Note: Course fee not inclusive of application fee and GST.
Course details
An introduction to the world of editing, this course teaches methods and strategies that help you become a better reader, with focused and perceptive ways of understanding the text in front of you.
Mechanics—the nuts and bolts of how we write—and intentions—reason and purpose—matter equally when approaching a text with an editing eye. Lessons and discussion points are focused around the craft of reading and writing. We will look at how being a good editor requires a combination of distance and closeness, and how this translates into your writing life.
Each week, a new topic will be introduced with examples to read and discuss. Participants can gain a deeper view into style, syntax and meaning every session by being exposed to a variety of writing.
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 to expand their creative writing skills.
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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