Do you always have a hard time expressing your imagination in words or does it take you hours to write even one line on a blank document? If your answer is “Yes” then fret! Most people are terrible at creative writing when they first try it, but this is one of those skills that can always be improved upon. In this article, we’re going to cover the top institutions offering creative writing courses in Vancouver to help you improve your writing.
So, What’s Creative Writing?
Before you apply to any institutions providing creative writing courses in Vancouver, you must understand what you’re getting into. Creative writing is the art of expressing your emotions, thoughts, and experiences to readers using words. A method of putting up words into action in a creative way, to make readers imagine a non-existing world, and feel it with all their senses.
It’s about setting up a stage in the mind of readers and making them lose track of real-world existence. Creative writing is in contrast to factual forms of writing. In creative writing, facts take a vivid form which means the same but is more descriptive and catchier.
Even more, you can start sensing those facts with your senses. Creative writers use metaphors, hyperbole, personification, and onomatopoeia to make their writing more appealing to the reader. As a human, we all inherited the art of storytelling. We use storytelling everywhere, whether we gossip, tell a lie, or even, while making excuses.
We all have that part of the brain that cooks up stories using imagination. But putting up that imagination into words could be a bit of a challenge. Using the right word at the right place is important, don’t forget about the structure and research techniques. Creative writing as a subject could help you cook up your imagination into a fine article, in an easy-to-digest form.
Therefore, this is a high-in-demand subject on a global level. And, if you want to become an expert, to convert your imagination into text, then you can select any of the creative writing courses in Vancouver listed below.
Various Types of Creative Writing
We tend to focus on fiction and literature when we discuss creative writing, but there are several other forms to consider. Most authors eventually gravitate toward one particular style (and/or genre) over others. For the most part, this is a positive thing since it allows you to hone your skills in a certain style or genre.
While practicing with one kind of writing is useful, it’s good to sometimes experiment with others as well. Trying out new forms and genres keeps your writing fresh and free of tired cliches. It’s a great opportunity to learn methods that may be outside of your comfort zone but can be applied to great effect in your work.
Note: Once you enroll in any of the creative writing courses in Vancouver, your assigned instructor will walk you through all the forms.
For Now, Let’s Have a Quick Glance at Some Varied Forms of Creative Writing:
Free Writing: Just start writing without worrying about what will come out. Give the odd words and pictures a chance to make it into the page. No limits! Free writing, often known as stream-of-consciousness writing and is the apex of creative writing.
Journal: A journal can be any kind of written record. A journal can serve as a place to record thoughts, ideas, and progress toward a certain objective. Many authors utilize Omni-Journals or concept journals for anything from daily freewriting to detailed project preparation.
Diaries: A diary is a personal notebook in which the author records events as they occur. It’s common for some diaries to begin with “Dear Diary…” in an extended letter. Starting a diary is a fantastic first step if you’d like to write a memoir someday.
Memoir: Creative nonfiction work that focuses on the author’s own life and experiences are called memoirs or autobiographies. An individual can, for instance, pen an account of personal travels.
Essays: Although essays have a reputation for being dry academic assignments, there are many different types of essays, some of which require a great deal of imagination to complete.
Poetry: Poetry is one of the most read but least cherished forms of literature, despite being the most creative. Poetry can be written in a variety of forms, including free verse and prose.
Lyrics: Songwriters and musicians work together to create song lyrics. Lyric writing is a lot like poetry in many ways, and it’s a great form of expression for anyone who can play an instrument.
Screenplays: Writing screenplays may get you on the big or little screen, or even on stage or in a computer game. The film is primarily a medium for directors, not writers; nonetheless, movies may sometimes appeal to those who don’t read.
Story: Stories can be found in both fiction and non-fiction, making them the most common type of creative writing. There are a wide variety of popular fiction types to pick from, from flash fiction and short stories to novellas and full-length novels.
Journals, diaries, memoirs, and other related types of writing all contain true tales, which are records of actual people and events. Telling a story is a fundamental part of every type of writing, from literature to speeches, making it a very useful skill.
Speeches: Writing speeches, whether they are meant to persuade, inspire, or enlighten, may open doors to exciting careers in virtually any profession. In addition, being able to write and deliver a speech is a valuable ability to have in case you are ever required to do so for a formal occasion like a graduation, marriage, or awards show.
List of Institutions Offering Creative Writing Courses in Vancouver
The followings are the top institutions providing the best creative writing courses in Vancouver. This list was created after thorough research, to help you choose the best place to get started. It’s advised that you must go through the institution’s website first, before enrolling in any program or course.
1. IIM SKILLS
When it comes to online professional courses, IIM SKILLS ranks among the top institutes. This institute has been offering high-in-demand courses tailored for both students and professionals. Over the years, many aspirants have benefited from these courses.
