Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should I do this course or Creative Writing Stage 1? 

A: If you know for certain that you will be writing a YA novel, this is the course for you. If you’re just generally thinking about writing but you’re not sure what, Creative Writing Stage 1 is better for you.

Q: I know that I want to write for teenagers but I’m not exactly sure of the age of my reader. Will this course be relevant to me?

A: Absolutely! YA covers a surprisingly wide age range, from just-turned-teenager to almost-adult. This course addresses the needs of the whole readership. We’ll help you decide on the best age of your readers, depending on your story’s theme.

Q: I’m a complete beginner. Will this course suit me or do I have to learn how to write for younger age groups first?

A: This course assumes no knowledge or experience, so it’s great for complete beginners. You certainly don’t have to learn to write for younger kids first, if you intend to write YA novels. However, if you think you will be writing for younger kids later on, keep in mind that we have specific courses, such as Writing Chapter Books, or Writing Children’s Novels, which you can do later.

If you’re not sure what age group you will be writing for (except that they’re not adults), we suggest Writing Children’s Novels as a starting point, since that covers all the basic skills you will need.

Q. I don’t have a story yet. Do I have to have a story started in order to do the course?

A: No, not at all. All the assignments are designed so that you don’t need an existing story.  Although a lot of our students come out of the course with a story idea!

Q: I want to write YA fantasy stories. Should I do this or start off with Fantasy, Science Fiction and More?

A: Oh, this is a hard one! It depends on how advanced your story is. If you know the story you want to write, and have done some preliminary world-building, Fantasy, Science Fiction and More is probably where to start. However, if you’re just thinking about the idea of writing but you haven’t developed strong ideas about the world and what’s going to happen, Writing Young Adult Fiction is best.

But honestly, it doesn’t much matter which order you do them in – it works well either way.

Q. Is there any homework/assignments/activities/exercises?

A: Yes! Each module, you’ll be given a short assignment to complete and upload, and you’ll get feedback on that from your tutor and the other students. There will also be extra exercises for you to do if you wish, but you won’t get feedback on them.

You do the assignment in your own time, and upload it by a specific date – so you have up to a week to do the work. Of course, sometimes you’ll be able to share writing you’ve already done.

Sharing your writing is the very best way of improving – all our amazing, best-selling, award-winning tutors workshop their writing before they send it to a publisher.

Q. How many modules are there?

A: There are five modules, one per week. Each module looks at a specific element of writing for YA readers, such as point of view, or structure.

Q. I want to write a bestselling dystopian science fiction novel and get it adapted for film. Will this course help me do that?

A: No one knows why any one book becomes a bestseller – not even publishers! So we can’t guarantee a bestseller, nor that your book will be adapted for film. But your tutor can definitely guide you to resources and approaches which will help you create a dystopia.

And the course overall will help you improve your skills so you can write a good book that has an improved chance of being published.