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Writers' Village University Courses

Even numbers are peer or self-paced courses. 
Odd numbers are facilitated by volunteer members.

[Business] [Comedy] [Fiction] [Literature] [Non-fiction] [Poetry]
[Workshops] [Short Fiction Certificate Program]

List of Required Texts for WVU Courses (Just send us a blank message.)

The General Business of Writing, including basic skill review and motivational courses.

  • B101 WVU Orientation
  • B103 Grammar
  • B105 Punctuation
  • B107 The Writers' Way to Creativity Part 1 
  • B109 The Writers' Way to Creativity Part 2 
  • B111 The Writers' Way to Creativity Part 3
  • B112 Constructive Feedback
  • B113 Constructive Feedback
  • B114 Point of View & Related Topics
  • B115 Point of View & Related Topics 
  • B116 Revising and Editing
  • B117 Revising and Editing
  • B118 Time Management
  • B120 Copyrights
  • B121 Copyrights
  • B122 Libel and Permission
  • B123 Libel and Permission
  • B125 Basic HTML
  • B126 Lights, Camera...Wait a Minute, Where Are We?
  • B128 Opening Hooks
  • B129 Opening Hooks
  • B130 Basics to Create Dynamic Characters
  • B131 Basics to Create Dynamic Characters
  • B132 Complex and Believable Characters
  • B133 Complex and Believable Characters
  • B134 Proper Intertwining of Plot and Character
  • B135 Proper Intertwining of Plot and Character
  • B136 Introduction to Fiction Writing
  • B137 Introduction to Fiction Writing
  • B138 Plotting the Plot
  • B140 Time to Overcome Writer's Block
  • B142 Blockbusters
  • B144 Creative Writing Workshop
  • B146 Technical HTML Level 1
  • B148 One More Sentence
  • B150 The Buck Stops Here: A Journey
  • B151 The Buck Stops Here: A Journey
  • B152 Let's Add Emotion
  • B154 Finding Your Voice
  • B156 Technical HTML Level 2
  • B158 Technical HTML Level 3
  • B161 Fewer Rejections
  • B163 Fewer Rejections Part 2
  • B165 Personification
  • B166 Marketing Workshop
  • B169 Promotional Copywriting 101
  • B172 Revision: Writing and Rewriting Fiction
  • B173 Revision: Writing and Rewriting Fiction
  • B177 Procrastination

Comedy Writing

  • C100 Comedy Writing Part 1
  • C101 Comedy Writing Part 1
  • C102 Comedy Writing Part 2
  • C103 Comedy Writing Part 2
  • C104 Comedy Workshop: Working With Jokes 
  • C108 Comedy Workshop: Working With Captions 
  • C114 Comedy Workshop: Working With Alternate Meanings   
  • C118 Comedy Workshop: Working With Analyzation 

Fiction and Screenwriting

General
  • F100 Creative Writing Survey 

  • F101 Creative Writing Survey

  • F106 The Elements of Fiction 

  • F107 The Elements of Fiction  

  • F108 Creativity In A Box 

  • F109 Creativity In A Box 

  • F110 Where Creativity Lives  

  • F112 Character Development 

  • F113 Character Development 

  • F114 Doing It With Dialogue 

  • F115 Doing It With Dialogue 

  • F116 Getting the Words Right 

  • F117 Getting the Words Right 

  • F118 Getting the Words Right Editing Workshop  

  • F120 The Fiction Query Letter & Synopsis 

  • F126 Story Structures (and Everything In Between)

