New Zealand Diploma in Creative Writing (Level 6)

Unleash your potential! The diploma will consolidate your understanding of genres and guide you to write for different audiences as you work on novels, scripts, collections, or non-fiction texts. You will also learn about writing for online outlets, how to hone your editing skills and how to self-publish.

NorthTec offers qualifications up to level 7 in applied writing:

• New Zealand Diploma in Writing for Creative Industries (Level 5)
• New Zealand Diploma in Creative Writing (Level 6)
• Diploma in Advanced Applied Writing (Level 7)

This diploma has a team of specialist tutors who cover a range of genres. The team includes: children’s writer Justine Baddeley; award-winning scriptwriter Lisette de Jong; IML graduate and short story writer Gerard O’Brien; prose writer, artist and poet Ruby Porter (2017 winner of the Wallace Foundation Short Fiction Award, and inaugural winner of the 2018 Michael Gifkins Prize); and leading freelance editor Lesley Marshall.

What you will learn

In this programme, you will develop a range of specialist writing skills and strategies that will enable you to apply professional principles and practices to produce original writing outputs that meet the specific requirements of creative industries.

In this programme you will learn to:

• Apply knowledge and skills in creative writing to develop and produce original works for a selected audience, platform or purpose.
• Analyse, critique and provide feedback on written works, in line with practices in the creative industries.
• Work independently and as part of a team to critically evaluate your own work and that of others.
• Employ professional business practices to manage projects to a prescribed brief.
• Develop leadership skills.
• Maintain currency of industry knowledge in order to work within the creative writing industry.

Courses in this programme

Compulsory courses

• 6001 Long Texts – looking at the elements of long fiction and non-fiction, and producing then recrafting a long-form manuscript of your own.
• 6002 Short Fiction – examining the techniques used in producing short stories, and practising writing and recrafting these during the semester.
• 6003 Short Nonfiction – analysing different forms of nonfiction writing, and practising writing nonfiction manuscripts for a target audience, then editing and recrafting them.
• 6005 Online Writing – this second-semester class builds on all the skills learned in the previous four papers, to culminate in the recrafting of one of or more manuscripts (with the help of the editing students), and then preparing them for publication as an ebook.  Students learn about good design, covers, ISBN numbers, editing and proofreading processes and more.
• 6006 Publishing – building professional skills, including looking at taxes, ethics, publishing methods, time-keeping, record-keeping, mentorships, competitions, agents, vanity publishers, and funding options.
• 6007 Editing – practising editing and critiquing manuscripts for the online writing students and other writers.  Students develop their editing skills as well as learning to give supportive, helpful feedback to other writers.
• 6008 Becoming Professional – students choose their own writing project, research study or presentation and work with it over the whole semester, from initial plans to the final first draft.  Projects often include interviews and in-depth research.

Electives- Choose ONE

• 6009 Poetry – an in-depth look at different poetry forms, and practising writing and recrafting your own poems.
• 6010 Short Scripts for the Screen – learn film structure and screenplay format, visual storytelling, arcs, characters, subtext, theme, dialogue, critique, and produce a 10-minute film script.

Applicants under the age of 20

• Successful completion of New Zealand Certificate in Writing for Creative Industries (Level 5) or equivalent.

Applicants 20 years of age and over

• A portfolio of work that indicates the applicant is capable of meeting the qualification outcomes.

English language requirements

All applicants must have a level of English sufficient to be able to study at this level. Those students whose first language is not English should have: 

• An international English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall academic score of at least 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each band), or accepted international equivalence.

Special Entry

In exceptional circumstances, an applicant who does not meet the full entry requirements, may be granted admission to the Programme on the approval of the Head of Department or delegate if he/she is confident of the applicant’s ability to undertake the Diploma with a reasonable likelihood of success.