Nonfiction for Publication: Think Pieces, Features and Podcasts (WRIT7055)

Course overview

This course develops your critical understanding of how creative nonfiction authors make money from their writing, as freelancers and as entrepreneurs. You will learn about the kinds of nonfiction content that contemporary websites, magazines and platforms want to publish, as well as strategies to monetise your own content. Drawing on techniques from memoir, personal essay, literary journalism and oral history, you will gain practical skills in research, interviewing and revision. We focus on three contemporary forms that early-career writers can master and make money from:
i) the think piece
ii) the feature article
iii) the podcast episode.
This course will help you develop the skills you need to succeed in the competitive world of nonfiction writing and publishing. Join us and take the first steps towards developing a portfolio career as a creative nonfiction writer.

Purpose of the Course

"Nonfiction for Publication" is designed to improve your mastery of some key forms of 'publishable' nonfiction: blog/newsletter posts, think pieces, feature articles and podcasts.ﾠThis course will also make you a better researcher, writer and storyteller;ﾠcrucialﾠskills that are applicable acrossﾠmanyﾠcareer paths.

WRIT7055 isﾠhighly practical and hands-on, allowing students to develop their skills and knowledge through a range of practical activities and assessments. Weﾠwill cover a range of topics, including the principles of nonfiction writing: idea generation,ﾠthe art of storytelling, research techniques, interviewing skills, and the technical skills needed to create podcasts and other digital media content.ﾠThrough a series of seminar presentations, class discussions, in-person workshopping sessions and assignments, students will have the opportunity to develop their writing skills;ﾠexperiment with different styles and genres;ﾠand receive feedback from their peers and instructors. They will also have the opportunity to learn about industry professionals, who will provide insights into the latest trends and developments in nonfiction writing and digital media.

At the end of this course, students will have developed a portfolio of high-quality nonfiction writing and/or audio that is suitable for publication in a range of digital media outlets. They will also have gained a deep understanding of the principles and practices of nonfiction writing, including the importance of accuracy and the value of literary flair.

Course Goals

On completion of thisﾠcourse, you will beﾠfamiliar with a wide range of research and writing techniques appropriate for creative writingﾠprojects. You will beﾠable to use research to produce a finished piece of creative nonfiction, in textual and/or audio form.

Teaching and Learning Modes

WRIT7055ﾠis taught as a weekly in-person 2.5-hour seminar. Itﾠfeatures lecture material;ﾠgroup activities and discussions; peer-to-peer workshopping of draft work;ﾠindividual creative exercises; and student responses to readings.

NOTE:ﾠWRIT7055 is available in-person only. It has been scheduled in the evening, to allow people who work days to attend.

Expectations and Obligations

• In-person attendance of seminars isﾠkey to doing well in the course. Workshopping and discussion occur face-to-face, with no recordings made and no remote/delayed attendance options. There is a high statistical correlation between attendance/participation rates, and overall scores in universityﾠcourses. While there is no mandatory requirement for you to attend seminars,ﾠassessment details and strategies will be thoroughly covered in them. It is your responsibility to obtain notes from another student if you miss lectures and tutorials. If you have work or other commitments that clash with lectures and tutorials, you may want to consider deferring this course until next year.ﾠ
• Please be aware that some of the teaching staff are casual academics, and are not able to respond immediately to email contact. A reasonable expectation would be a responseﾠwithin 3ﾠworking daysﾠ(Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm)ﾠfrom all teaching staff in the course; if you email on a Thursday or Friday, do not expect a reply until the following weeks. Apart from wholly unexpected circumstances, it is always better to bring your questions to class; failing that, make sure toﾠgive teaching staff plenty of time to respond.
• If you are struggling with assessment or experiencing personal difficulties, please let the course convenorﾠknow as soon as you possibly can. We do understand that sometimes feeling overwhelmed prevents students from contacting us in a timely fashion, but you have our assurances that you will be dealt with kindly and non-judgmentally. It is always better to let us know early.

Course requirements

Assumed background

This course assumes that you have an interest in writing and reading/listening to journalism and creative nonfiction, including podcasts. As this course draws on techniques learned in the writing of journalism, nonfiction, fiction and poetry, experience writing in these modes, and/or previous completion of such courses, is an advantage.