  • F127 Story Structures Editing Workshop

  • F128 Taking the Intimidation Out of Theme

  • F140 Short Story Workshop - Linear 

  • F141 Short Story Workshop - Linear 

  • F142 Short Story Workshop - Free Form

  • F143 Short Story Workshop - Free Form

  • F144 Preparing for the Novel 

  • F146 Let's Make A Scene 

  • F147 Let's Make A Scene 

  • F150 Design Your Own Novel Program

  • F158 Beyond the Elements: Six Memos for the Next Millennium  

  • F160 Lightness and Weight in Fiction  

  • F162 Character Driven Plots - The Big 5  

  • F164 The Single Effect Theory by Poe 

  • F165 The Single Effect Theory by Poe 

  • F166 Beginnings, Middles and Ends 

  • F167 Beginnings, Middles and Ends

  • F168 Demystifying the Writing Process - Part 1

  • F170 Demystifying the Writing Process - Part 2

  • F196 Independent Short Story Workshop  

  • F198 Independent Short Story Workshop  

  • F200 Independent Novel Workshop  

  • F202 Independent Novel Workshop

  • F228 So, You Want to Build a Fictional World, Do You? Part 1
  • F229 So, You Want to Build a Fictional World, Do You? Part 1
  • F230 So, You Want to Build a Fictional World, Do You? Part 2

  • F231 So, You Want to Build a Fictional World, Do You? Part 2

  • F232 So, You Want to Build a Fictional World, Do You? Part 3

  • F233 So, You Want to Build a Fictional World, Do You? Part 3  

  • F246 Writing Historical Fiction

  • F251 Independent Writing Challenge

  • F1001 Writing Erotica  

Writing Boosters
  • F172 Writing Boosters - Recipe #1  

  • F174 Writing Boosters - Opposites #1  

  • F176 Writing Boosters - Story Starters #1  

  • F178 Writing Boosters - Recipe #2  

  • F180 Writing Boosters - Writing with Rules #1  

  • F182 Writing Boosters - Story Starters #2  

  • F184 Writing Boosters - Plot  

  • F186 Writing Boosters - Story Starters #3  

  • F188 Writing Boosters - Plot Limitations  

  • F190 Writing Boosters - Recipe #16  

  • F192 Writing Boosters - Plot Ideas  

  • F194 Writing Boosters - Characters 

  • F216 Writing Boosters - Recipe #3

  • F218 Writing Boosters - Recipe #4

  • F220 Writing Boosters - Brainstorming for Characters

  • F222 Writing Boosters - Brainstorming for Smells

Romance
  • F102 Romance Writing 

  • F103 Romance Writing 

  • F104 Romance Editing Workshop 

  • F236 Romancing the Plot Doctor

  • F237 Romancing the Plot Doctor

Mystery
  • F122 Writing the Mystery Novel 

  • F124 Completing the Mystery Novel 

  • F244 Writing the Mystery Short Story 

  • F245 Writing the Mystery Short Story 

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror
  • F148 Other Worlds in Science Fiction and Fantasy 

  • F149 Other Worlds in Science Fiction and Fantasy 

  • F152 Horror Writing 

  • F153 Horror Writing 

  • F214 Worlds of Wonder

  • F215 Worlds of Wonder 

  • F242 Science Fiction Workshop

  • F243 Science Fiction Workshop

  • F255 Write Fright

Writing for Children
  • F154 Writing Fiction for Children 

  • F155 Writing Fiction for Children

  • F156 Children's Writing Workshop

  • F234 Crafting Children's Stories

  • F235 Crafting Children's Stories

  • F238 Introduction to Children’s Writing

  • F239 Introduction to Children’s Writing

  • F240 Children’s Characters

  • F241 Children’s Characters

  • F248 Picture Books with Minimal Text

  • F249 Picture Books with Minimal Text

Screen & Play Writing
  • F204 Introduction to Screenwriting 

  • F205 Introduction to Screenwriting

  • F206 Writing the Screenplay - Part I 

  • F207 Writing the Screenplay - Part I

  • F208 Writing the Screenplay – Part 2

  • F209 Writing the Screenplay – Part 2

  • F224 Playwriting

  • F225 Playwriting

Mythic Structure
  • F130 Mythic Structure Part 1 

  • F131 Mythic Structure Part 1 

  • F132 Mythic Structure Part 2 

  • F133 Mythic Structure Part 2 

  • F134 Mythic Structure Part 3 

  • F135 Mythic Structure Part 3 

  • F136 Mythic Structure Part 4 

  • F137 Mythic Structure Part 4 

  • F138 Mythic Structure Workshop 

  • F212 Heroes and Heroines (Sixteen Master Archetypes)

