Course Catalog / BMU 250 / Syllabus

BMU 250 Creative Writing and Storytelling: Course Syllabus

About 5 minutes to read. Last updated October 29, 2026. Keep this page as your map for the course.

Welcome. You are an adult with a full life, and this course is built for that. This page shows what you will learn, why it matters, what you will do, and how to succeed. Come back to it any time you wonder what is next.

Why this course matters

Everyone has stories worth telling, but many of us freeze on the page or end up summarizing instead of showing. This course gives you a simple craft method: find a story with a change at its center, map it, write real scenes and real people, tell true stories fairly, and revise with feedback. You finish with one finished story you can share in writing or out loud.

This course is for you if:

• You want to tell your story, such as your family, service, recovery, faith, or survival story, or write fiction
• You tell stories well out loud but get stuck when you try to write them down
• You want to speak or write about your life with more power. No writing background needed

What success looks like

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

1. Build a story bank of at least 10 specific moments and choose one story with a clear change at its center.
2. Map a story onto want, obstacle, turning point, and change, and write an opening that starts close to the action.
3. Write a scene of 300 to 600 words that uses concrete sensory detail and action instead of summary.
4. Create characters (including yourself) with a clear want, a flaw, and a contradiction, in a steady voice, using correctly punctuated dialogue that reveals character and moves the story.
5. Write true stories about real people ethically: check and mark memory, apply a fairness test, and leave out or disclose private details.
6. Revise a draft in three passes with structured feedback, using AI only as a reader, and share a finished piece in writing or out loud.

You will know you got there in two ways. First, you pass the posttest with 80% or higher. Second, your capstone rubric shows Ready to use on each row.

Your next step

Start with the pretest. It takes about 10 minutes and is not graded. Then open Lesson 1: Every life is full of stories.

Here is the full path through the course:

1. Pretest: 12 questions, plus 3 quick confidence questions. Not graded. You take it once.
2. The lessons, in order: 7 lessons, from Lesson 1: Every life is full of stories to Lesson 7: Share your story.
3. Posttest: 12 questions. Pass with 80%. Retake as often as you need.
4. Course survey: about 2 minutes, optional and anonymous.
5. Your certificate: type your name and print it.
6. A 30 day check in, if you opt in.

Your dates. BMU sets no deadlines. You choose them. Pick a start date and a target finish date now, and put both on your calendar. Each lesson's action step also says when to do it, such as tomorrow or this week.

Course schedule

Every lesson has the same parts, so you always know what is coming. You get a short read, a Try it action step you do in real life, and, in most lessons, a quick check. Times come from each lesson page.

Suggested pace

Two lessons a week. That is about four weeks. Lessons 6 and 7 have longer action steps, so plan one longer sitting for each. Go slower if a story brings up a lot. You can pause any time. Go faster or slower if your life calls for it.

How much time it takes

• Each lesson: 14 to 15 minutes to read, in one sitting.
• Each action step: 20 to 60 minutes, done in your real life within the window the lesson gives.
• At the suggested pace: up to about 104 minutes a week.
• The whole course: about 6 hours and 15 minutes, including the tests and the survey.

What you will do and why

Each task below practices or checks one of the outcomes above. Nothing here is busywork.

Your capstone rubric checks these parts:

• Structure
• Scene and detail
• Character and voice
• Meaning
• Ethics (true stories)
• Revision

How the course checks each goal

Each goal is taught in a lesson, tested in the Posttest, and, when it is something you do, checked again in your Course Project.

Grading and your certificate

Performance task: in the Course Project page you build the capstone for your own life with guided fields, tables, and choices. The page checks each rubric line automatically and shows how to fix any part that is not ready yet. You can revise and check again as often as you need. The certificate needs every part of the project passing and the Posttest at 80% or higher.

• Pretest: not graded. You take it once. It is fine to miss questions. They show where to start.
• Posttest: you need 80% or higher. You can retake it as many times as you need. Your first try is the one BMU uses to see how much the course helped, so there is no need to rush it.
• Capstone (Course Project): the Course Project page checks each rubric line automatically. A line that is not ready yet shows you what to fix.
• Certificate of Completion: it unlocks when you have done two things: every part of your Course Project passed its automatic check, and you passed the posttest with 80% or higher. The survey is optional and never blocks it. Type your name on the certificate page and print it.

