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what are the best online writing courses?

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happy Sunday to all.

Quick question:

There are so many courses, I wanted to sign up for a course, but I don't know which one to choose.

Some advice?

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Marscaleb Member

What does a writing workshop really do.

Discussion in ' The Lounge ' started by Marscaleb , May 11, 2023 .

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_0288512efd9128521249ca5fcb4465d0'); }); I was thinking that I want to take my writing more seriously. I was told that things like writing workshops can help with that. I'm really unfamiliar with these; what do they really entail? What benefit do they really give? I started looking around online and the first few online writing workshops I found were charging hundred of dollars to join. That doesn't look like what I'm looking for, and I'm suspicious of them. When I looked for writing workshops near me, I found almost nothing that seems geared toward writing fiction, (they were classes for writing CV's and other business-related classes,) and what I did find seems to be designed for children and youth. Are there not writing workshops for adults? Honestly what I want most is just to connect with some writers to try to get some feedback and support with my story; make some connections with people more knowledgeable than randos on the internet. Are there better ways to go about this?  

Not the Territory Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_0288512efd9128521249ca5fcb4465d0'); }); Rando on the internet, here: I think 'workshop' can imply a sort of set-duration class that you pay for (with an emphasis on practise). Not always necessarily, given the name of our sub forum for that purpose. If looking local, I'd try a critique group , where your contribution is critique of other people's work rather than hard cash. After all, you learn a ton from critiquing other people, and you probably have to do that in a paid workshop anyway. From what I've heard you have to shop around and try a few before you get one that fits, though.  

Hammer Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_0288512efd9128521249ca5fcb4465d0'); }); Maybe also just look for writer's "groups" rather than workshops -- I know that there are a few over here in the UK, some organised as a subset of bigger groups like the society of authors. I can't tell you how good or otherwise they are, because I am not a member of any... yet. It is on my to-do list (which is a list that got so long that it eventually developed its own society, democracy, and well-guarded borders, so now I have to write to it making formal requests for access. I have had to start another list with making this request as the very first item) ETA and this forum is, of course, a huge writers' group. You can connect with many writers right here, and discuss aspects of your work in our very own workshop. Online, and only randos on the internet of course, but if you met them in a restaurant they would be randos in a restaurant on day 1...  

ps102 PureSnows102 Contributor Contest Winner 2024 Contest Winner 2023

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_0288512efd9128521249ca5fcb4465d0'); }); Marscaleb said: ↑ make some connections with people more knowledgeable than randos on the internet. Click to expand...

Catriona Grace Mind the thorns Contributor Contest Winner 2022

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_0288512efd9128521249ca5fcb4465d0'); }); Have you checked for community education courses at community colleges? I taught a writing workshop for fiction at the local community college for several years. The one currently in place is geared toward memoire (which I don't write for public comsumption). I attend because I like to move out of my comfort zone periodically. One never knows what mght be relevent in writing. I also belong to a monthly writer's group, something that still amazes me because as an introverted writer, I avoided writer's groups for decades. It has been an important source of support and response. And then, there is here. I like here, though I don't share much of my writing online. People here are no more or less random than my local writing groups.  

J.T. Woody Book Witch Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_0288512efd9128521249ca5fcb4465d0'); }); Are you searching for a "workshop" in order to learn/improve? or a "group" to build community and find support? If its a workshop, I agree with what others have said in seeking this at out community colleges and other venues such as residencies. these, however, are often paid workshops. Groups are a bit easier to find and are often free. I run one at my local library. We provide a space to form a community of writers who write everything (my group has poets, bloggers, fantasy writers, those looking for inspiration, those looking for advice on how to plot, etc.). We dont get much writing done, to be honest. Each meeting is spent talking, which isnt a bad thing. We have so many people working on different projects at various stages, and the conversation basically centers around that. I would say that my group emphasizes "community." Other groups get more writing done. I'm in another writing group that virtual. we met via zoom a few times a month to talk about what we are working on and then we have "silent time" where we write for a while, then meet back again. One of the members, I knew from college, but everyone else are "randos." I'm also in a group on Discord made up of members that I met on here and we write together every now and then and discuss our progress on the voice chat feature. they all started out as "randos" to me, but over the years of me being on WF, i've gotten to know and trust them. As for other options, go in NaNoWriMo's website. They have a list of local writing groups. You can search by your location and it will show you which NaNo hosted group is in your area and when/where they meet.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_0288512efd9128521249ca5fcb4465d0'); }); J.T. Woody said: ↑ Are you searching for a "workshop" in order to learn/improve? or a "group" to build community and find support? Click to expand...

