best free creative writing course

Kindlepreneur

Book Marketing for Self-Publishing Authors

Home / Book Writing / 16 Best Online Courses for Writers in 2024 [Free & Paid]

16 Best Online Courses for Writers in 2024 [Free & Paid]

Table of contents.

• Best Overall Online Writing Courses: MasterClass
• Best Course to Help Finish Your Book: The 100-Day Book Program
• Best Writing Course for Beginners: Writing With Flair
• Best Course for Children's Book Writers: Children's Book University
• Best Course for Amazon Self-Publishers: AMS Ads for Books
• Best Online Memoir Writing Course: Memoirama
• Best Course for Indie Publishers: WCU's Publishing MA Program
• Best Online Course for Bloggers: Freedom Machine
• Best Course for Sci-Fi Writers: Writers of the Future Online Workshop
• Best Course For Writing a Novel Step-by-Step: A Fearless Way to Write Novels
• Best Free Online Writing Courses of 2023

What is the best online course for writers in 2024? In this article, I’ll cover the highest-quality online classes that are free…and not so free. How can I improve my writing skills online? You can improve your writing skills using online classes that push your creative writing, business writing, and academic writing skills to their maximum potential.

A writer needs to keep improving his or her craft. Online writing courses aren't just for amateurs or writing hobbyists; they're for all writers. However, all online writing courses are not created equal. Some courses available are a waste of money, while others are the best money can buy. (Some of the best courses are free .) When looking at the prices, try not to think how steep the cost is. Think of the money you will make if you take the course. Think of how much it would cost to earn an MFA for a specialization in creative writing. These are (often tax-deductible) investments in your career. I've devised a comprehensive list of my favorite online writing courses in 2024, including their cost and what type of course they are. This way, you'll know exactly what you're getting into when you enroll.

• Best general online writing courses
• How much each course costs
• Best genre courses for writing sci-fi, children’s books , memoirs
• What free , high-quality courses Kindlepreneur offers
• Best free online classes (in case you're on a tight budget)

Links in this article may give me a small commission if you use them to purchase products. There’s NO extra cost to you, and it helps me continue to write handy articles like this one. This does not detract from the quality of the courses; there's a reason I affiliate myself with them. It's because they're awesome!

If you’re specifically interested in self-publishing courses, check out my article on the Best Self Publishing Courses .

MasterClass is a massive archive of online courses providing training in specific subjects by titans of that particular industry. MasterClass features the biggest names in writing, such as Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, and Dan Brown. What course should I take to become a writer? MasterClass is the best use of your money as an online course to become a writer . Learn from the best. MasterClass courses are the best overall online writing courses because bestselling authors teach them. Plus, your monthly subscription fee gives you access to all of the fantastic MasterClass courses. The courses are self-paced, comprehensive, insightful, geared toward an “intermediate and above” student, and undeniably invaluable. How much does MasterClass cost? MasterClass costs $180/year ($15/month, billed annually). You can also pay $90 for a single class. They seldom offer discounts or coupon codes. MasterClasses features big-name authors, such as:

• Malcolm Gladwell
• Joyce Carol Oates
• James Patterson
• Neil Gaiman
• Margaret Atwood
• David Sedaris
• Shonda Rhimes
• Aaron Sorkin (for screenwriting)

Which writing MasterClass is the best? I recommend Malcolm Gladwell’s writing MasterClass. It is the best course for finding the story you need to convey, instead of just telling the reader what to believe. Bonus: If you sign up for MasterClass, you not only gain access to incredible online writing courses, you can listen to all the MasterClass courses, like Gordon Ramsay talking about cooking, RuPaul talking about self-expression, and Hans Zimmer talking about film scoring. Check out my in-depth MasterClass review for more details.

The 100-Day Book Program by The Write Practice gives you a proven process to actually finish your books. Starting a book isn't all that tough. But finishing one — that's a different story. How many unfinished manuscripts are tucked away in desks and forgotten file folders? Although it’s easy to get distracted and difficult to get motivated, the 100-Day Book Program helps you stay on task and gives you the resources you need to finish that book. How much does the 100-Day Book Program cost?

• $49/month for 12 months, OR
• $490 as a one-time payment

It’s worth noting that you get a $100 incentive if you meet all your deadlines and finish your book by the end of the course, which (in 2023) runs from May to September. Utilizing over 100 daily lessons (video, audio, and written lessons), this course covers everything you'll need when putting together your story, including:

• How to structure your novel or non-fiction book
• Character development
• World-building
• Point of view
• Tone and voice
• Editing and revising

It's not just a technical course; it's also highly motivating. The Write Practice teaches you how to keep writing when writing gets hard, how to beat writer's block, and how to manage your time. If you've ever found yourself struggling to finish your book, you should try this course.

Writing With Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer is a perfect course for writers of all skill levels, but it's especially beginner-friendly. This course is taught by an ex-Wall Street Journal editor with one goal in mind: how to write with style, confidence, and impact. Over 240,000 students have enrolled in this course on Udemy by Shani Raja. He teaches you how to master 4 basic principles of writing:

• Evocativeness

How much does Shani Raja’s Writing With Flair cost? This writing course costs $94.99, but Udemy often offers discounts, as you see in the screenshot above. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee. Buying the course gains you lifetime access to the 7 hours of on-demand video training. His basics form what he calls his “secret sauce” of writing. As stated above, this course is for writers of all types and skill levels. Even those learning to write English as a second language can form great writing habits with this course. This isn't the only writing course on Udemy. Check out my in-depth Udemy review for more course info.

Learn Amazon Ads for Free

Check out my full free video course that will teach you how to make effective Ads to increase your book sales

Children’s Book University by award-winning, bestselling author Eevi Jones takes a welcoming, comprehensive, and shrewd look at the children’s book self-publishing world. Not only does Jones guide you through the writing process for a children’s story, she even helps with the business side of things. I love reading with my kids, and that's only possible because of dedicated children's book authors like Eevi Jones. Writing a kid's book is more complicated than you would think. Often, books for kids are full of vibrant illustrations, creative fonts, and simple yet gripping storylines. Now imagine getting all of that ready to publish. It's a lot of work. There's a good chance beginners will get lost. That's why Jones’s course is so valuable. She carefully breaks down her process for you from start to finish. It's a critical resource for aspiring children's book writers. As an added bonus, you can go through her online writing classes at your own pace. According to Jones:

“I have interviewed more than 100 aspiring children’s book authors to ensure that this program covers and addresses every single burning question you may have.”

How much does Children’s Book University cost? This course costs $497, as long as you use Kindlepreneur’s link to enroll. This gains you immediate lifetime access. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. Typically, Children’s Book University costs $997 — and it's worth every single penny. However, Eevi has given Kindlepreneur an amazing 50% discount on her program! This is a special deal that you can only get here. If you're looking to take your children's book writing to the next level, now's your best chance. Be sure to read Eevi Jones’s guest post on How To Write a Children’s Book , here on Kindlepreneur.

AMS Ads For Books is Kindlepreneur’s free course on how to sell more books with Amazon ads . (AMS stands for Amazon Marketing Services.) This robust course is free , on-demand, and easy to follow. Are you a writer wanting to sell more books on Amazon? Enroll today! Now, I'm not looking to boast here, but I honestly believe that my AMS Ads course is an absolute must if you plan to run ads on Amazon. AMS ads aren't very user-friendly. While they have the potential to send your book sales into the atmosphere, they can also eat up your advertising budget while you get them figured out. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't use them. You just need to learn how to set up your ads, manage your campaigns, and make necessary adjustments. How much do Kindlepreneur’s courses for authors cost?