  • F213 Heroes and Heroines (Sixteen Master Archetypes)

  • F253 Antiheroes

Literature Studies and Reading Groups 

  • L100 Stories from Mythology 
  • L102 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
  • L103 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein  
  • L104 The Odyssey by Homer 
  • L106 Short Stories of Anton Chekhov 1  
  • L108 Short Stories of Anton Chekhov 2 
  • L110 Short Stories of Anton Chekhov 3  
  • L112 Short Stories of Anton Chekhov 4 
  • L114 Short Stories of Anton Chekhov 5 
  • L116 Virginia Woolf - Short Works  
  • L118 Virginia Woolf - Short Works 
  • L120 James Joyce - Stories from Dubliners 1 
  • L122 James Joyce - Stories from Dubliners 2  
  • L124 James Joyce - Stories from Dubliners 3  
  • L126 James Joyce - Stories from Dubliners 4 
  • L128 James Joyce - Stories from Dubliners 5 
  • L130 Banned Books - Candide by Voltaire  
  • L132 Banned Books - Fanny Hill by John Cleland
  • L134 Banned Books - Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
  • L136 The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende 
  • L137 The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
  • L138 One Hundred Years of Solitude by  Gabriel Garcia Marquez 
  • L139 One Hundred Years of Solitude by  Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  • L140 Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
  • L142 Brave New World
  • L143 Brave New World
  • L144 Isabel Allende - Daughter of Fortune
  • L146 Joyce Carol Oates - We Were the Mulvaneys
  • L148 Paradise - Toni Morrison
  • L150 Isabel Allende - Portrait in Sepia
  • L152 Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
  • L154 The Divine Comedy – Inferno by Dante Part 1
  • L156 The Divine Comedy – Purgatorio by Dante Part 2
  • L158 The Divine Comedy – Paradiso by Dante Part 3
  • L160 This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • L162 Charles Dickens – Hard Times
  • L164 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling (Book 1)
  • L166 Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling (Book 2)
  • L168 Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling (Book 3)
  • L170 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (Book 4)
  • L172 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (Book 5)
  • L174 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling (Book 6)
  • L178 Herman Melville’s Billy Budd

Non-Fiction, Journalism and Business Writing

  • N100 Writing for the Web Part 1  
  • N102 Writing for the Web Part 2 
  • N104 Writing Short Non-Fiction Part 1 
  • N106 Writing Short Non-Fiction Part 2 
  • N108 Writing Articles Part 1 
  • N110 Writing Articles Part 2 
  • N112 Writing for Magazines Part 1 
  • N114 Writing for Magazines Part 2 
  • N116 Writing for Magazines Part 3 
  • N118 Writing for Magazines Part 4 
  • N120 News Writing Part 1 
  • N122 News Writing Part 2 
  • N124 Writing for a Living 
  • N126 Writing for a Living Workshop 
  • N128 Writing from the Heart
  • N129 Writing from the Heart
  • N130 The Non-fiction Query Letter & Book Proposal
  • N132 So, You Want to be a Travel Writer 
  • N133 So, You Want to be a Travel Writer 
  • N134 Writing and Marketing Magazine Articles 
  • N136 Nature Writing Workshop
  • N137 Nature Writing Workshop
  • N138 Delving A Little Deeper Into Nature Writing
  • N139 Delving A Little Deeper Into Nature Writing 
  • N140 Writing the Memoir
  • N141 Writing the Memoir
  • N142 Journal-Keeping
  • N143 Journal-Keeping

