Introduction to Narrative Writing
A course by Alberto ChimalWriter and Creative Writing Teacher
A course by Alberto Chimal, Writer and Creative Writing Teacher
Learn everything you need to know to start writing memorable stories, step by step
Confronting a blank page and starting to write your first lines can become quite an intimidating challenge to face, but writing, just like any other creative field, can be worked on, practiced, and perfected. Renowned writer Alberto Chimal, author of novels, poems, stories, essays, and many other genres, will guide you through the process so that you are able to create memorable narratives.
In this course, learn all the essential steps to build a short story. Explore key concepts such as time, characters, space, plot, and structure, seeing how they work in practice. Alberto Chimal teaches you the fundamentals and techniques of creative writing so you can face the blank page and perfect your narrative writing technique.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 28 downloads
What will we do in the course?
5 minutes, 20 seconds
The consciousness of creation
11 minutes, 17 seconds
The genres of the stories
10 minutes, 9 seconds
Approach, development and conclusion
13 minutes, 21 seconds
The plot
13 minutes, 20 seconds
The structure
7 minutes, 56 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start the course by getting to know Alberto Chimal, how he started in the world of creative writing, and see his main projects. See where he draws most of his inspiration from, in literature, comics, or cinema, and go over what you will do in the course.
In the second unit, take your first steps in creating an interesting and memorable story. See the concept of genres and understand the three basic steps of all narrative—approach, development, and conclusion—important when creating logic and sense to your story.
Delve into two fundamental aspects of narrative: plot and structure. Learn how to organize the sequences, analyzing how they entwine, and the different ways in which they can be organized. Explore different structural examples and Alberto Chimal will give you advice on how to manage and provoke emotions with your text.
Explore the four essential elements to create any story: space, time, characters, and perspective. Learn how to create a world inside a story and create character types that inhabit your world. Discover how to tell a story from the best point of view to complete your story.
Lastly, Alberto Chimal gives a series of tips for you to find inspiration and shares some easy tricks to ease your daily writing routine. You will also see the importance of sharing your work and listening to other opinions to get feedback on your story.
What is this course's project?
Write a detailed narrative: a brief text with all the essential elements of a memorable story.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
For all those interested in starting to write their own stories.
Requirements and materials
No previous knowledge nor experience is necessary.
You will need basic material to hand-write (pen and paper) or to write digitally (a computer with word-processing software like Word or Google Docs). If you have a blog or a social media account where you can write texts easily, even better.
Reviews
- jarvy_medinaPLUS22 days ago
Es el primero que hago en la plataforma y me sirvió mucho. Gracias.
- 2 months ago
Es muy buen curso de introducción en la escritura narrativa. Alberto Chimal es muy claro y didáctico. ¡Los recursos adicionales son excelentes! Los ejercicios, el material aportado es de gran utilidad. Mi valoración es del cien por ciento ¡Gracias Alberto!
- 3 months ago
Me parece un curso muy completo, con suficientes recursos para tener un buen acercamiento para escribir cuento, con ejemplos desde lo más básico hasta un cuento un poco mas avanzado, me gustó mucho, y quisiera saber que otro me serviría para escribir novela.
- 3 months ago
Muy completo y didáctico, lo disfruté muchísimo
- 4 months ago
Uno de los mejores cursos que he tomado, enseñanza muy valiosa que tuvo mucho que ver en la publicación de mi primer libro.
He has published more than forty books, including novels and collections of short stories, and is currently writing the screenplay for his second feature film.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What will we do in the course?
- U2
The basics
- The consciousness of creation
- The genres of the stories
- Approach, development and conclusion
- The plot
- The structure
- The emotions
- U3
The elements of creation
- The narrated world and the sensations
- The time of the narrated
- Characters
- The perspective
- U4
Go further
- Inspiration and advice
- Feedback
- FP
Final project
- Introduction to Narrative Writing
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn to analyze and apply key storytelling elements, create memorable characters, build coherent plots, and refine your stories through practice, revision, and feedback.
This is an intermediate-level course, perfect for those who already have basic writing skills and want to deepen their understanding of storytelling and analysis.
All you need is basic writing knowledge and motivation to learn. No formal education or professional experience is required.
The course teaches techniques for structure, character development, setting creation, and narrative tools to make your stories more impactful and cohesive.
Topics include narrative structure, character types, plot construction, literary genres, suspense and emotional techniques, managing time and space, and analysis of fantasy stories.
Yes, the course includes creative writing exercises, analysis activities, and prompts to create and revise your own stories.
Yes, you’ll receive constructive feedback to help you polish your stories and learn how to critically review both your own work and that of other participants.