Getting Started: Beginners’ Fiction

Tutor Helen Shipman will introduce you to the skills and techniques that will help you turn your ideas into stories. You’ll learn about the building blocks of fiction, how to create engaging characters and realistic settings, and discover which point of view to use when telling a story.

The weekly sessions will introduce you, step-by-step, to the skills needed for writing fiction while you work within a supportive community of fellow writers keen to share their experiences with you.

You’ll learn in Faber Academy’s online classroom, which is open 24/7 so you can balance your learning around your work, family and friends. You’ll work in a small group of fellow learners so you can discuss ideas, ask questions and share your writing as you progress through the sessions.

You’ll learn from:

• Podcasts from Helen Shipman
• Written guidance from Helen explaining the conventions and techniques of writing fiction
• Videos of authors and writing experts talking about how they write
• Specially selected reading and viewing lists
• Short quizzes and questionnaires to help you think about your own reading and writing
• Fun writing prompts to inspire you and give you ideas for starting your own stories
• Writing exercises to help you experiment and practise your own writing, from the first session onward
• Online discussions with writers in your group and the chance to share and give feedback on each other’s writing

You’ll need:

• 5-7 hours per week to work through the course
• A notebook and pen or pencil, if you like to make notes by hand
• A laptop or computer* with:
  • A reliable broadband internet connection
  • Speakers or headphones
  • The latest version of Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge, or Safari
  • Microsoft Word. If you don’t have this you can download Open Office free
  • Adobe Reader, latest version. Download free
  • QuickTime Player, latest version. Download free
  • Adobe Flash Player 10 or higher

*You can access the course from a tablet or smartphone, but we recommend using a laptop or computer, as this makes it easier to share your work files with your writing group.

Join the Faber Academy alumni

After your course, you can join the online alumni where you’ll meet the growing network of past Faber Academy students. The alumni is a friendly group of writers who support each other as they continue to explore and develop their writing.

Within the online alumni area you can:

• Rejoin your classmates on a private forum, together with access to an archived version of your course materials and forum posts
• Meet alumni from other Faber Academy courses and groups and share your writing for feedback
• Join discussions about reading, writing and ideas
• Retain access to the online resources area, which we constantly update with interesting and informative links
• Chat with other people in the online alumni chatroom
• Benefit from live chats with guest authors, agents, editors and publishers

Commission a report on your work

If you’d like to receive a personalised, detailed report on your final piece of writing from your course tutor, this is available at an extra cost. You’ll receive detailed written feedback assessing your ideas and writing, plus advice on what steps to take next.

Taking things further

If you would like to continue on to another Faber Academy course, you'll receive a discount. Please contact us for more details.

This is a Faber Academy course, so you’ll need to book through their website.