Poetry

  • P100 Rhythmic Words: A Beginner's Guide to Poetic Forms 
  • P101 Rhythmic Words: A Beginner's Guide to Poetic Forms 
  • P102 Poetry Workshop
  • P103 Poetry Workshop 
  • P111 Introduction to Poetry, Part 1
  • P113 Introduction to Poetry, Part 2
  • P114 Japanese Poetic Forms 
  • P115 Japanese Poetic Forms 
  • P117 Advanced Poetry-Free Form Part 1 
  • P119 Advanced Poetry-Free Form Part 2 
  • P121 Advanced Poetry-Free Form Part 3 
  • P123 Advanced Poets Workshop
  • P124 The Pleasures Of Reading Poetry
  • P125 The Pleasures Of Reading Poetry
  • P126 Freeing the Poet Within
  • P127 Freeing the Poet Within
  • P128 Working With the Muse
  • P129 Working With the Muse
  • P130 Poetry Triggers - The Minute
  • P132 Poetry Triggers - Words, Words, Words
  • P134 Poetry Triggers - Myth and Fantasy
  • P136 Poetry Triggers - Using Observation and the Senses to Link Events
  • P138 Poetry Triggers - Creating Poetry From Unrelated Nouns
  • P140 Poetry Triggers - Creating Poetry From Metaphors
  • P142 Poetry Triggers - Epigraphs
  • P144 Poetry Triggers - Poetry as Conversation
  • P146 Poetry Triggers - Using Images to Convey Emotion
  • P148 Poetry Triggers - Breaking Through Writer's Block
  • P150 Poetry Triggers - Nature Writing - A Saturation Poem
  • P152 Poetry Triggers - Imaginary or Mythological Animals
  • P154 Poetry Triggers - Mastering Alliteration
  • P156 Poetry Triggers - Personification
  • P158 Poetry Triggers - Going Over the Edge
  • P160 Poetry Triggers - Surrealism and Dreams
  • P162 Poetry Triggers - Using Seasons as a Source of Inspiration
  • P164 Poetry Triggers - Using Webbing or Clustering
  • P166 Poetry Triggers - Line Breaks in Poetry
  • P168 Poetry Triggers - Using Points of View in Poetry Part 1
  • P170 Poetry Triggers - Using Points of View in Poetry, Part 2, Using Time Perspectives
  • P172 Poetry Triggers - Using Music as an Inspiration to Write Poetry
  • P174 Poetry Triggers - Overcoming Writer's Block
  • P176 Poetry Triggers - Associating with Words
  • P178 Poetry Triggers - Using the Sense of Smell
  • P180 Poetry Triggers - Playing with Sound
  • P182 Poetry Triggers - Imagism
  • P184 Poetry Triggers - Writing an "Ecstatic" Poem
  • P186 Poetry Triggers - A Chinese Meditation Poem Exercise
  • P188 Poetry Triggers - Animal Crackers
  • P190 Poetry Triggers - A Library of Poems
  • P192 Poetry Triggers - What's in the Closet?
  • P194 Poetry Triggers - Digging into Metaphor
  • P196 Poetry Triggers - Digging Deeper into Metaphors
  • P198 Poetry Triggers - Writing About a Loss
  • P200 Poetry Triggers - The Poet as Observer
  • P202 Poetry Triggers - What's in a Name?
  • P204 Poetry Triggers - Using Beginning Lines as Poetry Starters
  • P206 Poetry Triggers - Using Concluding Lines as Poetry Starters
  • P208 Poetry Triggers - Using Metaphors and Similes
  • P210 Poetry Triggers - The Mystery of Poetry
  • P300 Advanced Work in Japanese Forms
  • P301 Advanced Work in Japanese Forms
  • P302 Lead or Silver? Revising Your Poems
  • P303 Lead or Silver? Revising Your Poems
  • P304 Poem Paths
  • P305 Poem Paths
  • P307 Crafting Free Verse Poems Part 1
  • P309 Crafting Free Verse Poems Part 2
  • P311 Painting Poems With Words: From the Eyes to Words
  • P313 Painting Poems With Words: Using Non-Visual Senses

Workshops

  • W100 Introduction to Songwriting with a Guitar
  • W102 Hero's Journey for Parents

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