Literary Writing for Beginners: How to Become an Author
A course by Isabelle LehnFreelance Writer
A course by Isabelle Lehn, Freelance Writer
Get a practical and theoretical introduction of literary writing to discover your voice and share your perspective with the world
The fact that there's no rule book for writing literary texts means that even the keenest writers can end up feeling overwhelmed sometimes. In this online course, writer Isabelle Lehn teaches you to take your first steps to becoming an author. It's normal to draw a blank when asking yourself what exactly it is you want to write about. That's why in this course, you start with the "how" rather than the "what." Begin by simply following your impulse to write by running with an idea that fascinates you or focusing on something you might have seen, and learn to find and kindle a narrative structure in a playful and experimental way.
Isabelle introduces you to some stimuli and techniques to give you a little nudge in the right direction. Discover your strengths and work on developing your skills. With her as your guide, explore how to publish your work and see what emphasis and writing styles work best for you, what to write about, and how to overcome whatever obstacles might have previously got in your way. By the end of the course, you'll have written a short piece of prose to showcase all your capabilities.
What will you learn in this online course?
11 lessons & 30 downloads
Leverage Content and Capture Impressions
12 minutes, 49 seconds
Learning to See: Tracking Down Stories
5 minutes, 51 seconds
The First Draft: Finding a Shape
17 minutes, 0 seconds
From the Toolbox: Storytelling Techniques
10 minutes, 0 seconds
Revise, Shape and Condense Texts
10 minutes, 23 seconds
Seek Allies
13 minutes, 27 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start the course by getting to know Isabelle Lehn, who talks about her journey as a writer and the challenges she's faced throughout her career. She also shares the works and authors that have inspired her over the years.
Isabelle guides you in choosing a theme for your text, teaching you how to draw on your memory and experiences, engage with something you witnessed, and look for stories among everyday events. Also see how to sharpen your senses to help shape your piece.
Move on to ask yourself the most important question of all—why you want to write—and use your answer to point you towards a particular structure. Your teacher then shows you how to create dynamic compositions with different narrative techniques to help you immerse your readers in the story, as well as improve your self-evaluation skills.
Now take a closer look at the inner workings of the industry and explore some useful strategies and tools for keeping up the pace and working consistently. All this is useful for developing your own writing style, making contacts, and publishing your work.
Once you're more familiar with your creative preferences and strong suits, Isabelle helps you write a first draft of your prose and polish it for your final project.
What is this course's project?
Write two pages of prose that you can use as a short story or the beginning of a longer piece.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone wanting to take up writing and professionals who want to boost their writing skills and knowledge.
Requirements and materials
No prior knowledge is needed to take this course.
All you need is a pencil and a notebook or a note application and a word processor.
Reviews
- estefaniaenerorPLUS6 months ago
Buen curso, esta generando un cambio interesante en mi escritura.
- 11 months ago
Curso excelente; em primeiro lugar, como escritor e filósofo, me abriu uma imensa gama de possibilidades e técnicas práticas. Em segundo, me expandiu profundamente a condição cultural. Nunca imaginei fazer aulas em alemão, sobre literatura. Me sinto muitíssimo agraciado por essa dádiva. Meus projetos editoriais melhoraram muito graças a este curso.
- 1 year ago
Es un muy buen curso, realmente me inspiró
- 1 year ago
Muy bueno!
- 1 year ago
I very much enjoyed Isabelle's course. In particular the fist two units - full of excellent learning material and Isabelle explains so much information in a very practical and refreshing sense. I loved the symbolism of the drawers and what each contained behind them - to explain the literary craft of expanding our words to describe. I so enjoy learning from different authors who have very interesting perspectives with the their writing process. Thank you.
In 2016, she published her first novel Binde zwei Vögel zusammen, which has won several awards, and in 2019, her autofiction book Frühlingserwachen was shortlisted for the Text und Sprache literary award. She has also received various grants and her essay Weibliches Schreiben in der deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur, about specific gender roles within the literary world, was highly acclaimed and won the Dietrich Oppenberg Media award. She regularly writes essays and radio-show columns, hosts literary events and podcasts, and teaches classes, conferences, and workshops.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
What to Write About: Research and Collection of Material
- Writing Exercises to Help You Get Started
- Leverage Content and Capture Impressions
- Learning to See: Tracking Down Stories
- U3
How to Write: Design and Revise Texts
- The First Draft: Finding a Shape
- From the Toolbox: Storytelling Techniques
- Revise, Shape and Condense Texts
- U4
Keep Writing, Persevering and Publishing
- Seek Allies
- Out of the Drawer
- Discover and Develop Literary Skills
- FP
Final project
- Literary Writing for Beginners: How to Become an Author
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
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FAQs
This course is designed for writers with some initial experience and anyone looking to develop their literary skills further. Basic writing knowledge is helpful but not required.
You’ll learn idea-generation methods, techniques to beat writer’s block, how to handle self-doubt, giving and receiving feedback, various writing styles, and ways to publish your own work.
You’ll need a notebook, pens (like gel pens), possibly a computer for writing and editing, and an open mind for new writing techniques and feedback.
The course offers targeted exercises, workshop insights, and inspiration from literary role models to help you develop your unique style and authentic voice.
Yes, you’ll explore methods like automatic writing, gathering materials, and focused finger exercises to overcome writing blocks.
The course provides practical advice on submissions, networking, literary magazines, and competitions to help you get your work published.
You’ll benefit from writing workshops, group feedback, and exchanges within writing groups to connect with fellow writers and grow.