Alcove Audio Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_0288512efd9128521249ca5fcb4465d0'); }); You can check out MeetUp.org. They have all sorts of different in-person meet-ups from bicycling groups, cooking, wine tasting, all sorts of technology, businesses, cultural groups, and on and on. I haven't found a writer's critique group near me, however; they are mostly for networking. There is, what appears to be, a fairly decent screenwriters' group in my area; I'm not a screenwriter, so haven't checked it out. It may be worth a shot. They are not a prolific as they were before the lockdowns and the internet took over our lives. I know that Orson Scott Card, at least years ago, used to regularly attend writer's workshops. Imagine being the first to hear chapters of "Enders Game," and the Alvin Maker series!  

deadrats Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_0288512efd9128521249ca5fcb4465d0'); }); I have taken many workshops both online and in person. I think the Gotham Workshops are among the best out there. They are not cheap, but I believe they are worth every penny. I justified the cost as an investment in myself, and that it was. By the time the 8 weeks was up there was a noticeable difference in my writing. And some of the work I wrote in that workshop did end up being published (quite some time later, though). After taking this course I went on to get my MFA. I don't believe I would have been accepted into any program if it were not for the Gotham course I took. I do recommend doing some research on the instructors and reading some of their work before signing up. I ended up taking a beginner course because of who was teaching it. I did not necessarily consider myself a beginner at the time, but I really learned so much and grew as a person and a writer. I can't recommend these courses enough. Sure, it will cost you, but I've earned more back in the stories I've sold since then. I can't imagine another way to improve that much and that quickly in such a short amount of time. I know from experience that not all workshops are created equal, but IMO these ones are totally worth it.  

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10 Best Creative Writing Courses for 2024: Craft Authentic Stories

Learn how to tell your story and engage your readers with great storytelling.

As a lifelong literature enthusiast, I decided to challenge myself in 2010 by participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which tasks participants with writing a 50,000-word draft within a month. Although I’ve only achieved this goal twice since then, the experience has been invaluable. I’ve connected with a wonderful community of writers, both online and in person.

Through my experience, I can confidently say that creative writing is a skill that can be developed and honed, just like any other. While traditionally associated with literature, creative writing is increasingly being recognized as a powerful tool in various forms of writing, from copywriting and storytelling to novels and poetry. It has the ability to captivate readers and elevate the impact of written expression.

If you’re searching for the best online Creative Writing courses and resources, you’ve come to the right place. This Best Courses Guide (BCG) is built from Class Central’s catalog of over 300 Creative Writing courses and selected according to a methodology that you can check below.

Click on the shortcuts for more details:

What is Creative Writing?

Courses overview, why you should trust us, how we made our picks and tested them, here are our top picks.

Click on one to skip to the course details:

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Creative writing is a genre of writing that seeks to evoke emotions and feelings in its readers. It surpasses the limits of traditional forms of literature and emphasizes narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes and poetic traditions. Creative writing finds application in various forms of writing, including screenplays, plays, novels, poems, and other written works. In this guide, I will delve into some of its most popular facets.

Enhancing resilience and creativity through writing

Research shows that the brains of professional writers work differently from those of novice writers. Moreover, creative writing has been found to boost resilience in students . If you want to enjoy the benefits of writing, it’s important to develop the habit of jotting down your thoughts and words. Doing so can help you overcome writer’s block.

