could count towards a certificate of higher education, diploma of higher education, foundation degree or honours degree.

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This module is suitable for new writers, as well as for those with some experience who would like to develop their skills. It will help you to identify your strengths and interests as a writer by giving you the opportunity to write in a range of genres: fiction, poetry, autobiography and biography. The emphasis is on finding your own direction and style through experiment, practice and constructive feedback. The module is suitable not only for aspiring writers, but for anyone with a strong interest in reading and writing, who would like to deepen their understanding of the creative process.

The module is structured as the follows: The introductory part, The Creative Process , focuses on developing a habit of writing. It examines a range of strategies to help you get started, including clustering, morning pages, and keeping a writer’s notebook, as well as discussions by writers about their own approaches and practices.

Part 2, Writing Fiction , explores the main aspects of narrative, including story structure and time; showing and telling; character and setting; point of view; and editing.

Part 3, Writing Poetry , introduces you to the basics of contemporary poetry, covering a variety of techniques designed for beginning poets. Topics include image and figurative language; the line in free verse; voice and diction; structure; rhyme and metre; the sonnet; and revising poems.

Part 4, Life Writing , looks at autobiography (or memoir) and biography. Some of the central issues raised by life writing are discussed, including the nature of memory and forgetting; the performance of the self; and the representation of others. Finding and researching subject matter and suitable forms are also explored.

The final part, Going Public , outlines the professional presentation of manuscripts and submissions to agents and editors, as well as finding outlets for publication.

At the core of the module is the module book Creative Writing: A Workbook with Readings: Second edition , which takes you week-by-week through the five parts. The emphasis is on practice through guided activities, supported by literary examples by a diverse range of authors, including prose extracts, stories, and poems illustrating particular methods or strategies. The online study material contains audios, videos, animations and other interactive exercises to enhance your learning, such as interviews with writers discussing their inspirations and techniques, or discussions with publishing industry professionals. Face-to-face and online tutorials offer additional opportunities to receive guidance and support from tutors.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor.

You'll have a tutor to help you with the study material and to mark and comment on your written work. You can ask your tutor for advice and guidance both in online forums and by email or phone. Your tutor also offers general support as you progress through the Workbook, which is the principal guide to your learning. Teaching will also be via online forums. Online tutor-group forums enable peer discussion of some of your work and allows tutors to make general points to the whole group.

There will be two day-schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Recordings of these tutorials will be available to download if you can't attend. Student numbers and the distribution of students taking the module, plus where tutors are based, will affect the locations of where tutorials are held. We cannot guarantee that face-to-face tutorials will be hosted in specific locations, or locations that have been used previously. Online alternatives to these tutorials will also be provided if you can’t attend in person.

The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box above.

You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system . The end-of-module assessment (EMA), which is an independent project, must also be submitted online.

Future availability

Creative writing starts once a year – in October. This page describes the module that will start in October 2023. We expect it to start for the last time in October 2033.

Regulations

Course work includes:, entry requirements.

No prior experience of creative writing study is necessary. This is an OU level 2 module and builds on the OU level 1 modules Discovering the arts and humanities (A111), and Cultures (A112) or The arts past and present (AA100) and Voices, texts and material culture (A105) (the latter two now discontinued). These OU level 1 introductory modules develop skills such as logical thinking, clear expression, essay writing and the ability to select and interpret relevant materials.

If you have not studied at university level before, you are strongly advised to study at OU level 1 before progressing to OU level 2 study.

If you're unsure about your English language skills and would like some additional support you might like to try our Developing academic English tutorials before registering on this module.

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser .

Additional Costs

Study costs.

There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.

If your income is not more than £25,000 or you are in receipt of a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.

Ways to pay for this module

Open university student budget account.

The Open University Student Budget Accounts Ltd (OUSBA) offers a convenient 'pay as you go' option to pay your OU fees, which is a secure, quick and easy way to pay. Please note that The Open University works exclusively with OUSBA and is not able to offer you credit facilities from any other provider. All credit is subject to status and proof that you can afford the repayments.

You pay the OU through OUSBA in one of the following ways:

Joint loan applications

If you feel you would be unable to obtain an OUSBA loan on your own due to credit history or affordability issues, OUSBA offers the option to apply for a joint loan application with a third party. For example, your husband, wife, partner, parent, sibling or friend. In such cases, OUSBA will be required to carry out additional affordability checks separately and/or collectively for both joint applicants who will be jointly and severally liable for loan repayments.

