sfu continuing studies creative writing

H F T L YT I

Student Account

• SFU Continuing Studies
• The Writer's Studio: Creative Writing Certificate

Application details

We welcome students with diverse backgrounds, ages and lived experience. Each year our cohort will include writers of different writing sensibilities, as well as educational, cultural and racial backgrounds.

Being published is not a requirement of the program. While each writer will have their own personal goals for entering the program, we regularly see:

• Students who do not have a specific project in mind but would like to improve their writing
• Students who want to work on one project
• Students who start on one project but change midway through the year

Over the years, we’ve seen all three types of students succeed in our program and beyond. 

How to apply

As part of the online application process, you will be asked to include the following:

Cover Letter  ( 1 page )

• State why the Writer’s Studio is right for you. To learn what each mentor looks for in an application, visit the  individual mentors’ pages . 
• Please list  two genre groups  for which you would like to be considered (i.e., fiction, non-fiction, poetry, speculative/YA fiction). 
• To be considered for a scholarship, please add a second page to your letter. 

Writing Résumé  ( 1 page)

A profile or résumé detailing all your writing-related activities. Please include any of the following:

• previous writing training (programs, courses, workshops)
• publication experience if applicable, but not required (books, articles, blog entries, etc.)
• community involvement (book clubs, writing groups, readings you've attended, etc.)

Writing Sample  ( 20 pages )

A sample of writing that shows us your range (in topics and genres) as a writer. Your writing sample can be a single piece or multiple pieces of writing, in one or multiple genres, as long as the total does not exceed 20 pages.

Formatting guidelines:

• Title of your work(s), if it has one, at top centre of page
• Your name on top right of page
• Page numbers on bottom right of page
• Double-spaced (for  poetry , use 1.15 line spacing)
• 12-point font

Selection process

We typically invite between 60 and 70 percent of applicants to join the Writer's Studio. All mentors review the applications and then select nine students for their genre group.

Mentors will consider each applicant’s writing level, topic, eagerness to learn and fit for the group. Strong writing alone does not guarantee you a spot in the program. 

Genre choices

We will do our best to place you in one of your two preferred genre groups. If you are not selected for either group, we will place you on a waitlist for one of your two preferred groups. Prior to the program start, if a spot opens up in that group, we will offer the spot to the first person on the waitlist. 

Deferring and reapplying

If you are offered a spot in the program but cannot join at the time of application, you will not be able to defer your acceptance to another year. We ask that you apply again during the next application period.

You’re welcome to try a  manuscript consultation  or standalone  creative writing courses  to strengthen your writing for the next time you apply. Some past students have applied multiple times before being accepted into the program.

• Registering for a course
• Applying to a program
• Costs and Payments
• Student Supports
• Request Your Transcript
• Online Learning Technical Support
• Apply to Graduate
• Community Events
• Info Sessions
• Lunch Poems
• Reading Series
• Course Registration
• Taxes and Funding
• Cancellation and Refunds
• Transfer Credits
• International Students

H F T L YT I

Student Account

• SFU Continuing Studies

System Maintenance: course information and registration will be unavailable from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT on Friday, September 20.

Creative Non-Fiction 2

Hone your writing skills and strengthen your storytelling voice in this intensive course designed to help emerging writers of creative non-fiction make informed decisions for their work. What structure should your story take? Whose point-of-view should it be told from? Which parts of an interview should you keep as dialogue, and which parts should you paraphrase?

Workshopping and feedback:  This course includes instructor feedback on weekly assignments. You'll also submit two pieces for workshopping and receive written feedback from your instructor and other students. In turn, you'll provide feedback to your classmates, and benefit your own writing by seeing feedback on others' work.

Location:  Online Format:  Self-paced within deadlines set by instructor Duration: 10 weeks Tuition: $628.95

You may also be interested in: The Writer's Studio

Upcoming Offerings

• Thu, Oct 10 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Oct 17 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Oct 24 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Oct 31 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Nov 7 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Nov 14 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Nov 21 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Nov 28 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Dec 5 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Dec 12 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Feb 20 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Feb 27 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Mar 6 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Mar 13 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Mar 20 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Mar 27 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Apr 3 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Apr 10 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Apr 17 (self-paced all week)
• Thu, Apr 24 (self-paced all week)

What you will learn

By the end of the course, you will be able to do the following:  

• Make informed storytelling decisions for your work, including: identifying a theme, setting your scenes, and choosing a point-of-view, architecture and arc that serve your material
• Research and interview effectively, and incorporate material generated in this way into your stories
• Render your unique storytelling voice on the page
• Revise your work, incorporating feedback gathered during the workshopping process
• Use your reading practice to inform your writing and identify possible markets for publication 

How you will learn and be evaluated

• Read weekly modules
• Complete additional weekly reading (if assigned)
• Complete a writing assignment each week for feedback from the instructor
• Participate in weekly discussions based on readings and activities
• Read and provide feedback on other students’ work each week
• Submit two pieces of your own writing for feedback from the instructor and other students

This course is graded using a competency-based grading scale . 

Who should take this course?

To get the most out of this advanced course, you should have the following experience: 

• Completion of an introductory non-fiction course
• Familiarity with the workshopping process (both giving and receiving feedback)

Learning Materials

No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.

Technical Requirements

For online courses, you will need a computer with audio and microphone that is connected to the internet. Canvas is the online system that will be used for the course. For more information and online support, visit  Online Learning .

• Registering for a course
• Applying to a program
• Costs and Payments
• Student Supports
• Request Your Transcript
• Online Learning Technical Support
• Apply to Graduate
• Community Events
• Info Sessions
• Lunch Poems
• Reading Series
• Course Registration
• Taxes and Funding
• Cancellation and Refunds
• Transfer Credits
• International Students