• Kindlepreneur’s AMS Ads for Books course is free .
• Kindlepreneur’s MailerLite for Authors Email course is free.
• Kindlepreneur’s Mastering Keywords and Categories costs $49.99.

There’s no credit card required for either of the free courses and no hidden fees, ever. Check out my in-depth look at Amazon Ads for Authors if you’re still considering whether to take this free course. AMS campaigns aren't just set-it-and-forget-it. In my free course, I show you how using Publisher Rocket can help you construct your book’s best possible ad campaign. If you're looking to create an AMS ad campaign or even self-publish on Amazon, I highly recommend you head over and check out my course.

Memoirama is the brainchild of Marion Roach Smith — an author featured in The New York Times and on NPR and a professional memoir coach. Smith's approach to teaching memoirs has been likened to a precise mathematical formula. She literally teaches you her writing algorithm. Writing a memoir might seem like an easy undertaking at first. You lived through the facts. It can't be that difficult to write them down. Right? Wrong. Navigating these life events can be overwhelming, confusing, and difficult to fully explain to a reader. That’s where Marion Roach Smith comes in to ease your mind, guide you through the process, and equip you with the necessary tools to write a memoir. Unlike other click-through courses, Marion teaches her course live. Seats for her class are limited to 30 people. That way, everybody gets to ask questions at the end. How much does Memoirama cost? Memoirama costs $59. It is taught live mostly on Fridays, with a few Tuesdays thrown in for good measure. This is the first of a 4-part series for learning how to write memoirs. It's highly recommended that you take the courses to get the maximum effect. These courses are broken down into easily digestible parts — with the first only 90 minutes long. Whether you're a beginner to memoirs, need a refresher, or looking to have some fun learning, this course is the one for you.

Western Colorado University’s Publishing MA Program is one of the only comprehensive master’s degree programs in the US that offers hands-on experience in the publishing industry, (mostly) from the comfort of your own home. Let me preface this course by stating that it is not entirely held online. You get to spend two weeks in the gorgeous Colorado mountains for summer orientation. After that, you can complete the rest of the course online. Or in the picturesque Rockies, if you decide to move there — your call. Seriously, this is the best course for indie publishers available today. For the first 2 in-residence weeks, you'll go through an intensive training regimen on the basics of publishing. Once that's done, you'll be put to work. Literally. You'll work for a small commercial publishing company, getting paid pro rates to:

• Develop a concept for an anthology
• Solicit submissions
• Read the slush pile and choose what gets published
• Issue contracts
• Edit the piece
• Design and produce the book and book cover
• Publish the book
• Market the book

How much is WCU’s tuition? WCU’s tuition for graduate students is $17,371/year. Like most master’s degree programs, WCU’s Publishing MA Program is a 2-year program. Of course, you may qualify for student aid. Also, great news for any of you Sci-Fi guys and gals out there looking to take this course — it's taught by Kevin J Anderson, a legend in the Science Fiction genre with over 56 national and international bestsellers. This includes his work on Dune , the Star Wars canon, the Seven Suns series, and so much more. Anderson’s personal publishing company, WordFire Press, has released over 350 titles from 95 different authors.

Freedom Machine is a great tool for bloggers who want to make a living by guest posting . If I had to pick just one online course for bloggers, it's this one. Created by one of the world's best bloggers, Jon Morrow, this course is the real deal. I make all of my new hires take this course as part of their on-boarding process. This course covers blogging from start to finish — from how to choose the right opening line to pitching a guest post idea. Morrow really drives home some extraordinary fundamentals of blog writing and guest posting. He also provides you with his “little black book” of websites for guest posting, sites that meet his criteria as great places to guest post. At the end of the course, you get a certificate of completion that carries some weight as a blogging qualification. Morrow makes it abundantly clear that if you don’t put the time and effort into his course, you won't go anywhere with it. You need to buckle down and get motivated, as well as do your daily assignments and homework. This is not a course for quitters or those looking to breeze through nonchalantly. How much does Freedom Machine cost?

• $99.45/month for 12 months, OR
• $999/one-time payment

Freedom Machine’s content and resources are valued at $10,000. For all the value it provides, the company even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Free MailerLite Video Course

Learn how to setup and use your MailerLite account effectively to help sell more books.

Writers of the Future Online Workshop is an amazing course if you're a science-fiction writer or looking to become one. Mind you, this is an intermediate course, not necessarily for writers who are just starting out. How much Writers of the Future Online Workshop cost? This course is completely free. The course is 11 lessons long with 13 videos chock full of priceless information. You also gain access to personal essays from the workshop founder, L. Ron Hubbard. This online writing workshop features 3 top-notch teachers:

• Orson Scott Card
• David Farland

If you're a sci-fi fan, you've heard of at least one of those names, if not all 3. They're legends in the sci-fi community. This is like the ultimate masterclass for science fiction. One of the coolest parts of this course is its associated contest. The Writers of the Future contest is open to beginning writers only — meaning you can't have published more than 3 short stories or any novels or novellas. By the end of the course, you'll have already written your submission. And since this course is free (along with the contest entry), you may actually win $5,000 just by learning and participating.

A Fearless Way to Write Novels is taught by award-winning, 7-time New York Times bestselling author Alessandra Torre. She uses her experience to teach simple, step-by-step methods to write a great novel. Novel writing is a lot more than simply throwing a story on paper. There’s social media, equipment, software, idea generation, outlining, writing scenes, cliffhangers, copyrights, book blurbs, book descriptions, etc. It can get overwhelming if you don’t have an experienced guide. What I love about Torre’s course is the breadth of topics she covers. From generating story ideas to perfectly typing up a book’s conclusion, this course covers it all with over 75 video lessons. Besides step-by-step lessons, there are also practical writing assignments and bonus content interviews with other bestselling authors. Course lessons include:

• Finding Your Story
• Developing Your Idea
• How to Actually Write
• Your First Chapter
• Rewrites and Final Steps

How much does A Fearless Way to Write Novels cost? This course costs $297, or 3 monthly payments of $100. You gain immediate, unlimited, lifetime access, including future updates, at no extra charge. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Sometimes the best things in life are free. When it comes to the best online writing courses, free does not have to mean bad. Here are a few free online writing courses you can consider:

• Coursera : Founded by Stanford professors, Coursera offers many free creative writing classes, such as creative nonfiction, on top of many other subjects. These free video lectures and online assignments are on-demand at your leisure. Just search “free writing” at the link.
• The Crafty Writer's Creative Writing Course : This course is for anyone interested in creative writing. Discover your personal writing style and how you can use it to build vivid worlds . This course even touches on the basics of publishing and marketing.
• Brandon Sanderson’s lectures : Much revered in the writing community , Brandon Sanderson has made some of his lectures free-to-view on YouTube . They cover sci-fi writing, worldbuilding, and even a little bit of publishing.
• The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction : Offered by Reedsy’s Azul Terronez, this 10-day email course gives you the lowdown on high-quality non-fiction writing. He teaches you how to avoid writer's block, hit word count goals, and stay focused while writing.
• Start Writing Fiction : This free class teaches you everything you need to know about the basics of fiction writing, including journal keeping, plot development, and dialogue. Over 350,000 people have joined this 8-week course. Once 8 weeks pass, you lose access to the lecture materials. However, you can upgrade for $64 to keep the course material for future reference.
• Arizona State University's Introduction to English Composition : Great for all skill levels, this class is about building the fundamentals of writing. Although this course is free, you can pay an extra $499 to get a verified certification. But the course alone is just fine for most.
• Finally, check out my Book Marketing Show Podcast , mainly covering — you guessed it — book marketing . It’s free, fun, and informative (if I do say so myself!).