One of these courses is the Content Writing Course, which helps you to make a career as a creative professional writer. IIM SKILLS not only help you to become a writer but also help you to launch yourself as a successful writer. In the course, you’ll be given internship projects to get you real-world experience.
All the assignments or given projects will be reviewed by experts and then brief feedback will be given to you to improve yourself. The sole objective of this course is to build you up as a full-fledged writer, ready enough to work in real-life gigs. During the course, you’ll be given many job opportunities to choose from and the required help to crack interviews.
This program from IIM SKILLS is quite affordable and efficient enough to make you a writer in less time than other institutions. Which makes it the top contending institution offering creative writing courses in Vancouver.
Course Duration – 1 Month + 3 Months Internship. It’s a 30 hours online course including 16 hours of lectures and 14 hours of internship sessions.
Enrollment Fees – The total cost of the course is 243.44 Canadian Dollars +GST.
Contact Information –
Phone:
2. SFU – Simon Fraser University
The writer’s studio program by Simon Fraser University does offer a certificate in creative writing. The sole purpose of this program is to provide you with the required tools, strategies, and support to develop you as a writer. An active community of fellow writers will be there to help you practice and learn all sorts of writing.
The program itself is quite alike other full-time courses, but it costs less and can be completed in less than a year. This is also one of the reasons that this program has scored its place in the list of top creative writing courses in Vancouver. The classes are available in both online and offline modules, which means you can attend your lectures according to your lifestyle.
Course Duration – This part-time course will be covered for 10 to 11 months, including workshops focused on specific writing categories.
Enrollment Fees – The total cost of the course is 5,500 CAD and there’s a program application fee of 75 CAD. Scholarship programs are also available to applicable students, please check their website to learn more.
Contact Information –
Phone: (+1) 778 782 8000
Toll-Free: (+1) 844 782 8877
Email: learn@sfu.ca
3. UBC – University of British Columbia
If you are looking to have a full-time course in creative writing, then go no further than The University of British Columbia (UBC). UBC offers both bachelor’s and master of fine arts in creative writing to make you a writer. The students who have done their master’s in creative writing from UBC have achieved success in many creative fields.
Thanks to the faculty’s writing workshops, seminars, and real-world projects. To know about the course and its contents, you can watch the course’s information video on the official website.
The lectures will be conducted on the campus grounds and to make out living you can work with local or international organizations. The university will have no issue with you getting paid for work and studying full-time at the same time.
Course Duration – This is a 2 years program including workshops in various creative writing genres.
Enrollment Fees – You must join the information session to know about the course and its Enrollment fee.
Contact Information –
Phone: (+1) 604 822 2211
For more information about contacting the faculty, please visit the official website.
4. Langara – The College of Higher Learning
Many other institutions are offering creative writing courses in Vancouver, among those is Langara College. This college offers a diploma in creative writing that helps you to express yourself in text in different voices, forms, and techniques. This course is offered on the campus grounds situated in Vancouver.
The faculty is quite great when it comes to motivating students. Each year the college organizes contests for new writers to showcase their skills, which helps the contestants to improve as a writer by competing with fellow mates.
Course Duration – This diploma in creative writing will be covered in 2 years.
Enrollment Fees – The enrollment fee for the course is more than 6,880 CAD. To know more about the fee structure, you can use the tool specifically made to check the cost of study on the official website. You can also find information related to other expenses and student loans on the same page.
Contact Information –
Phone: (+1) 604 323 5385
Email: kcavicchioli@langara.ca
Must check out the other best courses:
- Creative Writing Courses in Canada
- Creative Writing Courses in the UK
- Creative Writing Courses in Amsterdam
- Creative Writing Courses in Singapore
- Creative Writing Courses in Wales
- Creative Writing Courses in Scotland
5. VCC – Vancouver Community College
When it comes to high-level education, the VCC – Vancouver Community College has its dominant domain. The Continuing Studies program introduced by VCC is solely focused on offering professional studies which can be used right away on the job.
The goal of this program is to provide access to high-caliber, adaptable, and practically relevant education with professionals from relevant fields. There are more than 60 areas of skills that are being taught at the Downtown Campus.
One of these skills is Creative Writing and there are 10 courses in total to expand your writing skills as a profession. All these courses are crafted to help you achieve solid ground in different writing genres.
Course Duration – Please check the website for more information on the specific courses.
Enrollment Fees – Almost all the courses cost around 271 CAD, but you must visit the official website to be sure about it.
Contact Information –
Phone: (+1) 604 443 8484
Email: continuingstudies@vcc.ca
6. Capilano University
If you are looking to enroll in an open university, then Capilano University should be on your list. This university ranks 61st position in Canada and is also known for its top-quality education programs around the world. For students in Arts & Sciences, Capilano University has crafted an Associate of Arts Degree in writing.
The instructors are writing practitioners specialized in various creative writing genres, so you’ll get a great deal of real-life experience. The first year of the course is solely focused on learning about writing and its genres.
