Lifestyle | Random House Struik strikes again with their online creative writing course

South Africa’s leading trade book publisher, Random House Struik, is partnering with GetSmarter, a specialist online training company, to present a second run of the hugely successful Random House Struik Creative Writing course. The 10-week, part-time course is presented entirely online via GetSmarter’s tried and tested Internet training platform.

Random House Struik is a prominent local trade publisher and the biggest in South Africa. Never shy of innovating and pushing boundaries, Random House Struik is now leading the way in distance-learning creative writing training in the country. Along with GetSmarter’s unique online learning platform, Random House Struik is revolutionising the way that writing is taught.

GetSmarter is a top-class online education company in South Africa. It has trained over one thousand students in the past year, in such diverse topics as guest house management, labour law, wine evaluation and using the Internet – all from the comfort of the students’ homes or offices. Random House Struik and GetSmarter have partnered with professional literary agent, editor and author Ron Irwin, who will be convening the Creative Writing course.

The Random House Struik Creative Writing course is intended for anyone with an interest in writing: published writers, aspirant authors and even those who have dreamt of writing a novel or story but never quite knew where to start.

GetSmarter’s advanced and user-friendly learning model provides students with a personal and professional educational experience. Students work through the course material together and receive continuous academic and administrative assistance throughout the course. Each of the 10 modules includes course notes, discussion forums where students interact with one another, an interactive quiz, as well as video lectures to make the course material more engaging. The modules include topics like planning the story, the importance of beginnings, characters and characterisation, dialogue and conflict.

Several other features make this course unique. Course assignments are highly practical – students must create five pieces of writing – and are assessed by other students through a distinctive anonymous feedback mechanism. The course also focuses on creating a community of writers, unique in a pursuit that is known for its isolation. In addition, Random House Struik has committed to reading and considering the top student manuscripts. This gives students an unparalleled opportunity to create worthwhile contacts and to get a chance at a real publishing deal.

The first iteration of the course, presented in early 2010, attracted 120 students throughout South Africa with a passion for writing creatively, including editors, journalists and authors. The students’ response to the course was phenomenal. The online discussion forums were active from the first day and remained busy throughout; students even created a Facebook group of their own initiative so that they could interact and stay in touch with each other.

Many expressed a renewed enthusiasm and motivation to write, while some thrilled at being part of a vibrant writers’ community. Others were impressed with what they learned – not only about the technicalities of writing, but also about themselves and their goals. Ron Irwin, the course convener, was surprised by the unexpectedly high quality of student work, and has already lined up over a dozen books for Random House Struik to consider.

The course is due to start on 27 September 2010, and registrations close on 17 September 2010.

Click here for more information on the Random House Struik Creative Writing Course.