WRIT403-26S2 (C) Semester Two 2026

Creative Writing

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 13 July 2026
End Date: Sunday, 8 November 2026
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 26 July 2026
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 27 September 2026

Description

This course will develop students' capacity to produce creative writing according to a range of practices, within a variety of contexts and genres, and in response to the needs and expectations of diverse audience groups.

Students in WRIT403 will participate in a series of workshop-based exercises focussing on the set topic, which will vary from year to year depending on who is teaching the course. In the first half of the course, each week will be based around a particular aspect of the topic and include one class that entails the reading and analysis of exemplary literary examples, followed by a second class that entails workshopping of students’ own writing in response to set exercises. In the second half of the course students will be able to specialise in a particular mode or genre, and to develop longer pieces of work.

Learning Outcomes

  • At the end of this course you will be able to
  • analyse, to an advanced level, the technical aspects of creative writing by others, and apply these findings to your creative writing;
  • deploy a range of techniques for the creation of fictional, nonfictional, poetic and dramatic creative texts;
  • deploy a wide range of editorial strategies, at an advanced level, in the revision and improvement of creative texts;
  • undertake research relevant to your writing tasks;
  • provide advanced editorial advice for other writers
  • understand and articulate the implications of being a writer in Aotearoa New Zealand, especially in regard to te ao me te reo Māori and the Pasifika philosophy of teu le va.

Prerequisites

Entry is subject to approval of the Head of Department. RP: A Bachelor's degree (with at least a B average in 300-level courses) in any subject in which writing comprises a significant part of the assessment

Recommended Preparation

A Bachelor's degree (with at least a B average in 300-level courses) in any subject in which writing comprises a significant part of the assessment

Timetable 2026

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 15:00 - 17:00 F1 Lectorial
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Friday 15:00 - 17:00 Karl Popper 508
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct

Course Coordinator

Philip Armstrong

Lecturers

Vana Manasiadis and Nicholas Wright

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Peer Critique and Revision Exercise 30%
Short Writing Exercises 30%
Two Longer Pieces of Writing 40%

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $2,299.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Humanities .

All WRIT403 Occurrences

  • WRIT403-26S2 (C) Semester Two 2026