What’s your favorite online writing course?

Let me know what your favorite online writing courses are. Did I miss any excellent ones? Remember, these courses aren't just for those who don't know how to write. Don't be afraid to go out there and expand your knowledge base, no matter how much experience you have. I believe my breakdown of the best online writing courses will guide you to make the best decision for your individual situation. What's the best online writing course you've ever personally taken? Was it cheating to list all MasterClass courses under one umbrella? Let me know down in the comments below. I keep up with comments long after posts are published.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

Related Reviews

Autocrit review for 2024: read this before purchasing, memberdash review 2024: wordpress membership plugin, learndash review 2024: an in-depth look at a wordpress lms, sell more books on amazon, how to title a book checklist.

Titling your book can be hard…really hard. As you go through choosing your book title, use this checklist as your guide and make sure you have a title that will sell!

6 thoughts on “ 16 Best Online Courses for Writers in 2024 [Free & Paid] ”

What about academic graduate writing courses online?

Haven’t come across one yet. But if you do, let me know.

Thanks Dave … the Marion Roach Smith Webinar was AMAZING. Packed full of information, tips, and advice about getting a memoir off the ground. Thanks for hosting .. and I hope all went well with getting your daughter from college …. crazy times indeed!

You bet…and no kidding!

Hi, I am going through Holly Lisle`s writing classes – in particular her How To Write A Novel class – at the moment and I am finding that she is one of the most thorough teachers in writing craft that I have found on-line. She is a published author with around 30 books and has moved from traditional publishing in the 1980`s/1990`s through to self-publishing today. She has many paid short courses for a small price and also much larger classes. She offers a short (3 week) flash fiction class for free called “How To Write Flash Fiction That Doesn’t Suck” so you can test out whether her teaching style suits you and learn new skills at the same time. As a satisfied student I highly recommend her courses to anyone wanting to learn writing craft. Cheers Fae

Yes, my sister took Holly`s class and said it was tremendous. If you get a chance to take a dialogue class from Kristen Higgans, that is all you need for dialogue.

Comments are closed.

Join the community

Join 111,585 other authors who receive weekly emails from us to help them make more money selling books.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories

7 free online creative writing courses that you can enrol in right now

As a form of expression , a means to escape the reality, and a medium to communicate a larger ideology, the act of writing can serve different purposes. And no matter what your reason to put pen to paper, or keys to screen, these virtual lessons could help you develop the techniques you will require on your creative journey. Here, find out all the free online courses you can join to begin now.

Creative Writing Specialisation

Covering three major creative writing genres—short story, narrative essay and memoir—the course will help you master the techniques of putting your ideas on paper as clearly as possible. So if you’ve been meaning to work some engrossing features in your already existing plot, or better highlight the setting of your story, or simply articulate in a stronger fashion, let this lesson be on your shortlist. In case you’re just starting out, the course is equally rewarding.

Write Your First Novel

Have you been wanting to pen down your thoughts and weave them into a well-written novel? Go for this virtual course where you will learn an end-to-end approach to producing a work of fiction. Through a stepwise process that will culminate in your individual production of a 50,000-word book, the learning course will provide you all the important pointers right from the top.

Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest

Complete with video lectures, online readings, peer reviews and guest appearances from renowned authors, the course will offer an all-inclusive guide to creative writing for students and young aspirers. Apart from that, you will also explore the cultural significance of notable works , analyse the ways in which art and words interact, and become familiar with standard elements of a narrative, that include dialogue, point of view, theme, plot and so on.  

Write A Feature Length Screenplay for Film or Television

Whether your point of interest is serious dramas, romantic comedies or thrillers , the free virtual course will zoom in on every aspect of screenplay writing so you’re able to pursue the genre you want. Following in a well-structured process, you will have produced a pitch-ready script by the time the four-week programme is over. Along with learning how to create a basic idea and write loglines, you will be studying the Three Act Story Arc, and much more.

Memoir and Personal Essay: Write About Yourself Specialisation

Here, four published memoirists and essayists let you in on the tricks and tools of writing about yourself. Be prepared for professional tips, prompts, reading challenges and exercises among other interactive activities. Unlike many other courses where you will be producing a large body of work at the completion of the programme, here, you will be constructing a portfolio of work to use as valuable components later.

Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop

These lessons support the school of thought that poetry isn’t just a means of expression. Rather, using it for just that, is like “using the internet just for email”. If you too are willing to think beyond that, and take up the art to bring about a change in people’s thought and ideologies, the course is for you. Learn to use the several tools of poetic composition, study the works of contemporary poets and, of course, try your own hand at the skill.

Transmedia Storytelling: Narrative worlds, emerging technologies, and global audiences

In a world that believes in not just up-skilling, but also cross-skilling, this transmedia course serves to be an extremely well-rounded one. The description on the website states, “Transmedia storytelling is the practice of designing , sharing, and participating in a cohesive story experience across multiple traditional and digital delivery platforms - for entertainment, advertising and marketing, or social change.” So learn to develop expansive narratives and optimise your writing for mobile devices, social media communities, virtual and augmented realities and more.

6 free online history courses to take while you’re self-quarantined from Harvard University and more

6 free online music courses you can enrol in while you self-isolate

Art enthusiasts, here are 7 online courses you can now enrol in

Are you looking for the best online creative writing courses? You may have found some promising classes online, but you may also be unsure if the course is actually good. How can you know you’ll benefit from the course without spending your money first?

The good news is, there are creative writing courses out there for everyone, and they’re sure to improve your writing. Even better news, the best online creative writing courses share many of the same qualities.

If you want to learn how to write creatively, or if you simply want to improve your everyday writing, the best online creative writing courses can transform your writing abilities. Let’s explore what you might learn in creative writing classes, and how they help writers of all skill levels.

The Best Online Creative Writing Courses: Contents

What do you do in a creative writing class?

• Reputable Instructor
• Clear Course Description
• Promise of a Great Experience
• Constructive Feedback
• Focus on Craft
• Respect Your Creative Autonomy
• A Writing Community
• Motivate You to Write
• Jumpstart a Writing Habit
• Broaden Your Literary Horizons
• Offer a Healthy Creative Outlet
• Give You Next Steps

How to Make the Most of Online Creative Writing Courses

Every online creative writing class is unique, and different courses emphasize different things. We have classes that are entirely generative, meaning the focus is on writing new poems, essays, stories, or making headway into a novel or memoir project. Other courses might have more of a workshop component, in which you share your work with the class and receive feedback on how to improve your writing.

Some online writing courses also focus on specific skills or types of writing. You might take a class focused entirely on learning the tools for revision, or on learning the elements of fiction writing so you can later employ them in a story or novel.

In short, the best online writing courses typically include the following:

• Lectures and discussions on a topic of creative writing craft.
• Assignments that help you generate new work or revise old work.
• Opportunities to give and receive feedback with your fellow classmates.
• Feedback on your work from the instructor, who themselves is a successfully published author of the type of writing you’re producing.
• A weekly video call. Some courses, including ours, are entirely text-based and asynchronous, but many classes meet at least once a week on Zoom.

In addition to all of this, you will make new friends and connections in the best online creative writing classes. Writing is often a lonely experience for writers, and the bonds you make in creative writing workshops can last a lifetime.