Creative writing is so powerful that it’s used in prisons to give inmates a chance to express themselves in programs like PEN America . “By providing resources, mentorship, and audiences outside the walls, we help these writers to join and enrich the broader literary community.”

Creative writing is a skill that can be learned and practiced like any other. Techniques such as ABDCE structure, 1st or 3rd person point of view, “show don’t tell”, dialogues, and tropes can be easily learned through the online courses in this guide.

• Together, they account for over 1M enrollments
• Skillshare, with 2 courses, is the most featured provider
• The single most popular course has nearly 400k enrollments
• Three courses are entirely free or free-to-audit.

Best Fantasy And Short-Stories Writing Lessons For Beginners (Brandon Sanderson)

Besides being an awesome writer, Sanderson is an instructor with a very unique talent for keeping us engaged. He has also made available a full course in creative writing on YouTube , originally presented at Brigham Young University, which includes the most crucial tools for any beginner or even experienced writers. The course is comprehensive and rich in content, with great sound and video quality.

Each video discusses a specific tool or technique, so you can easily select the theme you want to explore next or watch it all in sequence. It’s up to you. I recommend you take your time, watch one video at a time and experiment with each concept, or even better, find a writing buddy or form a group to practice writing together.

What you’ll learn:

• Plot construction, character development, and engaging storytelling
• Techniques for crafting immersive worlds and believable viewpoints
• Insights into the publishing industry, tailored for emerging writers
• Strategies for writing compelling short stories and leveraging them for larger projects.

“Very informative! I’m a beginner writer looking to study writing for video games, and this class gave me a lot of helpful tools to start understanding how stories work/how to organize my ideas! Will definitely be returning to some of these lectures in the future for guidance 👍” – Paige Webster

Best University-level Creative Writing Course (Wesleyan University)

Creative Writing by Wesleyan University is a specialization for those looking for a way to improve their writing structure, scene and character creations and finding your style. Each course includes writing practice (for paying learners) and insightful interviews. It’s worth your time and effort if you are a disorganized writer like myself.

• Techniques for crafting a bracing story with memorable characters and an interesting setting
• How to employ a fresh descriptive style in your writing
• Skills for analyzing and constructively evaluating peer writing
• The ability to refine your writing, critique writing in general, and draw inspiration from existing literature
• The process of drafting, rewriting, and completing an original story in the genre of your choosing.

It should be noted that the peer-grading system often lacks depth. However, the assignments are well-crafted and can be easily evaluated with minimal effort, providing some insights from other participants in the form of feedback or inspiration from their submissions.

“Great information about plot and scene structure. The information about revision was entirely new to me – thank you! The exercises were good and difficult in a good way that helped me hone my writing.” – Laura B, Coursera learner

Best Course to Find Your Voice (Neil Gaiman)

Neil Gaiman is currently one the most prolific writers I know of: he’s written books , comics , movies and even TV shows . Even if you’re not a fan of his style, there is definitely something you can learn from him.

In Neil Gaiman Teaches The Art Of Storytelling you will discover Neil’s philosophy on what drives a story and learn to unlock new stories within yourself.

While MasterClass doesn’t sell single courses, a subscription provides access to their entire library, including other writing courses like Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing , Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers , Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing , and James Patterson Teaches Writing . If you are considering the purchase, you should definitely enjoy the rest of their catalog.

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

• Discover and develop your unique writing voice
• Generate and develop original ideas
• Create dynamic, well-rounded characters that come to life on the page.

This course includes a 94-page workbook that includes assignments and supplemental material.

Best Practical Writing Course With Support (Trace Crawford)

I love it when a passionate teacher like Trace Crawford puts the effort into creating a comprehensive curriculum. COMPLETE Creative Writing – All Genres is a 12-hour course with 145 downloadable resources. In this course, you will learn how to write engaging fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction, helping you become the successful writer you want to be.

