Welcome to Writers Talkback. If you are a new user, your account will have to be approved manually to prevent spam. Please bear with us in the meantime
A215 Creative Writing module - Open University
I am working towards a BA (Hons) Humanities, specialising in Creative Writing. I start my second year this September. and it's the A215 Creative Writing module!
I can't tell you how excited I am to be studying Creative Writing. I have always studied subjects that would help me in my 'real-life' job, such as AAT Accountancy and Business Studies. This is the first time that I have put writing first. I feel like I am taking myself more seriously as a writer.
Has anyone else studied this module? Is anyone thinking of doing it? I would love to find some people doing the module this year to partner up with.
Comments
It's a bit quiet today, so you might not get any answers yet. :)
Great news that you're now focusing on your writing that's fantastic :-)
Great news that you're now focusing on your writing that's fantastic [/quote]
Hi Emma,
I will be writing some blog posts about my experiences on the A215 module. I'll post the links in the blog section once the course has started. I blog here: http://abstractblueberrysky.blogspot.com
Good luck with level 4! You're braver than I am. I only had the stamina for level 2. :)
Back to the writing course...can't help, but wish you all the best.
I just finished A215 at the end of May. I am waiting for the results for the EMA. I enjoyed the course and am pondering whether to sign up for the advanced course.
I really enjoyed it, it was the first time I had done anything like it since school and I was a big failure there.. It pushed me to do some writing which is what I needed - me being the king of procrastination and excuses. Tips wise, get ahead on the chapters and use the forums as much as you can. Get your tma drafts done as quickly as you can so you have plenty of time for your tutor to look at them, but mainly just enjoy :).
My wife is studying humanities, she's on the AA100 starter course at the moment.
That's what I'm studying. I've just finished AA100. I found it hard for a starter course, only because it covers such a wide range of subjects. This was what made the course enjoyable though.
And thanks for the tips!
I agree. I took GCSE maths as a night course a few years ago and hated every second of it. It very nearly put me off further education all together until I found out I had to take an access course to study at university level. I did English and history at level 2 and didn't want it to end. Now I'm studying something I love doing, I think I'll stay in education as long as I can! :)
That's true, but I did all the things I love when I was in education, maaaaany moons ago. There's no room any more in my business environment, other than role specific qualifications, none of which are enjoyable.
A215 was interesting as a starter but A363 stretched me to the limit. The support from the other students via the forums and my tutor was very good.
We met up for coffee during the course and started our own group online after the course ended.
I wrote a 15 minute radio play and a 4,000 word short story as well as very challenging poetry sections with Villanelle, Pantoum, sonnets and so on.
We reviewed and critiqued each others work,and it had to be up to publishing standard ... not a comma out of place.
Tutorials ,exercises online it was very enjoyable.
A few of us went on to be regularly published in magazines in the U.K and colonies and we had some book deals amongst our group.
I am writing for the internet still doing the odd submission to magazines - not getting paid but I enjoy what I am doing and my theoretical knowledge has increased dramatically.
There is a great choice of subject matter within the course and you have to work very hard to complete it.
I remember at draft 14 of the radio play wondering if I would ever get it right:the way I wanted it to be, and the layout was a challenge in itself.
I realised at the end, clutching my diploma; that this was just the start of the learning process.There is always something to learn.
Sadly I have yet to find a class to join that lives up to the standard they set for me personally, and going it alone now is hard.
If you are serious about wanting to learn and practice writing outside your comfort zone this is the course for you.
I would start with A215- going into the advanced course is hard without this as a background.
I hope this helps.And yes I will have some typo's . Not put this away for 3 weeks.
Zinnia
Congratulations Phillip, that's a cracking grade :)
ETA: ignore my first line, it is run once a year - with, possibly, the last one in 2017
I completed A 215 at the end of 2011. It's a brilliant course; it's tough as any uni module should be, but I'm confident you will enjoy it. It gave me inspiration but at present I'm giving this tired old brain a rest. What with two books on Kindle and in softback I need to lie down in a darkened room for about six months before attempting A363.
All good wishes-stick with it Jenni.
Terms and conditions: http://www8.open.ac.uk/choose/ou/gtm-comp-tc-2
Entry form: http://www3.open.ac.uk/forms/comp-g-2/
Closing date for entries is 4 March 2013
...and good luck :)
If anyone enters, fingers crossed for you.