Your Certificate of Completion lists the skills under What success looks like, the course time (about 6 hours), and the standard you met: your Course Project passed the automatic check on every rubric line, and you passed the posttest at 80% or higher.

BMU is a learning community, not an accredited college. This certificate does not carry college credit. It is not a degree, diploma, license, or professional certification.

What you need

Prerequisites: none. You do not need any earlier BMU course. Read Getting started before Lesson 1.

• Cost: Lesson 1 is free. The rest of the course is part of BMU All Access. Sign up free as a Founding Member to keep going.
• Device: a phone, tablet, or computer with internet and a current version of Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox.
• Skills: you can open links, type in a box, and scroll. Printing is optional. You can also save pages as a PDF.
• Privacy to write about your own life. You never have to share what you write.
• A notebook or a way to write and save a document, for your Story Notebook
• Job aids and tools: Story Map and Revision Checklist (printable).

How this course works

This course is self paced and online. There are no live classes, no group posts, and no one checks when you log in. Taking part means three things:

• Read each lesson in order, in one sitting if you can.
• Do the Try it step in your real life. That is where the learning happens.
• Be honest with yourself on the practice checks and the self assessment. Your reflections are private, and you never have to share them.

Policies and flexibility

If you fall behind or get stuck: there are no deadlines. Start with the Quick review at the top of the next lesson. If a step still does not make sense after two tries, contact BMU Learner Support with the lesson name and the step.

• Pace: go at your own speed. There are no late penalties. If you miss a week, pick up where you left off.
• Retakes: lesson checks and the posttest have no limit on tries.
• Your progress: lessons, notes, and test scores are saved in this browser on this device. They are not tied to your name. If you clear your browser data, use private browsing, or switch devices, your progress will not follow you.
• Honest work: take the pretest and posttest on your own, without notes, other people, or AI. Please do not share test answers. Your certificate says you passed, so let the score show what you can do.
• Using AI: You may use AI to brainstorm, explain an idea in simpler words, or practice. If AI helps you draft your capstone, check every fact and make it sound like you. Never paste passwords, account numbers, or medical details into an AI tool.
• Keep it accurate: This course is education, not therapy, and every writing prompt is optional. Lesson 5 gives general information about writing about real people, not legal advice. Write your own words. If you use an AI tool, use it only as a reader, never as the writer.
• Changes: if BMU changes this course, the date at the top of this page will change, and we will say what changed here.

Getting help

Words you do not know? See the glossary.

This course is self paced, so there is no live instructor. You are not on your own, though. Here is where to go:

• Quick answers: the BMU Help Center covers progress, certificates, billing, and technical problems.
• Ask a person: use the Contact BMU support form and pick a topic. We read every message and reply as soon as we can. Please do not send card numbers or passwords.
• Something not working: refresh the page and try a current browser. If it still fails, contact support, choose Technical problem, and tell us the page, your device, and your browser.

Accessibility

We want every page to work with a keyboard, a screen reader, and zoom. Tables scroll on small screens, and answers open with a tap. If anything gets in your way, or you need a lesson in another format, tell us on the contact form. Choose Technical problem, say it is an accessibility issue, and describe the page. We will work to fix it or get you the content another way.

Check your understanding of this syllabus

Can you answer these three questions? If so, you are ready to start.

1. What does success look like in this course?

You can do the 6 things listed under What success looks like. You pass the posttest with 80% or higher, and your capstone rubric shows Ready to use.

2. What is your next step?

Take the pretest, then start Lesson 1: Every life is full of stories. Put your own start and finish dates on your calendar.

3. Where do you get help?

Try the Help Center first. Then use the contact form. We read every message and reply as soon as we can.

Recap

• Start with the pretest. It is not graded.
• Do one lesson at a time, and do each Try it step in real life.
• Pass the posttest with 80% to earn your certificate. Retakes are unlimited.
• Need help? Use the Help Center or the contact form.