12 Things to Look For In the Best Online Creative Writing Courses

The best online creative writing courses will sharpen your writing skills, help you find your confidence, and introduce you to new communities of writers. How do they do it? Here’s 12 things to look for to make sure you’re spending your money on the right online writing class. 

1. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Have a Reputable Instructor

Your course is only as good as the instructor who teaches it. For online writing classes to teach you the craft, they need to have reputable, trustworthy instructors. A great instructor will also be empathetic, community-oriented, adaptive to your writing needs, and a great writer themselves.

A great instructor will also be empathetic, community-oriented, adaptive to your writing needs, and a great writer themselves.

Do some research on the course instructor: they should have a terminal degree in their field (M.A., M.F.A., Ph.D., etc.), as well as a significant publication history. A reputable instructor will make all the difference in your course: as part of their education, the instructor should have undergone dozens of writing workshops, submitted to countless literary journals, and had their work scrutinized by critics and book lovers alike.

In order for an instructor to help you develop your creative writing skills, they need to be successful on their own. The best instructors are what make the best online creative writing courses.

2. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Have a Clear Course Description

What does the course teach you, and what will you learn week by week? In addition to listing a reputable instructor, the course description should tell you exactly what you’ll gain from taking the course.

In addition to listing a reputable instructor, the course description should tell you exactly what you’ll gain from taking the course.

Be sure you know exactly what you’re getting out of your online creative writing course, including what you might learn and write in the process. Consider what will help you the most as you embark on your writing journey: entering a course with certain goals or learning objectives will help you make the most of the course’s lectures and writing assignments.

There should be no ambiguity: if you’re paying for the course, you deserve to know exactly what you’re paying for. And, if you have questions, ask the program administrator before you enroll. They should be happy to hear from you!

3. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Promise a Great Experience

The best online creative writing courses prioritize one thing: YOU! Your learning, your goals, and your writing should be at the center of your experience. And, your course should guarantee that experience.

The best online creative writing courses prioritize your learning, your goals, and your writing.

Creative writing classes can be a risk, since they probably won’t confer university credit and you probably haven’t interacted with that instructor before. You want to be confident that your learning is guaranteed, otherwise you’ll only waste your time, money, and creativity.

Before you enroll in an online writing course, look to see if the program administrators have a student promise . Your experience in the course should be the number one priority of the instructor and administrators; otherwise, you’re better off looking elsewhere for the best online creative writing courses.

4. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Offer Constructive Feedback

In addition to useful lectures and assignments, creative writing courses give you access to helpful, instructional feedback. Most instructors hold Masters or Doctoral degrees in English or creative writing and, as a result, they have ample knowledge of what works in literature, as well as tons of experience in giving feedback.

Creative writing courses give you access to helpful, instructional feedback.

In the best online creative writing classes, an instructor will both inspire you to write and guide you towards being a better writer. Their feedback will cover the many aspects of great writing. For example, your instructor might comment on:

• Unclear language
• Ideas that need to be expanded
• Sentences that are too wordy or passive
• Opportunities to use more engaging vocabulary
• Places to improve writing structure
• Grammar and spelling corrections

Finally, an instructor will tell you what you are already doing well in your writing. When you write a really great metaphor , use interesting word choice, or find a moment of great insight, your instructor will tell you—highlighting the creative writing skills you have already mastered.

5. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Focus on Craft

You might be wondering how creative writing classes are different from high school English. The big difference is that, where a typical English class focuses on basic grammar and literacy skills, creative writing classes focus specifically on craft.

Creative writing classes focus specifically on craft: the elements of language and storytelling that make a work of prose or poetry successful.

What is creative writing craft? Craft involves the elements of language and storytelling that make a work of prose or poetry successful. Focusing on craft is how creative writing classes primarily improve your writing.

Your writing class might focus on the structure of a short story, the different types of literary devices , the importance of effective word choice , or the elements of storytelling . A writing class should break down successful works of literature into the components that make it work, giving you the tools to practice your own creative writing skills.

Additionally, craft-focused writing helps you with everyday writing. From improving your vocabulary to structuring an email, the creative writing practice translates to improved writing in every aspect of your life.

6. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Respect Your Creative Autonomy

One of the benefits of creative writing classes is the perspective you get from different writers. No two writers are working on the same projects, and in your course, you’re likely to work with students of different genres and writing styles.

your creative authority should be respected no matter how new you are to creative writing.

With so many different writing philosophies in one class, the new ideas you encounter can help strengthen your own writing. But in the worst-case scenario, a student or instructor might try to force their writing philosophy onto you. This is always unfair, as there is no one-size-fits-all writing advice, your creative authority should be respected no matter how new you are to creative writing .

For example, let’s say you’re writing a poem about your childhood cat, and the instructor thinks it should be a poem about your experiences growing up. No matter how many times you explain you want this poem to be about your cat, the instructor keeps telling you to write more about your childhood. By ignoring your goals for the poem, the instructor is not respecting your creative autonomy, because they think they know your writing needs better than you do.

No matter where you are in your writing journey, you are a writer, and you deserve respect and compassion as such. Every writer is on a constant journey of growth and discovery; your instructor and course should acknowledge and respect that. In your course, you will encounter many different ideas, but you should also encounter the freedom to accept or reject those ideas. It’s your writing: you get the final say!

7. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Foster a Writing Community

A creative writing course fosters a creative writing community . This community gives you the motivation to create, as it creates a safe environment to experiment, take risks, and grow in your writing practice.

A writing community gives you the motivation to create, as it creates a safe environment to experiment, take risks, and grow in your writing practice.

For even the most solitary of writers, writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Participating in a community of word enthusiasts can jog your creativity and give you useful feedback on your work. Additionally, the feedback you provide other writers in the community also helps you learn. It’s a self-fulfilling, self-sustaining process, where members of a writing group can continuously grow, improve, and fine-tune their love of the craft.

In fact, well-known authors throughout history have been a part of valuable writing communities, such as The Beat Poets, Stratford-on-Odeon, and other famous writing groups .

When you enroll in creative writing classes, you also take part in a writing community. Foster relationships, make new writing friends, and forge your own writing group—it may one day be famous, too!

8. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Motivate You to Write

Writing is a skill that you can only develop through practice. For anyone just starting on our writing journeys, the best online creative writing classes keep you motivated and accountable.

The best online creative writing classes keep you motivated and accountable.

Every instructor works differently, but you can expect the following in a creative writing class:

• Creative writing prompts
• Daily journaling assignments
• Helpful revisions
• Inspirational readings
• Ideas to combat writer’s block
• Different opinions on how to write creatively

Some courses are even designed to motivate you, such as our course Write Your Novel! The Workshop With Jack . Sometimes, the biggest struggle is simply to begin, and creative writing courses help you do that.

9. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Jumpstart a Writing Habit

The best online creative writing courses will get you into a writing habit. By combining lectures with thought-provoking assignments, one of the primary goals of a writing course is simply to get you writing.

You’ll gain the most from your creative writing courses if you block out the time to write every day.

To make the most of your creative writing classes, try to find time to write every day. It’s best to write at the same time every day, but if your schedule doesn’t allow this, sneak time where you can.

Here are some ways you can steal time as a writer:

• Journal for 15 minutes before you go to bed.
• Write while you wake up with your morning breakfast or coffee.
• Keep a journal on your phone during work and lunch breaks.
• Write on your commute to and from work. If you’re driving, consider keeping an audio journal, where you write by speaking into your phone’s recording device.
• Write on your phone while running on the treadmill.
• Put pen to paper while taking a bath.