As additional affordability checks are required when processing joint loan applications, unfortunately, an instant decision cannot be given. On average the processing time for a joint loan application is five working days from receipt of the required documentation.

Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.

More than one in ten OU students are sponsored by their employer, and over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees.

Credit/debit card

You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module.

We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.

We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may wish to pay part of your tuition fee with a debit card and pay the remainder in instalments through an Open University Student Budget Account (OUSBA) .

For more information about combining payment options, speak to an adviser or book a call back at a time convenient to you.

Can you study an Access module for free?

In order to qualify, you must:

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process , either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069 or you can request a call back .

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding .

What's included

You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:

You’ll also be provided with a printed copy of the module book Creative Writing: A Workbook with Readings: Second edition , which is the principal guide to your learning.

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11), or macOS (11 'Big Sur' or higher).

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards, and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop as described above.

If you have a disability

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying A215 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.

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Postgraduate literature and creative writing courses at Open University

Try our advanced course search for more search options

English and Creative Writing

MA/MSc Open

School of Access, Open and Cross-curricular Innovation

Creative Writing

English literature.

The Open University

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Open University

Degree level: undergraduate, awarded by: the open university, english literature and creative writing (q86), course options.

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

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Course summary.

This degree offers a stimulating and wide-ranging introduction to English literature and creative writing. You’ll have the opportunity to study and interpret literature from different historical periods and diverse cultural settings – including translations – and to develop your writing skills in several genres including fiction; poetry; life writing; and scriptwriting for film, radio and stage. The emphasis is very much on practice through guided activities to develop a habit for writing which will involve producing several pieces of creative writing in the forms studied. Key features of the course

You’ll start Stage 1 with a broad introduction to the arts and humanities followed by up to two modules chosen from a variety of subjects. Next, in Stage 2, you'll focus on your creative writing and English literature studies with two compulsory modules. Finally, in Stage 3, you’ll complete your degree with an advanced creative writing module and an advanced literature module.

How to apply

To apply for this course you will be taken to the provider's website, where you can find out more information and make an application.

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

This course may be available at alternative locations, please check if other course options are available

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements.

There are no qualification requirements for this course.

Unistats information

There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website .

Fees and funding

Tuition fees, additional fee information, provider information.

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Open University Student Recruitment Team PO Box 197 Milton Keynes MK7 6BJ

Course contact details

Student recruitment team.

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0300 303 5303

2 Course options

Please select a course option to view the information for the course

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To find out more details about the transfer to The Open University see A New Chapter for OCA .

Creative writing, degree and foundation-level creative writing distance learning courses.

The study of creative writing supports the discovery of your own voice as a writer.

It can help you on your way to become an effective writing practitioner, in your favourite literary form. Whether it’s poetry, scriptwriting, novels, life writing, short fiction, or even writing for children, our range of online creative writing courses can open up the possibilities for you to enhance your writing style and choices.

What are online creative writing university courses?

Online creative writing courses offer you exactly the same programme of study you would enjoy attending an in-person college or university. This includes the support of dedicated experts in the field of creative writing to mentor you throughout your course as well as the benefit of a group of online peers to share the experience with.

If you’re interested in becoming a professional writer or simply looking to pursue your passion for creative writing while continuing to work or manage your caring or parental responsibilities – distance learning creative writing courses provide the flexibility you need.

Study at one of the UK’s few specialist online arts colleges

OCA’s creative offer students the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s or foundation degree at their own pace – leaving with a wide range of new skills as well as a recognised qualification from one of the best creative arts colleges offering distance learning.

Whether you choose to specialise in creative writing or want to study the craft of writing alongside other creative pursuits, you can find out more about our creative writing courses below to get started with creative writing!

BA (Hons) Creative Writing

If you feel you were born to write, or are committed to becoming a writer, the BA (Hons) Creative Writing degree programme is the place to start.

BA (Hons) Creative Arts

The BA (Hons) Creative Arts degree will allow you to combine your writing with another creative practice, maybe illustration or photography, and create something unique.

Foundations in Creative Writing

If you’re not sure about embarking straight onto a degree, why not take a look at our Foundations in Creative Writing.

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VIDEO

ACADEMIC WRITING INTRO
Inside Creative Writing: Episode 3
Make Writing Easier For All Academics
Robert Lowell Memorial Lecture: Edward P. Jones
ACADEMIC WRITING 3
Inside Creative Writing: Episode 4

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A215
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