UWA Extension

Learn everything you need to know about starting, writing and finishing a novel. Join novelist Natasha Lester as she shares her secrets to writing an award winning novel. Designed for those who’ve always wanted to write a novel but don’t know where to begin, as well as those who’ve started writing a book, only to put it away because they’re not sure where they’re going. You will learn how to turn your ideas into scenes for a novel, as well as how to keep going until you reach the en... [More]

A travel diary doesn’t need to be a blow-by-blow account of every step along your sightseeing journey. Join travel blogger and writer Amanda Kendle to learn about various ways to write down your travels so that you, your family and friends will enjoy reading them over and over. You will learn about journaling, scrapbooking (online and off), blogging and memoir and family diary writing. Join travel blogger and writer Amanda Kendle to learn about various ways to write down your travel... [More]

With a few tweaks you could improve your writing, whether it’s for work, blog or personal correspondence. Linguist Daniel Midgley presents a fun and easy crash course in English grammar. Along the way, he’ll show you how language really works. Some well-placed commas will make you feel better. OUTLINE: Session 1: The basics: Nouns, verbs, and all that Session 2: Advanced grammar for advanced dummies: Tense, aspect, and mood Session 3: Getting structural: Phrases and clauses Session ... [More]

Writing your life story can be a way to preserve memories for your family. But it can also be so much more. Whether you’re interested in writing a comprehensive record of your life or discovering which pieces of your life could be turned into an engaging short piece of work for the wider public, this course is for you. Everyone’s life contains enough excitement, emotion and adventure to form the basis of a wonderful story. But how do you begin to write about your experiences, your p... [More]

Take your blogging to the next level with the ‘Better Blogging’ course. Whether you are blogging for pleasure, to attract clients or customers, or to make a profit, this course will be invaluable for increasing the number of visitors to your blog, encouraging conversation on your blog, converting one-off visitors to devoted followers, and improving the effectiveness or profitability of your blog. Every day, numerous blogs are added to the internet. Only a small percentage go on to b... [More]

The art of exposition – showing not telling – is a subtle one. Behind every story there is an entire world complete with a history and peopled by real-life characters. How does the writer handle this mass of detail? This workshop shows how and where writers can employ techniques to weave exposition into the fabric of the story so readers are scarcely aware of being given essential information. Stories do not come out of a void. There is much the reader needs to know about the time, ... [More]

Have you made a New Year’s resolution to do something with the manuscript that’s been sitting on your laptop or in your drawer? Once you’ve finished writing a book, the inevitable question is: what next? Natasha Lester will give you the answers, as well as the confidence to approach key players in the publishing industry. The ten-step process has been developed out of Natasha’s extensive experience of working with publishers and agents and will ensure your manuscript stands out from... [More]

This is an online course. To find out how our online courses work, please click here. If you’ve ever wanted to try journaling, this course will provide answers to your every question. You’ll discover the different types of journaling (including dream journaling), and sample a buffet of journaling techniques, exercises, tools, and resources. We’ll cover everything you need to know about journaling, including a seven-step process that will ease you into writing a journal, even if you’... [More]

Fictional characters must possess sufficient strength of character to handle difficult dilemmas. In other words, they must be up to the demands of the plot. John Harman will show you how to create convincing characters, even those of the opposite gender. A story may be structured like a journey with: A Compass – the premise, theme, threads Map – the plot Engine – the motivation of the protagonist (plus other central characters) Fuel – the dialogue The depth, dimensionality and authe... [More]

Completing the first draft of your manuscript – whether for a novel, short story, non-fiction book or magazine article – is a major achievement. Yet this is only the first step in a long journey to getting published. In this course you will learn the step-by-step process including market research, finding an agent, approaching publishing houses, and the pros and cons of self-publishing. Your first draft is only the beginning. Now comes the rewriting, and yet more rewriting; then the... [More]