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Creative Writing

Creative Writing at UCLA Extension
Go from practiced to polished.

Whether you're looking to improve your writing for personal fulfillment, want to be published, or are preparing to apply to an MFA program, the Writers' Program can help you achieve your goals. You will find a supportive community of instructors, academic counselors and fellow students to help you on your journey.

We offer a wide range of open-enrollment courses, all of which may be taken individually. A guide on where to get started is provided below.

We also offer a fully customizable 21-unit Certificate in Creative Writing where you can develop professional creative writing skills in the genre of your choice.

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One of the nation's most prestigious open-enrollment creative writing programs.

Whether you're looking to improve your writing for personal fulfillment, want to be published, or are preparing to apply to an MFA program, the Writers' Program can help you achieve your goals. You will find a supportive community of instructors, academic counselors and fellow students to help you on your journey.

We offer a wide range of open-enrollment courses, all of which may be taken individually. A guide on where to get started is provided below.

We also offer a fully customizable 21-unit Certificate in Creative Writing where you can develop professional creative writing skills in the genre of your choice.

Creative Writing at UCLA Extension

What do you want to create?

GenreStart Here
NovelsBeginning Fiction
Short StoriesBeginning Fiction
MemoirsBeginning Creative Nonfiction
Personal EssaysBeginning Creative Nonfiction
Creative NonfictionBeginning Creative Nonfiction
PoetryPoetry
Young Adult NovelsWriting for Young Adults
Middle Grade NovelsWriting for Kids & Middle Grade
Picture BooksWriting Picture Books

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Creative Writing Certificate

Develop your skills in the genre of your choice, including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and more.

This customizable program culminates in a capstone project where you will make significant progress on a polished collection of work.

Taught by a prestigious roster of instructors who are published writers and active professionals, courses can be taken onsite, online, or a combination of both.

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hand writing in a notebook
overhead perspective of a writer using a latop

Writers' Program Consultations

If you have a completed draft of a manuscript and need feedback for your work, consider a one-on-one consultation with a Writers’ Program instructor.

Consultations give you a full cover-to-cover read of your work, a written evaluation, and a follow-up conversation in person, via phone, or web chat.

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Creative Writing

Courses

WRITING X 402

Finding Your Voice

Explore the basics of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in this introductory course for beginning writers searching for their unique voice.
WRITING X 452.3

Freelancing for Editors

Set the groundwork for work as a freelance editor in this foundational course offering tools of the trade for successful editors.
WRITING 755.4E

How to Land a Literary Agent

Learn to work strategically toward finding an agent in this workshop that helps you develop a pitch, a list of agents, and materials that identify you as a serious writer prepared for success.