• The four genres of creative writing: fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction
• How to discover, refine, and share your unique writing voice
• A series of authentic writing assignments designed to target the skills you need to develop
• Writing techniques, literary devices, and specialized skills to enhance your writing
• Opportunities for publishing, podcasts, and how to create a professional creative writing portfolio
• Discover multiple public outlets to share your writing with others as you gain confidence and experience success in your writing ability.

This is a practical creative writing course that includes assignments reviewed by the instructor, though response time may vary.

“The short snippets of theory in combination with the short assignments suits my learning style. I don’t remember the last time I’ve written anything creative, but this course gave me the incentive to set some foundation and its actually quite enjoyable if you stick to it.” – Nikolaos-Stylianos Z., Udemy learner

Best Course to Overcome Writer’s Block: 10-Day Journaling Challenge (Emily Gould)

I couldn’t resist adding Creative Writing for All: A 10-Day Journaling Challenge to this guide. Emily Gould is a delightful instructor, and her approach to inviting you to participate in the challenge is impossible to decline. It’s the perfect course to overcome writer’s block, which is exactly what she proposes. In this 10-day creative writing challenge, filled with inspiring examples, observation prompts, and clever revision tricks, writers and enthusiasts will be able to express their creativity in a personal and artful way.

This course is the shortest one on the list, and it’s more about the challenge of keeping a journal. If you decide to subscribe to Skillshare, you can also enjoy their entire library of courses. In addition to the other two recommended courses on this list, you can also check out these other Skillshare courses: Writing Suspense: How to Write Stories That Thrill in Any Genre and The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit .

Best Course to Create Fiction From Personal Experience (Shaun Levin)

Shaun’s approach to writing in Short Story Writing: Create Fiction from Personal Experience is an unusual one. It draws from your personal experience to create a compelling fictional story. I can say from experience that this technique will help you write with more depth and authenticity. Every time we bring our own life to the story, it becomes alive, believable and relatable. In a way, all fictional stories are based on the author’s life.

This course will help you with techniques and a series of practical exercises to start writing your scenes from a more philosophical point of view, creating compelling stories. You’ll learn how to delve into your imagination to find everything you’ll need to become a prolific writer, no matter where you are.

By the end of the course, you will have a final project that will receive feedback from Shaun and other learners as well. Actually, if you want to check it out, in the course page on Domestika you can open the submitted projects and read the comments.

Shaun’s other courses: Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life .

“A practical course. Shaun Levin talks about theory but also demonstrates his process, which was invaluable. The exercises got my creative juices flowing. Thinking about doing his other course in the future.” – Maya Dicheva

Best Course to Make Writing Less Stressful with Best Practices (Jennie Nash)

If you struggle to start or get stuck in your writing, Write Your Book: Start Strong and Get It Done can help. With good advice and emotional support, you’ll learn techniques to make writing less stressful. The accompanying workbook guides you to think methodically by asking the right questions to keep you focused on your story and not chasing your own tail.

In this class, you’ll learn how to:

• Design every element of your novel or memoir, including the protagonist, plot, story structure and a project success plan
• Define your narrator’s voice
• Determine where your story begins and where it ends
• Decide what point you’re making about human nature
• Make sure you’re giving your ideal reader exactly what they want
• Gain the confidence you need to push past any doubts and finish your book.

This course is more of a masterclass, so there are no assignments included but it teaches good practices and provides a very useful workbook.

Best Course to Create A Compelling Story (Lisa Cron)

Writing: The Craft of Story is a series of well-produced lectures covering the basic building blocks of a story. Taught by author Lisa Cron, you will learn how to create compelling stories based on the way the brain responds to storytelling. This course emphasizes the importance of capturing the reader’s attention through techniques such as suspense, exploring the protagonist’s inner issues and dreams, specificity, and cause and effect. Upon completion of the quizzes, you will receive a certificate for your LinkedIn profile. Additionally, you can watch all the videos without subscribing to the course.

