Where do ideas come from? Think you need to wait for inspiration? Have an idea but not sure you can make it into a story, novel or screenplay? This course will show you how to spin golden ideas from less than straw, and how to piece them together to form designer stories, novels, poems and screenplays.

Course Description

Every story starts with an idea, but where do ideas come from, and how can you turn them into something worth writing? 

The Idea Factory is a fun and practical creative writing course designed to help you recognise, collect, and develop raw inspiration into rich, workable material for stories, poems, novels, or screenplays. 

You’ll learn to sharpen your observation skills, mine your experiences, and use prompts and exercises to generate creative sparks.

Whether you’re facing writer’s block or simply want to write more often and more freely, this course will give you a toolkit for creativity. 

Through examples, discussion, and hands-on writing activities, you’ll experiment with turning everyday moments and fragments of thought into full-blown writing projects. 

You’ll also explore follow-up strategies to keep your ideas flowing long after the course ends.

Course Structure

The session begins by exploring where ideas come from and how to recognise their potential. 

You'll work through a variety of prompts and guided exercises that help transform ordinary observations or random thoughts into creative foundations. 

Each activity is followed by discussion and optional sharing. 

The course also covers how to record ideas effectively, revisit them later, and reshape them into different formats, whether it’s a poem, short story, or scene for a script. 

You'll leave with practical strategies for building your own idea collection and turning sparks into stories.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Recognise early-stage ideas and creative sparks
• Collect and organise ideas using practical methods (eg; notebooks, voice notes, journals)
• Develop simple ideas into longer or more structured pieces of writing
• Use prompts and exercises to stimulate creative thinking
• Experiment with ideas in different forms through fiction, poetry, or screenwriting
• Engage in group discussion and feedback to refine ideas
• Build a personalised process for generating and revisiting creative material

Your tutor is Martina Taeker

Martina Taeker BA (Hon), Grad Dip Ed, M Spec Ed has been teaching at WEA since 1995. 

She is a published poet and fiction author in both traditional and indie markets, and has worked as an editor with a Big Five publishing house in New York. She continues to judge writing competitions, assist authors and other artists with branding and marketing, and work with writers preparing their books for publication.

Having sat on every side of the writing and publishing desk, Martina understands exactly what writers need to know – and what they don’t. Her classes are practical, encouraging, and industry-focused, designed to give students the skills and confidence to succeed, while also helping them avoid the pitfalls and scams that can trap the unwary. She is passionate about helping emerging authors and many of her students have gone on to publish and sell their work.

In addition to her writing courses, Martina also teaches classes in smartphone photography, cacti & succulent gardening, and digital creativity reflecting her wide-ranging interests.