This one-year, correspondence course will teach you everything you need to know about fiction writing and publishing, as well as help you write your first novel.

Our courses run all the time, all year round, so sign up at www.sawriterscollege.co.za, and start whenever you are ready to put pen to paper.

Course modules: 12 modules
Duration: One year
Cost: R4495.00
Student produces: Preliminary text of 25 0000 to 30 000 words; a cover letter to the publisher

Tutor: Henrietta Rose-Innes

Henrietta Rose-Innes is the author of Shark's Egg (Kwela, 2000) and The Rock Alphabet (Kwela, 2004), and has compiled a book of South African writing, Nice Times! A Book of South African Pleasures and Delights (Double Storey, 2006). A number of her short stories and essays have been published in local and international publications.

Most recently, her story "Poison" won the 2007 Southern African PEN/ HSBC Writing Award. She was also short-listed for the 2007 Caine Prize for African Writing.

With years of experience as a literary editor (for publishers including Kwela, Juta, Umuzi and Jacana), Henrietta is familiar with both ends of the publishing process. As well as giving detailed input on manuscripts, she can offer guidance on various aspects of "the writing life": the joys and challenges, the topical issues and opportunities, and the nitty-gritty of dealing with agents, publishers and contracts.

Admission requirements:
- No tertiary qualification required
- Good basic writing skills
- English first language preferred
- Email access

Please note: Places are limited.

You will learn about:

- The basics of fiction writing: theme, point of view, voice, tense, genre, characterisation, plot and structure (Modules 1-5)
- Writing skills: style, dialogue, self-editing (Modules 6-8)
- Publication (Module 9-10)
- Issue and trends in local writing and publishing (Module 11-12)

However, the main focus will be on your individual manuscript.

You'll be writing your novel as we go along, and as the course progresses, the emphasis will shift away from exercises to one-on-one critique and help. You'll regularly send instalments of your manuscript to your tutor for feedback. These will start fairly short and grow longer with each module, building up your word count. At the end of 12 modules, you will have gained important skills and have a text of at least 25 000 words.

Course curriculum

Module one – Introducing the world of fiction writing
Module two – The basics: Theme, point of view, voice, tense and genre
Module three – Your characters
Module four – Plot: narrative structure
Module five – Beginnings, endings and transitions
Module six – Style
Module seven – Dialogue
Module eight – Self-editing: Pitfalls and solutions
Module nine – Selling your book
Module ten – The process of book production
Module eleven – Trends in publishing, self-publishing and e-publishing
Module twelve – The writing life

For more course details, and to apply, please go to our website at www.sawriterscollege.co.za.

Venues

Date: 01 April 2008
Location: Countrywide
Cost: R4495.00

Date: 08 April 2008
Location: Countrywide
Cost: R4495.00

Contact: Candice Kotze
Company name: SA Writers' College
Telephone number: +27 21 531 6436
Email address admin@sawriterscollege.co.za