Restrictions

Course offering may be cancelled unless a minimum of 10 students enrol.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Whilst every effort is made to place students in their preferred activity, it is not always possible for a student to be enrolled in their tutorial of choice. If you require assistance, please ensure that you email timetabling.commarts@enquire.uq.edu.au from your UQ student email with: 

• Your name 
• Your student ID 
• The course code 
• A list of three tutorial preferences (in order of preference) 
• Reason for the change – e.g. timetable clash, elite athlete status, SAP 

Teaching staff do not have access to change tutorials or help with timetables; all timetabling changes must be processed through the Timetabling Team. 

Aims and outcomes

This course seeks to provide

* an overview of the kinds of contemporary non-fiction writing that editors and publishers pay for

* an introduction to the research and writing skills required for think pieces, feature articles and podcast episodes

* a development of the skills required to produce literary journalism and oral history

* critical insights in how to conceptualise, pitch, write, revise and edit your writing for publication.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Blog/newsletter post

Mode

Written

Category

Creative Production/ Exhibition

Weight

10% 250-500 words

Due date

24/03/2025 4:00 pm

Due date delayed due to disruptions from Cyclone Alfred

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

TurnItIn Receipts: 

Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial. 

When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can: 

• View the name of the submitted file 
• View date and time of the upload 
• Resubmit your paper (if necessary) 
• Download your submitted paper 
• Download digital receipt. 

If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work). 

If the submission was not successful: 

• Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).  
• Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again. 
• If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached. 

Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Think piece

Mode

Written

Category

Creative Production/ Exhibition

Weight

30% 800 words

Due date

17/04/2025 4:00 pm

Due date delayed due to disruptions from Cyclone Alfred

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

TurnItIn Receipts: 

Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial. 

When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can: 

• View the name of the submitted file 
• View date and time of the upload 
• Resubmit your paper (if necessary) 
• Download your submitted paper 
• Download digital receipt. 

If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work). 

If the submission was not successful: 

• Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).  
• Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again. 
• If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached. 

Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Feature Article OR Podcast Episode

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written

Category

Creative Production/ Exhibition

Weight

60% 2500 words / 15 minutes

Due date

9/06/2025 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

TurnItIn Receipts: 

Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial. 

When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can: 

• View the name of the submitted file 
• View date and time of the upload 
• Resubmit your paper (if necessary) 
• Download your submitted paper 
• Download digital receipt. 

If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work). 

If the submission was not successful: 

• Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).  
• Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again. 
• If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached. 

Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

• Where fractional marks occur in the calculation of the final grade, a mark of x.5% or greater will be rounded up to (x+1)%. A percentage mark of less than x.5% will be rounded down to x%.  
• Where no assessable work is received, a Grade of X will apply.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

• Further information regarding the assessment, including marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course. 
• Marks Cannot Be Changed After Being Released: Marks are not open to negotiation with course staff. If you wish to discuss the feedback you have received, you should make an appointment to speak with the Course Coordinator. 
• Assessment Re-mark: If you are considering an Assessment Re-mark, please follow the link to important information you should consider before submitting a request. 
• Integrity Pledge: Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin. Before submitting any assignments for this course, you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Modules.ﾠIn uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university. 
• Withholding marks prior to finalisation of grades: Per UQ Assessment Procedures – Release of Assessment Item Marks and Grades: The final assessment item and the marks for the assessment item are to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released. 

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Students who are interested in producing a podcast episode for their final assessment are strongly encouraged to enrol in a The Media and Production Support (MaPS) course on Audio recording and Adobe Audition foundations.

https://communication-arts.uq.edu.au/aboutmaps

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

Course guidelines

Communication Expectations 

While you are a student at UQ, all communication must be conducted according to the UQ Student Code of Conduct. The UQ Library has a helpful Communicate and collaborate online module.  

• Email is the primary way for you to send messages to, and receive information from, the School and our staff.  
• You must use your UQ email address (not a private address) to communicate with staff.   
• You should add a clear subject line, including course code, and a 2-3 word statement.  
• You can send email at any time, however please do not expect responses outside normal working hours (Monday to Friday from ~8am to ~5pm).  
• Emails that constitute bullying, harassment or discrimination against staff contravene the Student Code of Conduct. Emails like this will be reported to the University, and the matter will be pursued as misconduct.