Note: Course fee not inclusive of application fee and GST.
Course details
This writing course builds on the foundations introduced in Writing 101, guiding you to deepen your understanding of language, structure and personal voice. Through the exploration of diverse writing forms—including essays, fiction, prose poetry and experimental or hybrid works—you will examine how meaning is shaped through style, structure and intention.
Each session introduces key aspects of effective writing such as clarity of expression, grammar and sentence flow, transitions, editing techniques, pacing and narrative voice. You will engage in guided discussions, close reading of selected texts and weekly writing exercises designed to refine your craft and strengthen your authorial voice.
Regular assignments and group feedback sessions encourage you to experiment with form and edit your own work. This helps you develop greater precision and confidence in written expression. By the end of the course, you will gain practical tools to communicate ideas more clearly and craft writing with greater nuance, structure and impact.
About the trainer
Michelle Elvy
Michelle Elvy is an award-winning writer, editor, and once-upon-a-time historian based in Dunedin, New Zealand. She shares her expertise as an online instructor at 52|250 A Year of Writing and contributes to the literary community as the editor of Flash Frontier: An Adventure in Short Fiction and the chair of New Zealand's National Flash Fiction Day.
Additionally, Michelle is managing editor of the Best Small Fictions series and has been the reviews editor for Landfall, the oldest literary journal in New Zealand.
Her widely published and anthologised works encompass stories, poetry, travel writing and reviews. Notable among her literary achievements are the books the everrumble (2019) and the other side of better (2021), as well as anthologies like Bonsai: Best small stories of Aotearoa New Zealand (2018), Ko Aotearoa Tātou | We Are New Zealand (2020), A Kind of Shelter Whakaruru-taha (2023) and Short | Poto (2025), a dual language collection of short stories in English and te reo Māori—the Indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2026, her poetry collection ocean sky marble eye will be published by Maungatua Press.
Application information
Writing materials
Arts enthusiasts, arts and language students, teachers and/or anyone keen on creative writing. Applicants must have completed the Writing 101: Basics of Writing Short Course.
For clarity on the application process, payment matters, available subsidies, certification, and our cancellation and refund policy, please refer to our FAQs page.
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