These ideas won’t work for everyone, and it all depends on your schedule and lifestyle. Nonetheless, you’ll gain the most from your creative writing courses if you block out the time to write every day, no matter how brief that time is. And, your course should help you find the time to write!

10. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Broaden Your Literary Horizons

You need to read great writing to produce great writing. The best online creative writing courses will introduce you to great literature, giving you additional opportunities to explore the writing craft.

The best online creative writing courses will introduce you to great literature, giving you additional opportunities to explore the writing craft.

In creative writing classes, you might read both classic and contemporary literature. As writers, it’s good to have knowledge of both worlds. Classic literature introduces you to the bedrock of modern writing, including the devices and rhetorical strategies that make for effective poetry and prose.

Contemporary literature, on the other hand, gives you a glimpse into today’s literary zeitgeist. It’s important to understand today’s publishing landscape and the type of work that’s being published, even if you don’t intend to write like contemporary authors.

In fact, it’s better if you don’t try to write like anyone else! Reading other writers shows you what works in literature and what doesn’t, giving you opportunities to experiment with form and style. But, at the end of the day, your writing is for you, not for publishers or particular writing schools.

Use your creative writing classes as opportunities to explore literature, experiment with words, and discover what you’d like to write yourself.

11. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Offer a Healthy Creative Outlet

Creative writing classes offer a healthy outlet for your creativity and emotions.

A healthy writing space can supplement your emotional health and wellbeing.

How is that so? With a space to put thoughts to paper, many writers inevitably reach breakthroughs about their own feelings and experiences. This is true regardless of whether you write poetry, fiction, plays, articles, or creative nonfiction.

Now, even the best online creative writing courses can’t replace the benefits of therapy. But, a healthy writing space can certainly supplement your emotional health and wellbeing. Between the prompts, community, and writing habits that a creative writing class fosters, you’re sure to come away from your course with renewed emotional health.

12. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Give You Next Steps

Your education doesn’t end at the end of your course. If anything, the best online creative writing courses are only the beginning of your writing journey!

The best online creative writing courses are only the beginning of your writing journey!

The best online creative writing courses give you opportunities for continuous growth. Those opportunities can take many forms, such as: a list of literary journals to submit to, further readings on a topic of interest, future creative writing classes, or even simply the instructor’s email.

If you’re ready to move on to the next level of your career, your instructor should provide you with next steps. And if you crave more learning, ask the instructor!

A creative writing course is much like life: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Being an active participant will teach you as much about creative writing as the instructor will, because engaging with language is how you grow as a writer. Actively working with suggestions and ideas, keeping a daily writing practice, and offering other students constructive feedback will all boost your creative writing skills.

A creative writing course is much like life: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.

Additionally, do your research before you enroll in the course, or you might end up taking a class that isn’t suited to your needs. Look up the instructor for the course, their teaching style and previous publications, and how much experience they have as a writing coach. If they don’t seem well suited towards your learning style, they might develop your creative writing skills, and they won’t be worth the cost.

Find the Best Online Creative Writing Courses at Writers.com!

Are you looking for a writing community? Are you ready to get writing? Check out some of the upcoming courses at Writers.com , the oldest creative writing school on the internet.

Sean Glatch

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• The Open University
• Accessibility hub
• Guest user / Sign out
• Study with The Open University

My OpenLearn Profile

Personalise your OpenLearn profile, save your favourite content and get recognition for your learning

Free online English Literature / Creative Writing courses

Creative writing and critical reading

This free course, Creative writing and critical reading, explores the importance of reading as part of a creative writer’s development at the postgraduate level. You will gain inspiration and ideas from examining other writers’ methods, as well as enhancing your critical reading skills. Examples will cover the genres of fiction, creative ...

Free course

Level: 3 Advanced

Writing what you know

Do you want to improve your descriptive writing? This free course, Writing what you know, will help you to develop your perception of the world about you and enable you to see the familiar things in everyday life in a new light. You will also learn how authors use their own personal histories to form the basis of their work.

Level: 1 Introductory

Start writing fiction

Have you always wanted to write, but never quite had the courage to start? This free course, Start writing fiction, will give you an insight into how authors create their characters and settings. You will also be able to look at the different genres for fiction.

Exploring books for children: words and pictures

Many people have fond memories of the stories they encountered in childhood, perhaps especially of those wonderful picture books and illustrated tales which fired our young imaginations and transported us to magical worlds. To an adult’s eye, some picture books may seem remarkably simple, even oversimplified. However, in this free course, ...

Level: 2 Intermediate

Reading Shakespeare's As You Like It

Do you enjoy watching Shakespeare's plays and like the idea of finding out more about them? This free course, Reading Shakespeare's As You Like It, will guide you through some of the most important speeches and scenes from one of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies.

Icarus: entering the world of myth

This free course, Icarus: entering the world of myth, will introduce you to one of the best-known myths from classical antiquity and its various re-tellings in later periods. You will begin by examining how the Icarus story connects with a number of other ancient myths, such as that of Theseus and the Minotaur. You will then be guided through an...

Sam Selvon, The Lonely Londoners

This free course concentrates on Sam Selvon's twentieth-century novel, The Lonely Londoners. It considers the depiction of migration in the text as well as Selvon's treatment of memory as a vital part of the migrant's experience.

Introducing Virgil’s Aeneid

This free course offers an introduction to the Aeneid. Virgil’s Latin epic, written in the 1st century BCE, tells the story of the Trojan hero Aeneas and his journey to Italy, where he would become the ancestor of the Romans. Here, you will focus on the characterisation of this legendary hero, and learn why he was so important to the Romans of ...

Exploring Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd

This free course, Exploring Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, is designed to tell you something about Hardy's background, and to introduce you to the pleasures of reading a nineteenth-century novel. Why do we believe in fictional characters and care about what happens to them? You will discover some of the techniques that Hardy ...

John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi

This free course, John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi, concentrates on Acts 1 and 2 of John Webster's Renaissance tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi. It focuses on the representation of marriage for love and the social conflicts to which it gives rise. The course is designed to hone your skills of textual analysis.

Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus

What does Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus tell us about the author and the time at which the play was written? This free course, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, will help you to discover the intricacies of the play and recognise how a knowledge of the historical and political background of the time can lead to a very different ...

Approaching poetry

Do you want to get more out of your reading of poetry? This free course, Approaching poetry, is designed to develop the analytical skills you need for a more in-depth study of literary texts. You will learn about rhythm, alliteration, rhyme, poetic inversion, voice and line lengths and endings. You will examine poems that do not rhyme and learn ...

Approaching prose fiction

Do you want to get more out of your reading? This free course, Approaching prose fiction, is designed to develop the analytical skills you need for a more in-depth study of literary texts. You will learn about narrative events and perspectives, the setting of novels, types of characterisation and genre.

Approaching plays

Do you want to get more out of drama? This free course, Approaching plays, is designed to develop the analytical skills you need for a more in-depth study of literary plays. You will learn about dialogue, stage directions, blank verse, dramatic structure and conventions and aspects of performance.

Approaching literature: reading Great Expectations

This free course, Approaching literature: reading Great Expectations, considers some of the different ways of reading Great Expectations, based on the type of genre the book belongs to. This is one of the most familiar and fundamental ways of approaching literary texts. The novel broadens the scope of study of a realist novel, in both literary ...

