Creative Writing Courses

Ideal for beginners
or if you want to try a new area of writing

Creative writing is a most rewarding and stimulating pastime. But the rewards aren't just creative. You can also earn a spare or full-time income from your writing if you want to. Our creative writing courses will show you how.

Since 1989 we've been helping writers find their own voice and teaching them how to get published and paid. We can help you too. The course lessons tell you what you need to do. Then you put that advice into practice in your tutor-marked assignments. You’ll work with your tutor - a professional writer - throughout your studies. They are your personal guide to writing success.

For new writers we strongly recommend the Comprehensive Creative Writing Course as you get to try a wide variety of writing to find what you are good at and enjoy. However, because of your own experience and circumstances you may feel that one of the other courses is better for you. Click the button below to see our range of courses.

See What Our Students Say

Annemarie Munro

Student of the Year 2022

"I signed up for the course in December 2020 as a Christmas present to myself and I started the first module in January 2021. I have had eight pieces published: three paid earning £1080 and a star letter where I won a £250 hotel voucher.

"I have seen my writing journey as an adventure: What can I write? What am I best at? What new aspects of writing can I discover and contribute towards? I have welcomed the wide range of modules covering different types of writing, challenging me to try new aspects in style and content, pushing me gently outside my comfort zone with encouragement."

Legodile 'Dredd X' Senganabeng

“After I started the Comprehensive Creative Writing course with The Writers Bureau I began to write extensively as a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines. I’ve written for the Midweek Sun, Botswana Guardian, Weekend Post, Dreams magazine, and Air Botswana’s in-flight magazine, Peolwane and Botswana Tourism Organisation’s annual magazine, Discover Botswana. I’ve also published several short stories with Drum magazine in South Africa.”

Theresa Gooda

Student of the Year 2021

"Having more than covered the course fees from published pieces I have never looked back. Initially my ambitions were to get going. I knew I wanted to be a writer, I just didn’t know how to go about it, or, if I’m honest, quite what I wanted to write.

"Since, I have gradually blended a teaching career with writing, first with articles and short stories, then increasing the writing commitment dramatically when I secured an agent to ghostwrite a series of memoirs."

Mike Smith

"The course has given me, not only the confidence, but the opportunity to experiment with different writing styles and techniques. The writing assignments have encouraged me to work outside of my comfort zone, and to write about subjects, and for markets, that I would never have considered. Not only has my grammar and sentence construction improved but the course has been instrumental in firing my imagination and getting me to look at things from a different perspective. Although it’s only been nine months since I started the course, I have earned £500 from writing and I’m awaiting further payments."

Alice Vinten

Student of the Year 2020

"The Writers Bureau opened my eyes to possibilities that I'd never considered before - writing for magazines, pitching for non-fiction books, and researching the writing industry. My memoir 'On the Line - Life and Death in the Metropolitan Police' was published in paperback by Two Roads Books.
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"As a direct result of my memoir I have since been commissioned by the BBC to consult on the production of a new crime drama. I have also been paid to appear at crime writing festivals and have enjoyed some excellent publicity, including appearing on BBC Breakfast and BBC London radio. I have also secured an excellent literary agent and finished my first crime novel."

Awais Khan

"I signed a two-book deal with Orenda Books in October 2020, and my second novel, No Honour, was published in August 2021 to much critical acclaim. It became a Woman and Home Book of 2021 and went on to win the World Book Award (Woman and Home). Isis Audio published the audio version in 2021 as well.

"I took the course on a whim but I still remember when I got my first bit of feedback from my tutor. It totally took me by surprise, and for the first time, I realised I could actually do it. I could write a book.

"I mostly submitted short stories during the course, but they gave me inspiration to write the book I had always wanted to. The course helped me understand how the various writing tools worked e.g. dialogue, plot, character and point of view."

We give you:

  • First-class courses from professional writers.

  • Caring, constructive help from expert tutors - all published writers.

  • Help and advice when you need it from our experienced Student Advisory Team.

  • A flexible study programme to suit you with two years in which to complete your course.

  • Tutor-marked assignments.

  • Specialist advice on how to sell your writing or services.

  • Online access to your course as soon as you enrol with downloadable PDFs so you can study off line.

  • 15 days to inspect your course and to make sure it's the right training for you.

Your Personal Tutor

For individual help and support

As a Writers Bureau student, you're never left alone to flounder. Every student has their own personal tutor allocated, based on their writing interests and aspirations.

All our tutors are currently published writers, so they have a good working knowledge of the markets. From their own direct experience, they can help you to start writing, find ideas, and produce the sort of work that really sells in the current marketplace.

Your tutor will...

  • Give you an honest opinion about your work, advising, as needed, on style, subject matter, presentation, grammar and anything else that is relevant.

  • Tell you how to improve your work – if improvement is necessary – and how to avoid the common errors and mistakes that so many beginners make.

  • Give you constructive feedback, and help you be objective and realistic in your approach to your writing.

  • Provide motivation and encouragement, helping you overcome any little setbacks and build on your achievements and successes.

This one-to-one guidance gives you a trusting and open environment in which to work – so much so, that many students come to know their tutor as a real friend.

Here at The Writers Bureau we go the extra mile to make sure that the personal guidance you receive, and the writing practice you gain, gives you the best possible chance to become a successful, published writer.