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Writing & Literature courses in The Course Register: browse 101 active and 259 total continuing, professional, and extension Writing & Literature listings with start dates, tuition, enrollment status, format, and issuing-source links.
Every Writing & Literature listing in the register — filter by status or search within the subject.
This course is designed to develop the writer's individual theatrical style through the writing of scenes and a one-act play. You explore the dimensions of writing for the stage through key areas of craft, including language, dialogue, the essentials of…
This four-week workshop explores psychologist Carl Jung’s writings about dreams as examining x-rays of the spiritual state. Dreams are powerful engines to turn complex or unconscious ideas into vivid images. This workshop teaches writers and other creatives…
You’ve completed a draft of your drama or comedy pilot script, but there is still room for improvement and you need help in the rewriting process. You want to rewrite your pilot from an informed industry perspective so that your script can go the distance in…
The most important step in selling an idea or script is creating the perfect pitch document. This document can serve as a guide for yourself during your verbal pitch, but it can also be a roadmap for your pilot and series once it is sold. In this workshop,…
Some of the best and most successful movies and series of all time are “Based on” or “Inspired by” true stories or events. These can be adapted from historical/true events, real people, true crime or non-fiction books. Popular examples include Titanic, The…
Mentorships provide individualized support to advanced writers who seek specific and focused guidance in their work. Students select a mentorship focus from a pre-determined list of options provided by the instructor as part of their application process.…
Science writing tells true stories about scientists and research to a variety of audiences. Learn what it takes to translate scientific concepts and discoveries into prose that readers can understand — and enjoy! This course emphasizes science newswriting as…
From Oppenheimer to Bridgerton, many great films and television series are adaptations. Adaptation is the craft of taking existing source material and creating a new work in another medium. Virtually every story -- from novels to newspaper columns to video…
With over 100 M.F.A. in Creative Writing programs available to choose from across the country (and beyond) each with its own application system and offers, this 3-hour webinar will help narrow the choices down for those looking to submit applications to…
It’s been demonstrated that by using improvisational techniques, television writers can go deeper into character and story development. In addition, improvisation can enhance the writing of the script and is a great tool for fine-tuning pitches for episodic…
If structure is the skeleton of a story, theme is its heart and soul. It’s what makes your story universal and what raises it above all those that simply entertain. If your goal is to craft a story that resonates emotionally with a global audience, this…
Unlike fiction, personal essay offers an opportunity to explore the choices you've made, whether life-changing moments or those little decisions that set us on a new course. Through this exploration, you come to a better understanding of family dynamics and…
"Personal Essay" is a broad term that encompasses essays, opinion pieces and mini-memoirs—but which always details the writer's journey through a specific experience. This workshop teaches aspiring personal essayists how to be a compelling first-person…
Designed for those who have already begun to explore memoir or other narrative nonfiction genres, this workshop guides you to take your skills to the next level by focusing on a collection of essays, a single project or other types of nonfiction prose;…
The pursuit of poetry is a sustained, often lonesome, practice. Students who complete early creative writing courses can feel that they miss the pressures of workshop, of having and meeting a deadline, and of participating in conversations about their poems.…
As a writer, you can make the perfect splash at a birthday, wedding, or other event with a poem specially written for the occasion. Come with an occasion in mind (it can be made up!) and learn what makes these poems different from poems we write for…
Writing out of your life can be a process of self-revelation, a way of discerning the pattern of your life even while you're in the midst of living it. Whether you want to write a memoir or transmute your life into fiction or poetry, this workshop helps you…
In this dynamic course, you explore art as a force for social change and justice. Through brief screenings and powerful examples—from Gordon Parks and Raoul Peck to Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera—you learn how, through the years, artists have challenged…
Have you ever wondered what it takes to write a great movie script? Have you studied your favorite films to discover what makes them so magical? This seminar helps you break free from the conventional “Hero’s Journey” approach to storytelling and uncover the…
This course demystifies the Limited Series in television, a genre that has become wildly popular over the last decade with international hit series such as “Adolescence,” “Big Little Lies” and “Chernobyl,” and acclaimed anthological limited series, such as…
This intensive 11-week advanced course is for writers who are done talking about their screenplay and ready to write it. Genre doesn’t matter—drama, thriller, horror, comedy, or sci-fi—as long as you are committed to completing a first draft of a feature…
A monthly community write in that is designed to support writers who crave creative momentum, connection, and a nurturing community. Rooted in the values of UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, this monthly meetup offers space to write, share, explore, and engage…
How do you create a narrative series, sell it, get it produced, and retain your vision throughout the creative process - without going insane and mortgaging your soul? In this course you uncover methods to preserve your sanity, (almost) but additionally you…
This workshop is designed to help you develop an original one-hour television or half-hour pilot that demonstrates a strong voice, compelling characters, and professional-level storytelling. Television executives, agents, and showrunners expect polished…
Middle-grade novels are an anomaly. They are beloved by readers of all ages, yet primarily written by adults, who utilize the wisdom obtained through life experience to offer perspective, guidance, and adventure to kids discovering the world, the people…
This lecture course is an introduction to Eastern storytelling that opens readers’ minds to radically different ways of telling a satisfying story. Discussions in the West around diversity in the arts often focus on the identities of characters and creators.…
Joseph Campbell once described psychologist Carl Jung’s writings about dreams as examining x-rays of the spiritual state. This workshop introduces writers to techniques to replicate the ability of dreams to turn complex or unconscious ideas into powerful…
Too often writers value the completion of a new work over the process itself. In this intensive workshop, you study and celebrate the creative process of writing through a series of weekly and in-class writing exercises. From the development of…
This seminar is for the “translation curious” — readers and writers interested in translating literature or bringing a particular piece of writing into English. Designed for all language fluencies and experience levels, the session will introduce translation…
Flash nonfiction is experiencing a cultural moment, with numerous outlets catering to micro and shorter stories. They can be the perfect way to wiggle a toe into the doors of high-profile publishing platforms or just a fun structure for play. In this class we…
Often students who are sophisticated readers gravitate towards creating manuscripts that are at the intersection of different genres. This brief 3-hour workshop is designed to be suitable for both beginning and advanced writers alike. Students will learn tips…
In this class designed expressly for writers with autism, you’ll experience teaching that exalts the unique spirit of writers on the autism spectrum, while also offering guidance on how writing can be parlayed into various types of careers. Along the way,…
Military veterans and the military adjacent have had multiple experiences worth writing about. Often putting these experiences into words to form a narrative arc within personal essays and other forms of writing can accomplish several objectives, from helping…
In this highly intensive, focused, and collaborative environment with a cohort of select students, you complete a solid draft of two original pilots in 9 months. You take a concept for a television series and develop it through outline, the pitch, first…
In this highly intensive, focused, and collaborative environment with a cohort of select students, you start with a new feature film story concept and develop it into a dynamic, compelling, market-ready screenplay in 9 months. You learn how to articulate a…
Many screenwriters struggle to decipher the nuanced power of thematic storytelling. In this course you learn a series of techniques to elegantly interweave a theme inside carefully crafted, rhythmic story-structure. Your clearly expressed theme can act as a…
This workshop examines various types of stand-up from the 1960s to present. We focus on our old friend “finding your voice” as it pertains to storytelling and joke writing. In a safe space, you explore joke premises and receive constructive feedback from your…
How do you create a narrative dramatic series, sell it, and have the series made, all while keeping your vision a priority in every aspect of the creative process? This is the role of the showrunner—the lead producer/writer on a television or digital series,…