Uthena

Course description

Creative Writing For Beginners is intended to provide new writers with a set of tools that can be used immediately to improve the prose they write to tell their story. Knowing how to write prose effectively with basic rules that are easy to implement fast is essential for great fiction!

SPECIAL NOTE: This course is designed to make your prose more effective, if you're writing a novel, for example. Please do not enroll if you just need to improve your basic English. It isn't the purpose of this course.

The aim of every author should be to write clear prose that flows, providing an enjoyable experience for the reader who wants to keep turning those pages!

New (and experienced) writers are often so close to their writing, that they are sometimes blind to small errors, either in construction or word usage, that rankle with their readers and block the flow of the story. In the case of repeat errors, the reader may even abandon the book altogether. Detection and correction of simple errors in written prose is the core of any creative writing lessons.

In the course Writing For Beginners, you will learn how to apply simple rules right now that will immediately improve your fiction. This course is a tool for budding writers wanting to create proactive page turners, stunning prose and captivating stories.


Creative Writing For Beginners - subjects included in this course:

1. Adjectives & Adverbs - how to use them and when not to use them all.

2. The Active and Passive Voices - what are they and how should they be used?

3. Special Punctuation - the use of semi-colons, ellipses and other marks to spice up your sentences.

4. Writing Numbers - the conventions which guide how to write numbers and dates.

5. Unnecessary Words - overused words are included as well. How to find them, avoid or replace them.

6. Absolutes - these are also called overgeneralizations and blanket-statements.

7. Clichés - how to identify and replace phrases too commonly used in prose.

8. Interjections - what they are, and when to use them correctly.

9. Vague Writing and Initial Coordinating Conjunctions - remedies for two lesser known problem areas.

10.Variety - an essential element in good prose. How to achieve it?

The final lecture concludes the series and shows how to edit your prose, applying the rules that will dramatically improve your fiction. Check out my profile for future Writing Courses For Beginners - Coming soon 'Creating Characters For Fiction Writing.'

Recent Reviews:

  • As a new writer, this is exactly what I'm looking for. The tips James gives are invaluable, from searching out and destroying the words that make prose look amateurish, to some very useful editing tips. At this price, it's a steal and thoroughly recommended. Thanks! (Jack Spencer)

  • First of all, I wasn't sure if it wasn't perhaps too basic - I consider myself to be pretty literate, but I learned new things that help a lot. Right from the first lesson about Adjectives it was useful. The tips given at the end are worth the cost of the course alone. Thoroughly recommended. You might think you know the basics of writing fiction, but you don't! If you want to improve your prose quickly, this course is well worth while. (Patrick Mennan)

  • I like the way James spends time on each topic. English is not my language (French) and I need some good tips for writing good prose. Seems good, and contains some solid tips. (Benoit Fourrier)

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Creative Writing - How To Write Prose

    • Watch this first!

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    • Introduction To Prose

    • Adjectives and Adverbs

    • The Active and Passive Voice

    • Special Punctuation

    • How To Write Numbers In Prose

    • Unnecessary and Overused Words

    • Absolutes and Overgeneralisations

    • Cliches and Overused Words

    • How To Use Interjections

    • Vague Writing and Initial Coordinating Conjunctions

    • How To Add Variety To Your Prose

    • Conclusion and Course Wrap-Up

Meet your instructor!

James Bruce
SEO Expert, Marketer, Author, and Teacher


The scope of Jim's divers courses reflect his interest and proficiency in many subject areas. Earning a living online for 10 years now, his interests span topics such as on page SEO, to creating blues guitar lessons, to writing novels and movie scripts, to Wordpress Tutorials.

Writing primarily in the science fiction genre, Jim Bruce, is fascinated with the possibilities that this type of fiction brings, but also in the actual craft of screenwriting.

Jim devoured his dad's collection of science fiction books at an early age, often reading collections of short fiction collected together under titles such as 'Fantastic Stories', or 'Look To The Stars' under his bed covers way into the night.

The possibilities, the 'what ifs' of sci-fi provide Jim with the enthusiasm to live life to the full - anything is possible, and there are more things in the great out-there than we can possibly write about. Curiosity is the spur that drives him on to create, not just fiction, but political comment, music and poetry. 

Born in the North of UK in 1950, where he attended schools in Creswell, Nottinghamshire and Shirebrook. He has had more jobs than he can remember, including working in the coal mines, teacher, electrician, mechanic, circus laborer, farm hand, channel tunnel engineer, industrial robot programmer, website builder and professional blues guitar player/teacher.

He has been resident in UK, USA, Germany, France and Portugal, where he currently lives and writes.

Take this course today!

"Creative Writing - How To Write Prose"