The poetry of Sorley MacLean

Sorley MacLean (1911-1996) is regarded as one of the greatest Scottish poets of the twentieth century. This free course, The poetry of Sorley MacLean, will introduce you to his poetry and give you an insight into the cultural, historical and political contexts that inform his work. MacLean wrote in Gaelic and the importance of the language to ...

Exploring Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts

This free course introduces Virginia Woolf’s last novel, Between the Acts (1941), with the aim of understanding how she writes about time, memory, and ideas about identity. It also considers why Woolf’s fiction is often considered difficult. Selected extracts from her essays on writing help to clarify some of these perceived difficulties, ...

This resource is part of the University Ready hub .

Find more resources like this on the hub homepage.

University Ready hub

A collection of resources from all of Wales' universities to help you get started with higher education.

External link

Become an OU student

Ratings & comments, share this free course, copyright information, publication details.

• Originally published: Thursday, 29 July 2021
• Body text - Copyright free: The Open University
• Image 'university ready - white back ' - Copyright free
• Image 'Approaching poetry' - Copyright: Used with permission
• Image 'Approaching literature: reading Great Expectations' - Copyright: Used with permission
• Image 'Start writing fiction' - Copyright: Used with permission
• Image 'Approaching plays' - Copyright: Used with permission
• Image 'Exploring books for children: words and pictures' - Copyright: Courtesy of Jackie Tuck
• Image 'Sam Selvon, The Lonely Londoners' - Copyright: Used with permission
• Image 'The poetry of Sorley MacLean' - Copyright: Used with permission
• Image 'Exploring Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts' - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Virginia_Woolf_1927.jpg under Creative-Commons license
• Image 'John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi' - Copyright: Used with permission
• Image 'Approaching prose fiction' - Copyright: Used with permission
• Image 'Creative writing and critical reading' - Copyright: fstop123/iStock/Getty Images
• Image 'Writing what you know' - under Creative-Commons license
• Image 'Reading Shakespeare's As You Like It' - Copyright: MatiasEnElMundoi/Stock/Getty Images Plus
• Image 'Introducing Virgil’s Aeneid' - Copyright: De Agostini Editore/L Pedicini.
• Image 'Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus' - Copyright: Used with permission
• Image 'Exploring Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd' - Copyright: Joe Dunckley/Alamy
• Image 'Icarus: entering the world of myth' - Copyright: © EC Hellex/iStockphoto.com

Rate and Review

Rate this article, review this article.

Log into OpenLearn to leave reviews and join in the conversation.

Article reviews

For further information, take a look at our frequently asked questions which may give you the support you need.

NEW VIDEO COURSE

Learn How to Write a Novel, Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class.

Learn How to Write a Novel

Finish your draft in our 3-month master class. Enroll now for daily lessons, weekly critique, and live events. Your first lesson is free!

530 Best Creative Writing Classes in 2024

Showing 530 courses that match your search.

Blogging for Business

A free course teaching how to start and grow a blog past 100,000 visitors, focusing on content marketing strategies and effective blogging techniques.

Website: https://ahrefs.com/academy/

Categories: Blog, Freelance, Content, and Free

Start date:

Open all year round

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Legally Blogs

Blogging for New Bloggers

This free course teaches bloggers about legal requirements, compliance to avoid lawsuits, copyright protection, necessary legal pages, GDPR and CCPA compliance, and income tracking.

Website: https://school.bloggingfornewbloggers.com/

Categories: Blog and Free

Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop

California Institute of the Arts

The course focuses on writing poetry through a variety of exercises, peer feedback, and discussions. It encourages students to explore their personal voice and develop their poetry skills.

Website: https://www.coursera.org/

Categories: Poetry and Free

How to Write a Novel

Your story matters. Unlock your potential with daily video lessons from bestselling ghostwriter Tom Bromley, and finish your first draft in just 3 months. Learn more →

Poetry Workshop

Green Street Poetry

The workshop fosters collaboration and provides a constructive environment for sharing, editing, and discussing poetry. Participants can bring a poem for critique or simply join the discussion.

Website: https://www.greenstreetpoetry.com/workshop

Duke Graduate School Scientific Writing Resource

Duke University

An online resource aimed at improving scientific writing skills, focusing on communication principles tailored for scientific literature. It includes lessons on sentence structure, cohesion, conciseness, and revision strategies.

Website: https://sites.duke.edu/scientificwriting/

Categories: Scientific and Free

Prerequisites: Intended for graduate-level science students.

College Writing 2.1x

In this course, English Language Learners will be introduced to academic writing, focusing on essay development, grammatical accuracy, and self-editing. The course includes reviews of grammar, crafting effective sentences and paragraphs, developing thesis statements, and participating in peer reviews.

Website: https://www.edx.org/course/how-to-write-an-essay

Categories: Essay and Free

6 Weeks, 6 Stories

In this course, participants will engage in a generative writing sprint aimed at producing six new short story drafts, with an emphasis on experimenting with new forms and sharing work in a supportive environment. The course also includes class discussions on contemporary published stories and the development of a craft toolbox.

Website: https://grubstreet.org/find-a-class

Categories: Fiction and Short Story

September, 2024

Developing Your Personal Essay

The course offers feedback on personal essay projects in a supportive environment, includes student workshops, discussions on the craft of personal essays, and writing prompts. Each participant submits two drafts of their essays for feedback.

Website: https://grubstreet.org/find-a-class/

Categories: Essay and Nonfiction

August, 2024

Prerequisites: Intermediate-level experience in essay writing recommended.

Jumpstart Your Writing

The course focuses on creative writing through engaging exercises that promote character creation, dialogue, and vivid imagery, catering to both beginners and experienced writers. Participants will read various short pieces from renowned authors.

Categories: Book, Fiction, Memoir, Nonfiction, and Poetry

October, 2024

Tech Writing for Accessibility

Google Developers

This course teaches how to make documentation and websites more accessible, focusing on inclusive design principles, writing helpful alt text for diagrams, and checking color contrast. It includes hands-on exercises and class discussions.

Website: https://developers.google.com/tech-writing/accessibility

Categories: Technical and Free

Technical Writing One

This course teaches the fundamentals of technical writing, focusing on clear documentation, active voice usage, sentence clarity, and audience identification. It includes pre-class and in-class components for comprehensive learning.

Website: https://developers.google.com/tech-writing/one

Technical Writing Two

The course covers intermediate topics in technical writing, including drafting strategies, self-editing techniques, document organization, and effective use of illustrations and sample code.

Website: https://developers.google.com/tech-writing/two

What is creative writing?

Creative writing is often best understood through a description of what it’s not : it is not business, journalistic, academic, or technical writing. 

Here is what creative writing is : it is the art of telling stories through written mediums. To many people, the novel is the most obvious form of creative writing, but it can also be found in essays, screenplays, poetry, memoirs, and much more. 

As you can imagine, one of the common threads that connects all forms of creative writing is, well, imagination. In fiction, this is embodied in the creation of the story itself; in nonfiction, it’s inherent in the way that the author chooses to present (and engage with) facts and real events to create a compelling narrative. 

Why is creative writing important?

We might as easily ask: why is it important to tell stories? Because that’s just what people do. It’s our way to make sense of the world and ourselves, and share it with others. History abounds with the art of the story. Look anywhere on a world timeline, and you’ll find examples of creative writing fulfilling our need for creative expression, from Homer’s epics in 800 B.C. to Dante’s inferno to modern essays shared on the Internet today. 

Nothing suggests that it will ever disappear, either! In fact, creative writing is arguably even more important in the age of AI, in which we must continue to tell powerful human stories instead of outsourcing such a fundamental task to soulless machines. 

