Teaching & Academics
Humanities
Creative Writing
Write a Book! Creative Writing Skills for Beginner Writers
4.4 (1,090 ratings)
Course Ratings are calculated from individual students’ ratings and a variety of other signals, like age of rating and reliability, to ensure that they reflect course quality fairly and accurately.
14,080 students enrolled

Write a Book! Creative Writing Skills for Beginner Writers

Write a novel or non-fiction book. Creative writing skills for beginners. Writers write by writing! World Building!
Bestseller
4.4 (1,090 ratings)
Course Ratings are calculated from individual students’ ratings and a variety of other signals, like age of rating and reliability, to ensure that they reflect course quality fairly and accurately.
14,076 students enrolled
Created by Brian Jackson
Last updated 6/2020
English
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Write a Book! Creative Writing Skills for Beginner Writers
Current price: $13.99 Original price: $19.99 Discount: 30% off
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This course includes
  • 17 hours on-demand video
  • 28 articles
  • 17 downloadable resources
  • Full lifetime access
  • Access on mobile and TV
  • Certificate of Completion
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What you'll learn
  • Learn writing basics including punctuation, sentences, paragraphs and essays
  • Learn advanced writing techniques such as the use of foreshadowing and cliffhangers
  • Learn how to write short non-fiction books quickly and easily
  • Learn Advanced dialog to draw the reader into your story
  • Learn how to self-publish a book on Amazon
  • Learn how to use Microsoft PowerPoint to create a book cover
  • Learn how to discover your personal writing style
  • Learn how to self-edit your book manuscript
Requirements
  • A PC or Mac
  • Microsoft Word 2010, 2013 or 2016
  • A rudimentary understanding of English
Description

Tell Your Story Today... 

Isn't it time you finally told the story inside your heart?  Within this course, I will explain how to organize and begin writing a short story, novella, novel or non-fiction book.  The concepts are similar for each form.  The number of balls you need to keep in the air and for how long are the only things that differ. 

  If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad.
  -- Lord Byron 

Learn the Components of Successful Storytelling... 

Plot, character, and place.  Learn how to juggle them all like a professional.  Learn how to discipline yourself to put the first words on the page.  Learn the even greater discipline required to put the last words on the page. 

  The thing about writing is that you never stop learning and improving your craft, and a review of the basics is helpful even to an established, USA Today bestselling author like myself. Jackson's deceptively simple course on writing a first novel is concise, and covers crucial points that every writer should know and constantly keep in mind. I especially enjoyed his advice on handling writer's block and its causes; I am guilty of reason #3. Sigh. A useful course, even for those who think they don't need it.
  -- Lisa Cach, USA Today Bestselling Author of the "1,001 Erotic Nights" series 

For the Storyteller, There is No Greater Joy... 

All your life, you've carried this story with you.  Perhaps uncertain or fearful of rejection.  But there is no burden greater than carrying an untold story. 

  A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.
  --Franz Kafka 

Your All in One Source for the Inspiration and Technique Required to Tell Your Story... 

This is your call to arms.  Tell your story now before it's lost forever...

---Brian 

Who this course is for:
  • Anyone looking to grasp the fundamentals of writing using the English language
  • Anyone looking to brush up their writing skills
  • Anyone interested in writing and publishing a book
  • Anyone with a need to tell a story that buried inside
Featured review
Dawn Robinson
Dawn Robinson ( 3 courses, 3 reviews )
a year ago
I thought the course was amazing, I really got a lot out of it. Now, I hope I can go write my book, and who knows maybe it will be a hit. The instructor was very good, I really appreciated all the feed back he gave me.
Course content
Expand all 188 lectures 16:51:21
+ – Introduction to the Course
4 lectures 08:21

An overview of the course structure.

An Overview of the Course
Preview 03:46
2016 Edition Changes
01:06
Introduction to the 2017 Edition
03:20

A summary of the changes and additions made to this course in early July, 2019.

2019 Edition Changes
00:09
+ – Finding Your Style
7 lectures 24:04
Introduction to Finding Your Style
03:46

Storytelling basics, beginning with plot...

Storytelling Basics
Preview 04:10

An initially confusing and ultimately satisfying discussion of modes of narration.

Mode of Narration
Preview 07:14

An overview of plotters vs pansters.

Plotters vs Pansters
02:04
Discovering Your Personal Writing Style
05:49
Finding Your Style Section Project
00:15
Summary of Finding Your Style
00:46
+ – Preparing to Write
9 lectures 49:56
Introduction to Preparing to Write
02:29

Notes on the use of Pinterest to do research.