“Learning the fundamentals of crafting a story was and is a fascinating experience. And yes, I would highly recommend writing to anyone interested in learning how to express the communication of feeling.” – Nicole Gillard, LinkedIn learner.

Best Course to Write Personal Essays with Impact (Roxane Gay)

Discover the art of crafting powerful personal essays with best-selling author Roxane Gay in her course, Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact . Through her honest and thoughtful approach, Roxane will help you find your story, craft your truth, and write to make a difference.

This master class offers eight video lessons that are filled with practical guidance, actionable tactics, and example essays to guide you from the first idea to a final, publication-ready work.

You’ll learn how to:

• Find a specific purpose for telling your story
• Connect your work to larger conversations and timely themes
• Conduct crucial research to support your work
• Navigate personal memories to write your truth
• Write and revise your final work, and submit your work for publication.

Additionally, the class provides a downloadable worksheet to support your ongoing creative nonfiction writing practice, as well as links to additional resources.

If you enjoy creative nonfiction writing, you might consider this course that’s also on Skillshare: Creative Nonfiction: Write Truth with Style (Skillshare Original) by Susan Orlean

Best Course to Develop Your Ideas And Research for Characters (The Open University)

Start Writing Fiction explores the writing process, from journaling and idea development to reflection and editing. It features insights from established writers such as Louis de Bernières, Patricia Duncker, Alex Garland, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Tim Pears, Michèle Roberts, and Monique Roffey,  who share their approaches to research and turning events into plot. Led by Derek Neale, a novelist and short story writer, this course provides a comprehensive understanding of the writing rituals and techniques used by successful writers.

You’ll get to critique the work of other writers and receive feedback. This course is designed for individuals interested in starting or improving their fiction writing and does not require prior experience in the subject.

You’ll learn:

• Creation of characters in fiction
• Different sources and ways of presenting characters in stories
• Reading as a writer
• Writing practice including creativity, research, observation and editing
• Peer reviewing, workshops and the importance of feedback.

“This course takes learners through many aspects of writing such as developing characters, observing and describing details, finding inspiration, writing and editing. It includes some peer reviews which can be varying in quality. I was lucky enough to have some of my writing reviewed by a reviewer who gave very helpful and positive feedback.” – Pat Bowden

What’s Next

Scribophile is one of the largest online writing communities. You can get feedback on your writing and join writing groups. If you decide to join with a free plan, you need to collect points by reviewing other writers’ work before submitting your own work for review. They also developed some advanced tools for evaluating work and guidelines to make sure you give/receive feedback that is actually meaningful.

NaNoWriMo started out as a month-long challenge where you invite your friends and join other writers in your region, be it online in their forums or in person, to challenge yourself in writing your first draft. Nowadays, they run all-year round writing challenges (but November is still the biggest one in terms of participation). What is cool about it is you actually get to meet people in real life with various writing skills and backgrounds. I was able to make some great friends over the years and even met a few professional writers that decided to join our local group just to support us.

If you have any resources you would like to have added here, leave a comment below.

Class Central , a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 60 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 200,000 online courses and 200,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who live and breathe online courses. Here’s how I approached this task.

First, I combed through Class Central’s Catalog and the internet to find a variety of free and paid open courses, some with certificates. You don’t need to enroll in a university to learn about creative writing.

When choosing courses, I considered the following factors:

• Renowned Institutions : I looked for recognized institutions in creative writing
• Instructor experience : I sought instructors with extensive experience in creative writing and engaging presentation styles
• Popularity : I checked numbers of enrollments and views to find popular courses
• Course content : I examined courses that covered a range of topics and presentation styles, including the basics and more advanced topics. I watched some course videos to sample courses I hadn’t already taken
• Learner reviews : I read learner reviews (when available) to get a sense of the quality of each course, leveraging the Class Central database with its thousands of course ratings and reviews written by our users as well as available course provider reviews.

Then, I defined the scope for these recommendations. A creative writing course can cover various topics, so I chose top courses from a range of sub-fields.

Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will be a reliable way to learn about creative writing.

Fabio Dantas

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