How do creative writing courses teach creative writing?

If you’ve decided that you want to invest in your own creative writing, that’s great! Get ready to embark on a lifelong learning path. Like all art forms, creative writing is a skill that you must constantly train in order to improve. 

Learning creative writing, of course, can be as simple as you want. All you need is pen and paper — or, these days, a computer with a writing app. 

You can also take a creative writing class if you’re interested in a certain writing topic, or if you simply want an experienced instructor to point out the way for you. A course can fast-track your writing progress by teaching you something about the art of writing in one day that might otherwise take a year for you to pick up by yourself. They also often specialize in a specific area of creative writing, for instance:

• Character development, i.e. the way that characters change from beginning to end of a story.
• Genre conventions and tropes, i.e. what conventions you should write to in a certain genre — and what you can (and perhaps should) subvert.
• Story structure, i.e. the order of plot points and key events that a story should take in order to be compelling.
• Writing voice, i.e. the unique writing style that only you can bring to a story. 

Because there are thousands of aspects to creative writing, there are thousands of creative writing classes. That’s why we built this directory of the best creative writing courses. We’ve made it filterable by genre, price, and more to make it easier for you to find the perfect class for your needs. 

But what are the best creative writing classes?

The best creative writing course depends on you , and your own profile! We always recommend that you thoroughly do your research to personalize your choice for yourselves. 

With that said, below are some recommendations to kick you off. 

The best creative writing classes for beginners

If you’ve got a book idea, and you’re willing to invest some money to write it, then Reedsy’s How to Write a Novel could be a great place for you to start. Over three months, this full-fledged course will take you step-by-step from your idea to your first draft — and give you a supportive writing community to boot. 

💲 Cost: $1,000+  👨‍🏫 Type: Video

The best in-person creative writing classes 

Gotham Writers, the biggest adult-education writing school in the US, is based in New York City and offers in-person classes. With self-paced courses, write-ins, and several free events per term, it emulates the university feel wherever possible.

💲 Cost: $165 - $450  👨‍🏫 Type: In-person

The best free creative writing classes 

Reedsy Learning is composed of bite-sized modules that are emailed to you once a day for ten days. They can be read in five minutes — and best of all, they’re free! Each module is packed with practical tips, additional resources, and exercises to sharpen your skills. 

💲 Cost: Free  👨‍🏫 Type: Email

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Save your shortlist

Enter your email address to save your shortlist so that you don't lose it!

By continuing, you will also receive Reedsy's weekly publishing tips and access to our free webinars.

We sent over your shortlist. Thank you for using Reedsy's Writing Courses Directory, happy publishing! 🙌

Try our novel writing master class — 100% free

Sign up for a free video lesson and learn how to make readers care about your main character.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

Stanford Creative Writing Program

The Stanford Creative Writing Program, founded in 1946 by Wallace Stegner, has become one of the nation’s most distinguished creative writing institutions. After almost 80 years, the program continues to evolve while also respecting its original vision of recruiting and supporting talented writers, offering exceptional creative writing instruction and mentorship, and inspiring undergraduates to develop their own unique creative written expression.

In the 1940s, E. H. Jones generously created the Wallace Stegner Fellowship, now considered the most prestigious creative writing fellowship in the U.S. for emerging writers. Dr. Jones also made possible the Jones Lectureships, which are limited, fixed-year teaching appointments, allowing exceptional Stegner Fellows some time and support to prepare a manuscript for publication, hone their teaching skills, and transition to a longer-term teaching career elsewhere.

The original framework of term-limited appointments allowed for a consistent flow of selected Stegner Fellows into the Jones Lectureship. However, over time this framework of term-limited appointments was not followed.

In the past two years, the School of Humanities and Sciences leadership and the Creative Writing Academic Council faculty have been working to formulate necessary changes in the program and to identify additional resources to meet its growing needs. A Working Group of Creative Writing Academic Council faculty held listening sessions and discussions.

Now, after thoughtful deliberation, the Working Group has recommended restoring the original intent of the Jones Lectureships: one-year appointments with the possibility of renewal for a limited term, up to a total of five years. This change will again allow Stegner Fellows the opportunity to apply to be Jones Lecturers once they have completed their fellowships. In other words, the Jones Lectureships are not being eliminated; they are only being term limited, as was the original intent of the program, so that the Stegner Fellows have an opportunity to teach Creative Writing courses at Stanford. We plan for there to be as many lecturers in the Program in five years’ time as there are today, and we expect to offer more classes then than now.

The university, school, and numerous generous donors are committed to not only the excellence of the program but also its growth. This means increasing the number of Creative Writing classes to better meet high student demand as well as ensuring competitive compensation for both the lecturers and fellows. We will provide more updates in early fall quarter about the Creative Writing Program and how it will continue to be one of the preeminent programs in the nation.

We understand that these changes to the Jones Lectureships will be met with mixed reactions. However, we firmly believe that the changes advance the program’s pedagogical mission and provide promising writers with the resources to complete their books and obtain appointments at other colleges and universities.

Throughout the history of the program, the Jones Lecturers—both those who are here now and those who have been lecturers in the past—have helped make Stanford Creative Writing what it is today, and we are truly grateful to them for their significant contributions to the program’s mission.

100 Most Popular Courses For September

Harvard and MIT’s $800 Million Mistake: The Triple Failure of 2U, edX, and Axim Collaborative

The future of Coursera’s only credible alternative for universities rests in the hands of 2U’s creditors.

• [2024] 1800+ Coursera Courses Still Completely Free
• 7 Best Autodesk Maya Courses for 2024: Exploring 3D Animation
• [2024] The 100 Top FREE EdX Courses of All Time
• 15 Best Lisp Courses for 2024
• 8 Best Adobe XD Courses for 2024

600 Free Google Certifications

Most common

Popular subjects.

Communication Skills

Data Analysis

Digital Marketing

Popular courses

Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities

Product Management Essentials

El rol de la digitalización en la transición energética

Organize and share your learning with Class Central Lists.

View our Lists Showcase

Creative Writing Courses and Certifications

Learn Creative Writing, earn certificates with paid and free online courses from Harvard, Stanford, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins and other top universities around the world. Read reviews to decide if a class is right for you.

• Fiction Writing Courses
• Poetry Courses
• Storytelling Courses
• Literary Analysis Courses
• Publishing Courses
• Screenwriting Courses
• Character Development Courses
• Journaling Courses

Class Central's Top Creative Writing Courses

We've picked the best online courses to learn Creative Writing from the Class Central catalog.

Some courses are concise and get you up to speed in no time, others will be more comprehensive.

Creative Writing

Creative writing: the craft of plot, neil gaiman teaches the art of storytelling, complete creative writing - all genres - the full course, creative writing for all: a 10-day journaling challenge, relato corto de ficción: escribe desde tu experiencia personal, write your book: start strong and get it done, writing: the craft of story, creative writing: crafting personal essays with impact, start writing fiction.

• Show all 10 courses

All Creative Writing Courses

• With certificate (183)
• Free course (213)
• With free certificate (9)
• University course only (53)
• Beginner (260)
• Intermediate (7)
• Advanced (4)
• < 30 mins (100)
• 30 - 60 mins (85)
• 1 - 2 hours (112)
• 2 - 5 hours (106)
• 5 - 10 hours (38)
• 10+ hours (42)
• English (394)
• Bengali (1)
• Chinese (2)
• German (12)
• Italian (4)
• Japanese (1)
• Portuguese (13)
• Romanian (1)
• Spanish (68)
• Turkish (3)

Discover the art of crafting compelling plots, from structure and scene-building to character development and revision techniques. Enhance your storytelling skills and bring your narratives to life.

