Foundations of Story
Master the craft of narrative writing
for novels and short stories,
screenplays and stage plays.
COMING JULY 2026
“Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Believable characters who breathe like us, brave the odds — and break under pressure
Narratives where the story flows and the language becomes music
Every scene a work of art: setups, payoffs, and the bridges between
Is this for you?
An ideal creative writing course for…
first-time storytellers wanting a solid grounding in the technical aspects of narrative
seasoned writers returning from a creative hiatus, and wanting to recover their artistic instincts
any writer wanting to stabilise their writing routine with a creative flow best suited to their body and lifestyle
anyone looking to hone their cognitive abilities, or deepen their spiritual connection to creative practice
Your story. Your muse.
Beginner or expert.
Literary or genre.
Casual or pro.
This course is for you.
What you learn
A holistic grounding in narrative writing
Plotting & scenes
Structure your story for maximal satisfaction.
Master the mechanics of story, and how to approach the problem of form as a planner or discovery writer.
The essence of story
What is a story?
What makes one ‘good’?
Discover the connection between conflict and theme, and the key powers of action, reflection, description, and dialogue.
Setting & style
Transport your audience in space and time, while brewing an intoxicating atmosphere that immerses them in your imagined world.
Character, dialogue & point of view
Give life to unforgettable personalities that leap right off the page, each with their own voice, perspective, goals and motivations.
Genre: Expectation & innovation
Know the rules — to break them later. Learn how to deploy tropes so they resonate authentically, and subvert them for intentional impact.
What you get
Everything you need
Classes
8 weekly lessons of 75 mins each (i.e., 10 hours total class time), in small cohorts of up to 12 students, following an original curriculum designed to unleash creative freedom, within a stable structure that ensures steady progression.
Tasks
High-impact writing tasks in manageable chunks, including creative challenges, technical exercises, and a course project - all customisable to suit your preferred genre, style and subject matter.
Feedback
Comprehensive, personalised notes on all practical tasks, giving you the 1-on-1 attention to support your unique development as a writer.
Playbook
Value-packed course playbook, including all lesson notes plus bonus materials: explanations, demonstrations, tips and templates, bonus exercises, and our extensive list of resources.
Community
Lifetime access to our Facebook Group and Discord Server, sharing daily inspiration, encouragement, opportunities, humour and exclusive offers.
What you do
A selection of experiments
Technical exercises
Short, weekly assignments which align with that lesson’s theme. Write in any narrative form you like: prose or script, literary or genre.
Creative challenges
Weekly tasks and provocations to inspire and embolden your artistic process, including habit-building hacks and strategies for unlocking flow.
Course project
A single, larger piece which you write over the course of the entire 8 weeks, allowing you to synthesise and showcase all your new skills along with all your personalised feedback.
Do it your way
All tasks are customisable, so you can make them your own.
Write in your preferred genre (e.g., speculative fiction, romance, mystery, script, etc.).
Pick from suggested topics, or come up with your own.
Stick to a length that works for you (word count for prose, page count for scripts).
With you all the way
Get 1-on-1 attention, personalised support and comprehensive feedback to help your writing soar.
Transformation guaranteed
Our promise to you
We’re here to help you win — not waste your time.
If your writing hasn’t demonstrably improved by the end of any of our courses, we’ll gladly refund you 100% of your purchase.
Students eligible for refunds must fulfil all reasonable criteria, demonstrating that they’ve attended all lessons, completed all assignments, implemented all feedback provided, and liaised with their teacher for additional support to raise concerns or query our learning content.
Course details
Course dates
Foundations of Story runs for 8 weeks, each term.
Classes start in July 2026.
Click I’m interested to be notified when bookings open.
Class times
Each weekly, in-person class runs for 75 minutes.
Classes take place in the afternoons and early evenings.
Pick your preferred time slot on the sign-up form.
Location
We teach across Cape Town, including the Southern Suburbs, Atlantic Seaboard and around the CBD.
For students’ convenience, we finalise venues only once we have an indication of interest, allowing us to choose an optimal location.
Pricing
Download our brochure for up-to-date pricing, or contact us for more info.