Writing and Journalism Courses

Work in freelance writing – if you would like to work as a freelance writer, why not improve your writing skills with this advanced qualification. Study by distance learning

Expand your knowledge of freelance writing and sharpen your writing and inject commercial appeal... in the comfort of your own home!

This is a course for people who already have skills in freelance writing, who have perhaps had some minor work published, but need to improve their overall technique and develop a more "commercial" approach to their work. Learn the skills you need to write for profit across a broad range of writing styles.

Learn to Write Blogs

• Different types for different purposes
• Manage your work
• Establish a readership

Study Online Fundamental English

Improve your English Skills for Business or ESL

Good communication is essential for a good business.

This course will develop your knowledge of English grammar and your ability to write in English for business and study. Improving your skills in speaking and writing in English can help you communicate with many people much easier. 

Employers are looking for people with a wide range of skills and abilities, ensuring that your written and spoken English skills are exceptional can give you a real competitive advantage ahead of your competition.

•  Improve your written English
•  Become more confident in writing in English
•  Learn proper sentence structure
•  Increase your English vocabulary

This course is aimed at students who can write and speak basic English and need to improve their written English language skills.  Students will learn by reading the course notes, completing written and spoken exercises for each lesson, and submitting them for comment and correction. Your tutor will provide ongoing and personalised support.

12 Lessons each with Set Tasks and 12 Assignments

Writing for children is a specialised craft.

Children are demanding readers, and require texts developed to address their needs and interests. In this course, you'll draw on standards in child psychology and education to understand how a child's mind works, how to focus their interest, and how to create engaging and authentic stories for younger readers.

Communicate Better At Work In Business Or Anywhere

This course improves your ability to communicate in all situations. You learn to write and speak more fluently. Behaviour, visual communications, language, public speaking, conducting meetings, writing letters and reports, communications technology, and lots more are covered. This course is an accredited Advanced Certificate in Applied Management unit which will earn you credit if you choose to continue studies.

Develop Creative Writing Skills And Techniques

• Learn the techniques and writing skills for effective creative writing.
• Arouse emotions in your readers.
• Discover opportunities and improve the possibility of getting published.
• Let a professional writer guide you to move your capacity for creative writing onto the next level.

This can be either fiction or non-fiction and in any media  from books, magazines, and newspapers to web sites and movie scripts.

This course will enhance your ability to write well and to get your work published. You will learn approach writing with greater sensitivity and creativity, and will improve everyday writing skills, whether you are writing letters to friends or a community newsletter.

Study Dramatic Writing Online

• Learn to write drama, and stimulate the readers emotions
• Learn more about the mechanics of writing
• Develop your capacity to communicate more clearly and effectively
• Explore opportunities to turn your passion into a rewarding job

What is Dramatic Writing?

Well...to answer this question just ask yourself what boring writing is.  Dramatic writing is the opposite of that.  Dramatic writing is the art of capturing peoples attention and emotions with the written word. 

Drama is the term usually used to describe a specific type of fiction that is represented via performance. It comes from the Greek word for action.  So although theatrical drama is intended to be performed by actors for an audience, dramas are also written to be read.

Learn how to edit books, documents, articles with this distance education course

Study this professional editing and proofreading course and develop a portable, marketable skill that is always in demand. This course is designed for self-editors, aspiring professional editors and desktop publishers. Its aim is to develop the student’s understanding of the editing processes. It develops your capacity to edit a broad range of publishing material including both print and electronic media, text and graphics, commercial and non commercial material.

Take your Editing skills to the next level.

• Editing III is an advanced editing course, developed for senior editors and managers, or editors who would like to develop their professional career
• Study by distance learning and start at any time to suit you

Learn the Practical Side of Editing

Knowing how to Edit and Doing it are Often Different Things

1. Working to Specifications
2. Editing Articles for Online Publications
3. Submitting Articles for Online Publications
4. Preparing and submitting Layout for publication

Are your writing skills rusty? Did you never go as far as you wanted at school? Do you lack confidence to write -anything from an email to a greeting card?.

• For people who wish to brush up on their writing skills, or obtain basic skills which they should have but did not develop properly while at school.
• Develop confidence and ability to write better at work, at home, anywhere
• Learn to write clearly and efficiently
• Learn to communicate thoughts in the minimum number of words, and without any ambiguity.
• Be guided by expert highly qualified professional writers, with decades of experience -let us develop your capacity for writing to the next level

How To Write English Well

An Online Course of Study

• Learn to write better
• A course for people who have English as their second language

100 hour, self paced course, with one on one tuition from a team of highly qualified and experienced teachers from around the world.

Study Freelance Writing

• improved communication skills, particularly with respect to clarity, conciseness and correct grammar
• understanding of the 'writing business' and a clear idea of where opportunities exist for obtaining work as a freelance writer
• ideas for approaching potential clients to obtain work
• a better understanding of the processes involved in publishing books, magazines and newspapers, from generating concepts to seeing the finished publication on sale.

Here's what some of our students say about the course:

(The course) has helped me focus on writing and increased my confidence. Provided me with valuable information and improved skills so that I can move forward in my ambitions.

~ Justine

Yes [this course is a valuable learning experience]. I have never had the benefit of a writer give feedback on my work. That along with structure and content lessons have been beneficial.

~ Bradley Clark - Freelance Writing

Study Photojournalism

Gain valuable journalism experience by publishing photos for a student publication.

This course takes you through the processes of selection and publishing for a specific publication, submitting work for publication, and meeting the requirements of an editor and publisher.