Pinterest Notes
00:23

A quick aside: My wife teaches me how to use Pinterest to do Internet based research for a book. A+++

Research Using Pinterest
07:27

Setting up word to look the way it does in my lectures.

Setting Up Word
07:35

A quick look at outlining.

Outlining
10:02

Show how to create an outline using physical index cards and a corkboard.

Outlining with Index Cards
03:44
Outlining with MS Word (2018 Extension)
17:04
Preparing to Write Section Project
00:13
Summary of Preparing to Write
00:58
+ – Beginning to Write
7 lectures 22:30
Introduction to Beginning to Write
01:59

A discussion of selecting when, where, and how to write.

When, Where, and How
04:15

What to write? Keep a daily journal.

Keeping a Journal
02:59

Let Microsoft Word help you to choose the right word.

Choosing the Right Word
04:00
Standard Story Arcs and Character Architypes
08:11
Beginning to Write Section Project
00:23
Summary of Beginning to Write
00:43
+ – Writing
6 lectures 14:45
Introduction to Writing
01:26
Where to Begin Your Story
04:46

Dealing with the symptom of writer's block.

Writer's Block
04:39

Do what you have to do to WRITE!

Write
03:11
Writing Section Project
00:03
Summary of Writing
00:40
+ – Editing
8 lectures 39:11
Introduction to Editing
02:35
Proofreading Your Work
08:11
Waterfall vs Spiral Editing
04:47
Dealing with Word Repetition (2018 Addendum)
09:59
Editing Resources (2017 Addendum)
05:37
Using the Grammarly Word Extension (2019 Extension)
06:58
Editing Section Project
00:04
Summary of Editing
01:00
+ – Writing Short Non-fiction Books
13 lectures 01:46:55
Introduction to Writing Short Non-fiction Books
03:08
Book Length, Pricing and Release Strategies
18:52
Preparing to Write Non-fiction with MS Word
12:44
Finding a Book Topic to Dominate on Amazon
09:18
Researching and Outlining Non-fiction Books
12:53
Maintaining a Bibliography
06:15
Researching and Writing Non-fiction Books
05:34
Inserting, Configuring and Formatting Images
12:14
Adding a ToC, Table of Figures, Footnotes, an Index and a Glossary (Part I)
11:56
Adding a ToC, Table of Figures, Footnotes, an Index and a Glossary (Part II)
09:55
Editing Non-fiction Books
02:57
Writing Short Non-fiction Books Section Project
00:11
Conclusion to Writing Non-fiction Books
00:58
+ – Basic Writing Skills
21 lectures 02:06:48
Introduction to Basic Writing Skills
01:49
Words and Spaces: Lecture
15:00
Words and Spaces: Writing Session
07:28
Words and Spaces: Writing Session Files (Downloadable Lecture Material)
00:09
Punctuation: Lecture
21:09
Punctuation: Writing Session
08:37
Punctuation: Writing Session Files (Downloadable Files)
00:09
Sentences: Lecture
11:24
Sentences: Writing Session
13:43
Sentences: Writing Session Files (Downloadable Files)
00:09
Paragraphs: Lecture
06:25
Paragraphs: Writing Session
14:43
Paragraphs: Writing Session Files (Downloadable Files)
00:09

Learn the basic mechanics of writing dialog as we touch on aspects of writing good dialog.

Dialog: Lecture
06:57
Dialog Writing Session
06:50

Access the sample writing file for the previous writing session lecture by accessing the resources associated with this lecture (it's the downward arrow pointing to the box in the upper right hand corner of this lecture).

Dialog: Writing Session Files (Downloadable Files)
00:09
Blog Posts and Short Essays
03:24
Blog Posts and Short Essays: Writing Sessions
07:35
Blog Posts and Short Essays: Writing Session Files (Downloadable Files)
00:09
Basic Writing Skills Section Project
00:13
Summary of Basic Writing Skills
00:37
+ – Intermission
1 lecture 02:16
Please Leave a Course Review
02:16
+ – Advanced Dialog
7 lectures 22:28
Introduction to Advanced Dialog
03:43
Writing Dialog to Express Language, Accent, Time Period and Person
05:37
Attributing Dialog Without Repetition and Not Attributing Dialog for Pacing
06:58
Mixing Dialog with Descriptive Narrative
03:08
Writing Internal Monologues
02:04
Advanced Dialog Section Project
00:08
Conclusion to Advanced Dialog
00:50