• EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

  • Are you interested in teaching at Writing NSW? Please review the types of courses we offer, then read the following guidelines and complete the details below.

    • Writing an effective course description 

    • Writing an Effective Course Description

      An effective course description is essential to attracting people’s interest in your course. It can be useful to keep the following points in mind.

      A good course description should:

      1. Set up clear and concise expectations of what the course will cover/achieve.
      2. Have a clear focus, whether that is fiction writing, non-fiction, genre, poetry, etc.
      3. Clearly communicate the intended audience.
      4. Be engaging and enticing.

      It should be obvious what the course is, who it’s for and why they would want to do it. In particular, pay attention to these areas:

      Title

      The most important factor is to clearly show what the course is about. In this instance, clarity is better than wittiness. For example, if you are teaching a poetry course, be sure to use the word ‘poetry’ somewhere in your title. 

      Introductory paragraph

      This might be catchy or use rhetorical questions. It should lay the foundation for the what, who and why that the rest of the description expands on. For inspiration, have a look at these course descriptions:

      • Writing Romance: Tropes, Chemistry, and Craft
      • The Art of Poetry
      • Online: How to Write Fiction
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    • Planning your course 

    • Planning your course

      Learning Outcomes

      Each course must identify at least three clear learning outcomes to help participants decide whether the workshop is a good fit for their goals.

      Learning outcomes should be specific and observable, (for example, through a piece of writing produced, a skill practised, or a technique applied), rather than broad or aspirational statements. For example: “Participants will draft the opening chapter of a novel using a clearly defined narrative voice,” is much stronger than than “Participants will gain confidence in their writing.”

      We encourage you to use these learning outcomes as a foundation for shaping the structure, activities, and content of your course.

      Structure

      Map out how the time will actually unfold, session by session, or hour by hour for a one-day workshop. This is the quickest way to determine what is and isn't achievable in the time you have. For four- and six-week courses, we'll ask for a week-by-week breakdown.

      Maximum class sizes are 20 for in-person courses and 24 for online. It's best to plan on the basis of a full to semi-full class.

      Writing NSW's Audience

      Expect a wide range of experience in any given class, from people just starting out to published writers refining their work. Even courses pitched at a specific level attract a mix.

      If your course assumes prior knowledge or experience, say so clearly in your description and design the exercises accordingly.

      Workshopping and In-Class Exercises

      We encourage breaking up any workshops of 3 hours or more with some in-class exercises. If you're including these, think about how they feed back into your learning outcomes and be realistic about time. With a full class, not everyone can receive detailed feedback on their work. If you'll only get to a few samples, say so in the course description rather than leaving participants to discover it on the day.

      Handouts and Additional Materials

      These are not required, but are welcome. A recommended reading list works well, and supporting material is particularly useful for content-heavy seminars.

      We prefer to email materials to participants ahead of the course. If you need physical handouts on the day, we can print a limited number of pages — send them to us at least one week before the course begins so we have time to prepare them.

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    • Considering participant requirements 

    • Participant Requirements (optional)

      Asking participants to bring something, like a chapter, a short story excerpt, or a synopsis, can make a course much more rewarding. It also creates an obligation: if someone has prepared and brought their work, particularly for the first time, and there's no time to use it, that's a genuinely deflating experience. Only ask for material you're confident you'll get to.

      Anything you need participants to bring or prepare must be listed here, so we can include it in the course description when the course goes on sale. Participants book on the basis of what's advertised, and requirements added close to the start date are unfair to people who've already committed their time and money. We can't pass on new requirements in the final weeks before a course.

      Be specific, and give context. "A short sample of writing" invites anxious emails about exactly how short is short? Instead: "Bring a one-page sample for use in a class exercise," or "Bring a synopsis of your novel, which may be selected for workshopping, time permitting."

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    • About You

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    • About Your Course

      Please fill out one expression of interest form for each idea you'd like to pitch
    • Genre / form*
    • Audience - What level of writer will benefit most from the course?*
    • 0/200
    • Please select from our standard course lengths*

    • Multi-week online courses run in two formats. Both are built around written content and feedback delivered through our course platform; the difference is whether you also meet participants live via Zoom. Written-only courses have no scheduled sessions, but you'll still need to be available across the course period to give feedback and respond to participants. Are Zoom sessions part of your proposal?
    • Have you taught this course before?*

    • Delivery and Availability

    • About Your Experience

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