Fiction is writing that includes imaginary characters, events and/or settings created by the writer. All of the components of a fictitious story do not necessarily need to be fictitious though:

• Imaginary characters might be set in a real world setting such as a well known city or a particular country.
• Characters might be fictitious, but set in a "real" event. For example, you might write about the experiences of a fictitious character during World War II.
• Real characters may be used for a fictitious story that embraces an imaginary event or setting (eg. a story about William Shakespeare travelling through time; or something more realistic, like a summer's holiday at a fictitious beach resort, taken by a famous historical figure such as Mozart).

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Scope & Nature of Fiction
2. Components of a Story
3. Technique
4. Conception and Research
5. Drama
6. Fantasy
7. The short Story
8. The Novel

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

• Describe the nature and scope of fiction writing.
• Determine the components of a fiction story, as the first step in planning a story.
• Determine a systematic approach to building a fiction story.
• Develop your capacity to conceive fiction stories.
• Develop your ability to write dramatic stories.
• Develop your ability to write fantasy
• Develop your ability to write short stories
• Develop your ability to plan for success in the writing of a novel.