Under the guidance of a mentor (a photography/publishing tutor), you will learn to write according to specific criteria, deal with a publisher, and communicate effectively with others involved in the publishing process.

You will come away with at least one online published work (maybe more), which will set you on the path to a career as a writer. No matter what you want to write, you will find this a great learning experience.

Learn How to Write Great Poetry

Follow your passion and find the poet within.   Develop your ability to write and understand the different types of poetry.

• Learn the techniques
• Improve your skills under guidance from experienced, published professional writers
• Pursue your passion and explore possibilities for becoming a published poet

This course provides those interested in poetry with an introductory course into the different elements of poetry and how to write it.

Practical Journalism - Online Course

Gain valuable journalism experience by writing for a student publication.

 This course takes you through the processes of writing for a specific publication, submitting work for publication, and meeting the requirements of an editor and publisher. Under the guidance of a mentor (a writing/editing tutor), you will learn to write according to specific criteria, deal with a publisher, and communicate effectively with others involved in the publishing process. And, you will come away with at least one published work (maybe more), which will set you on the path to a career as a writer. No matter what you want to write, you will find this a great learning experience.

Prerequisites

• Freelance Writing, Publishing I, and Editing I, or equivalent
• Medium level computer skills, or higher.

Learn to Communicate better through Public Speaking

- a course for public speakers, teachers, event managers, broadcast media professionals, and others.

TRAIN IN BOOK PUBLISHING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Make your mark in publishing

Take a new direction in your career and enter the creative world of publishing. With the demise of unwieldy printing technology and the advent of desktop publishing, it is easier than ever before to become a publisher. In this course you will find out about how the industry works with a specific focus on publishing books for children and young adults, learn the creative and artistic skills of the trade, learn how to market your work and develop an understanding of the ethical issues and laws relating to the field. You will also have a chance to undertake a stimulating publishing project and implement the skills you have learned.

Who should do it?

This course provides an excellent start for anyone considering self publishing or seeking employment in publishing. It is equally relevant to electronic or print publishing.

Self-Publishing Adult Fiction

Develop your ability to plan and manage Non Fiction Publishing

Publishers are continually needing to consider: “What to publish?”  This course focusses on publishing commercial non-fiction.

Some establish a limited repertoire of publication activities, focusing on academic books, novels, westerns, romance novels, text and educational books, informative or self-help books or material on specific topics such as health and wellbeing, ostrich farming etc., fashion or gardening magazines, music scores etc.

Other publishers will engage in a wider range of activities, publishing books, journals, monographs and newspapers in their different branches. The nature of the publishing enterprise will determine what kinds of texts they will publish, and how they choose which texts to publish.

Whilst it can be taken alone, this course is ideally studied as a follow on from Publishing I and Publishing II.

Learn to write scripts for a variety of media, including film, television, and educational purposes

Scriptwriting is a specialist form of writing that focuses on producing content for performance. Scripts are essential to developing video and audio content for a variety of audiences.

In this course, you'll learn how to develop characters for fiction and non-fiction purposes, how to write tight dialogue, how to develop well-rounded characters, and the principles of scriptwriting for online markets. You'll also learn how to get started with your own business producing scripts for yourself and others.

Scripts are essential to developing:

• television shows
• films/cinema
• teaching in a classroom or online environment
• training
• radio plays
• podcasts
• advertising
• and more...

Technical Writing - Online Course

• Write reports, instruction manuals, technical articles, marketing material, etc.

• Professional development course for anyone working in a technical field, from consultants and teachers to scientists and engineers.

The following steps are a broad guide to getting started as a freelance writer:

1. Identify the area(s) of writing that interest you.

2. Research the market place to get a feel for what other successful writers are doing. Visit bookshops, and buy newspapers and magazines to see what’s currently being published. Get a feel for what publishers want and look for gaps in the market.

3. Develop your writing skills. Start off small and hone your skills by contributing to newsletters published by your school, work or social club. You could enter short story competitions or even try writing short articles for local newspapers or hobby or trade magazines. Don’t be disappointed if your articles are rejected – at this stage the aim is to practise your writing and to get a feel for what is acceptable in the marketplace.

4. Develop a personal reference library. Collect examples of other writers’ work in the areas that interest you. Books, newspaper articles and magazines are not only a useful information resource, they also help you to develop an awareness of how other successful writers write!

5. Develop your selling skills! Build up contacts with publishers and organisations in your chosen area of writing.

ACS student comments:

"I think the course is a valuable learning experience as I feel I’m being challenged along the way. Generally, I am impressed with the service I have received from ACS since enrolling. The enrolment process was very quick and all email support has been prompt and helpful. The tutors seem very pleasant and helpful in their remarks, and this keeps me motivated. It is very encouraging when they offer additional information or ask questions of me/my writing."

Sally, Malaysia - Technical Writing course.

Learn to Write Biographies

• as a book, a short story, an inline profile, or even an obituary
• a family history, an autobiography, or reflections on people you have known
• historical figures or ordinary people

Become The Fiction Writing You Dream of Being

Good fiction has a strong plot or story line, believable and interesting characters, a unifying theme, and holds the reader's attention. Whether you want to write novels or short stories, this course will give you valuable writing tools, such as the ability to plan and critically appraise your work to achieve the effect you want.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. Thank you for making it available".  S. Cooke, Writing Fiction graduate. 

Learn how to revise and polish your work.

Discover reviewing strategies, how to give and receive feedback, and how to work over your projects to check structure, characterisation, and more.

Write commercial non-fiction for any media - print, broadcast or digital.

Writers or aspiring writers will improve with this course.

Broaden your capacity to write nonfiction magazine articles, blogs, news and biographies.