In the second, you’ll get the opportunity to dive deep into poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction writing genre. After completing this course, you can also apply for bachelor’s programs in the same to level up your skills.
Course Duration – This course/degree in creative writing will be covered in 2 years.
Enrollment Fees – The total fee for this entire course is 11,842 CAD, this includes tuition and other fees.
Contact Information –
Phone: (+1) 604 986 1911/2291, (+1) 604 984 4900
Email: humanities@capilanou.ca / registration@capilanou.ca
7. VIU – Vancouver Island University
One of the largest campuses in Canada, ranking 11th position, and 43rd on the global level. This university offers more than 120 programs, including degrees, diplomas, and certificates. All the courses are tailored to help the student in their professional life. The university offers a bachelor’s degree in journalism and creative writing to make you a master of writing.
The instructors, who’re going to teach you are professionals who are published and received many awards for their writings. The best part that made this university on this list of institutes offering creative writing courses in Vancouver, is the small size class.
The faculty believes in consulting with the students in one-on-one sessions, therefore the class size is quite small. With this, each student gets enough chance to express their concern and receive appropriate help from the professor. This bachelor’s degree is highly focused on improving your literary skills and helping you to face real-life writing challenges.
Course Duration – This bachelor’s degree in creative writing and Journalism will take up to 4 years.
Enrollment Fees – The total fee for this entire program is 7,166.27 CAD. It’s highly advised to check the official website to know about the latest fee structure.
Contact Information –
Phone: (+1) 250 753 3245
Toll-Free: (+1) 888 920 2221
Email: info@viu.ca
8. Camuson College
Situated in British Columbia, this college offers more than 160 programs to its students. All the programs are designed to prepare you for high-skilled professions, to fit you in a job-ready environment. In this course, you’ll dig deep into the world of English literature from old to modern classics.
You’ll be challenged to look at the world of literature from a different perspective and express it to the world. By the end of the course, you will have mastered the skills necessary to critically evaluate sources, create a convincing argument, and write well-organized, well-thought-out writings.
The course includes internship programs to get you a hands-on experience on a live project. Also, there are no restrictions on any student to work at local businesses to make money. But you must check the official website for more critical information on that matter.
Course Duration – This Associate of Arts Degree is a 2 years long program. This includes the internship if you apply for it.
Enrollment Fees – The enrollment fees start from 7,178 CAD and go up to 8,630 CAD, depending on the course type you wish to register for.
Contact Information –
Phone: (+1) 250 370 3298 / 3000
Toll-Free: (+1) 877 554 7555
Email: artsci@camosun.ca
Frequently Asked Questions About Creative Writing Courses in Vancouver
1. Is it possible to teach creative writing?
Yes, as a skill creative writing can be taught. It’s the art of using words in a beautiful way to express emotions, experiences, and thoughts. It uses imagination which we all have, but putting words into play in a proper format is another thing, which can be taught.
Just like any other field or industry, you need to understand the basics and the rest depends on your practice. Creative writing is just like telling a story to a person with words; as humans, we are all gifted with that skill. Moreover, after enrolling in any of the creative writing courses in Vancouver, you’ll be given assignments to practice what you learn in the lecture.
2. Is it hard to learn creative writing?
You’ll face hardships whenever you start learning something new. You must have fallen from your cycle many times as a child just to learn how to ride it. The same goes with creative writing, all you must do is follow the right approach and invest time practicing it. It may take time but that will be worth everything. All the above-listed creative writing courses in Vancouver include both theoretical and practical training. So, this also means that you’ll get many assignments to practice your writing skills.
3. What is the average salary of a creative writer?
Most creative writers work for businesses online as a freelancer and some get hired by reputed companies for full-time jobs. Some get paid on an hourly basis and some for projects. But the average salary that you can make as a creative writer is more than 50,000 CAD in a year.
It’s one of the high-paying jobs out there and you can make tonnes of money with this skill. This is why many professionals are shifting to the writing industry and enrolling in creative writing courses in Vancouver. And if you’re seeking to change your career, then you should enroll too.
4. Is creative writing good as a career?
Yes, of course, it’s one of the best careers out there. Creative writers are required by many industries as they depend on writers to meet their end goals. For many individuals, creative writing is the best choice of profession as it pays well, more than average jobs. The future of a creative writing career is full of opportunities.
As a creative writer, you’ll work collaboratively with other writers in different niches and as a result, you’ll earn new connections. Not only that, you’ll gain experience which will help you to improve as a writer.
Conclusion
So far, it must have become clear to you that creative writing is an in-demand skill, which can be taught. Also, it’s one of the most lucrative careers out there in the modern world. You can attain this skill and start up as a freelancer or work for an organization. If you’re looking forward to becoming a successful writer then you are only a step away from it. Just enroll in any of the creative writing courses in Vancouver listed above.