• 5 hours 50 minutes
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Creative Writing: The Craft of Setting and Description

In this course aspiring writers will be introduced to the techniques that masters of fiction use to ground a story in a concrete world. From the most realist settings to the most fantastical, writers will learn how to describe the physical world in shar…

• 7 hours 25 minutes

Creative Writing: The Craft of Character

At the center of a good story are the characters in it. In this course aspiring writers will discover how to build and bring to life complex, vivid and unforgettable characters.

• 6 hours 23 minutes

Creative Writing: The Craft of Style

Enhance your writing style through metaphor, imagery, and word choice. Learn revision techniques to create compelling stories and polished prose.

• 7 hours 44 minutes

I'm Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers. Learn about plot, wordbuilding, short stories, character, and publishing.

• Free Online Course

Develop your storytelling skills across short story, narrative essay, and memoir genres. Master techniques for plot, character, setting, and style through analysis and peer evaluation. Create a substantial original piece in your chosen genre.

• 26 weeks, 1 hour a week
• Paid Course

Learn to write engaging Fiction, Poetry, Drama, & Creative Non-Fiction and become the successful writer you want to be

• 12 hours 8 minutes

Writing a Book: Creative Writing Skills for Beginners

Writing a Book: Creative writing skills: Novel/Nonfiction book writing: Punctuation: Outlining: Fantasy world building

• 1 day 6 hours 2 minutes

Develop Blockbuster Story Ideas that Sell! (Writing Mastery)

Proven methods to unleash your creativity and brainstorm bestselling, high concept book and movie ideas

Creative Writing: how to write a novel. The full course.

A full creative writing course: create engaging characters, use a 3 act narrative structure and write smart dialogues.

Creative Writing Bootcamp: Start a Brand New Story

Energetic bootcamp with best-selling author Myla Goldberg. Five engaging exercises to generate story ideas, develop characters, craft dialogue, and create vivid settings. Ideal for writers seeking inspiration and new approaches.

• Free Trial Available

Creative Writing Project: Brainstorm Your Story

Unlock your story's potential through guided brainstorming. Learn to differentiate plot from story, generate compelling ideas, and create a solid foundation for your creative writing project.

Creative Personal Writing: Write the Real You

Explore personal writing with Ashley C. Ford. Learn to craft compelling essays from memories, report on yourself, and share your experiences through practical frameworks and inspiring prompts.

Creative Writing - Writer's Block Workbook Volume 2 Month 1

Five weeks' worth of keywords to create 100+ new pieces with tips to help your writing ongoing. Plus bonus content.

• 2 hours 21 minutes

Creative Writing - Writer's Block Workbook Volume 1 Month 1

Five weeks' worth of beginnings to create 100+ new pieces with tips to help your writing ongoing. Plus bonus content.

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

• Online Courses /

7 Best Online Creative Writing Degree

• Updated on  
• Aug 31, 2024

Creative writing is a craft that allows individuals to give voice to their thoughts and emotions and serves many objectives and purposes. In this blog, the candidates will get to learn the objectives of creative writing and its purposes. Creative writing is a dynamic and versatile discipline that has enchanted both writers and readers for generations. In this blog, students will focus on the purpose of creative writing that will turn aid students in understanding why a writer writes and the importance of the relationship between author and reader. 

This Blog Includes:

Online english creative writing ba, creative writing ba (hons) (online), bsc in english and writing – creative writing, creative writing and teaching diploma, creative writing specialisation, the foundations of fiction (writing mastery).

Check the Best Online Content Writing Courses

Top 7 Online Creative Writing Degree

Check below the list of the top 7 online creative writing degree:

Online Creative Writing Degrees

Southern New Hampshire University offers this complete Online Creative Writing Degrees. This is one of the most-demand programs; for more information, read below: 

In this course the candidates will get to learn skills such as writing and editing techniques, literary analysis and critical thinking, application of storytelling elements, literary form, genre, structure and style, use of genre conventions and techniques, professional portfolio building. 

Website: https://www.snhu.edu/online-degrees/bachelors/creative-writing  

This Online English Creative Writing BA is offered by University of Central Florida. This is one of the most-demand programs; for more information, read below: 

Through this course the candidates will become an expert communicator with a deep appreciation of fiction, poetry and non-fiction prose. The students will also get ready for a career in a variety of fields, including law, teaching, editing, publishing, consulting and more. 

Website: https://www.ucf.edu/online/degree/english-creative-writing-b-a/  

This Creative Writing BA (Hons) (Online) is offered by Falmouth University. This is one of the most-demand programs; for more information, read below: 

This course will prepare the candidates to join the global creative writing marketplace, equipped with specialist knowledge, an adaptable skill set, and a clear vision of their place within the market. Students will get to experiment with form and prompts, embrace the art of reading as a writer and also learn how to connect with a vast range of audiences. 

Website: https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/study/online/undergraduate/creative-writing  

This BSc in English and Writing – Creative Writing course is offered by Liberty University. This is one of the most-demand programs for more information, read below: 

Candidates will get a flexible and affordable education. The duration of this course is 8 weeks with certification. This courses strongly focuses on providing them with the skills they will need for success, critical thinking, technical writing, literary analysis and methods of research. 

Website: https://www.liberty.edu/online/arts-and-sciences/bachelors/english-and-writing/creative-writing/  

This Creative Writing and Teaching Diploma course is offered by Udemy. This is one of the most-demand programs; for more information, read below: 

This course is specially designed for aspiring writers, educators, and anyone interested in nurturing creative expression and teaching the art of writing. This course will equip you with the knowledge, techniques, and resources needed to excel. The candidates will also get to download for free the self care journaling workbook, descriptive creative writing skills, narrative creative writing skills, landscapes visual creative writing skills.

Website: https://www.udemy.com/course/creative-writing-and-teaching-diploma/

10 Best Online Business Writing Courses to Apply in 2024

This Creative Writing Specialisation course is offered by Coursera. This is one of the most-demand programs; for more information, read below: 

This course will teach the candidates about short story writing, fiction writing, creativity, copy editing. They will learn in demand skills from university and industry experts, master a subject or tool with hands on projects, develop a deep understanding of key concepts, earn a valuable career certificate. 

Website: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/creative-writing  

The Foundations of Fiction (Writing Mastery) is offered by Udemy. This is one of the most-demand programs for more information, read below: 

They will get to master the 6 universal foundations that make up all great fiction, write vibrant, riveting dialogue that will breathe life into your scenes. They will get to compose intricate, scintillating prose that will pull readers in from the first word, create complex, realistic characters who will jump right off the page. 

Website: https://www.udemy.com/course/the-foundations-of-fiction-writing-mastery/

5+ Best Online BSC Courses

The purpose of creative writing is to entertain and share human experience like love or loss. In creative writing, people usually express themselves, to persuade a reader or inform the readers and to create a literary work. 

The 5 C’s of creative writing are clarity, cogency, conventionality, completeness, concision, tensions and relative importance.

There are basically four types of creative writing such as fiction, creative non-fiction, scriptwriting, poetry. Each type has its own features and conventions. Most of the creative writing revolves around certain characters, plot, setting or theme. 

Related Articles:

Hope this blog provides you with all the important details, for more information about such courses, visit our online courses page .

Anjali Chowdhury

An enthusiastic content writer with a total experience of almost 2.7 years. Dedicated to help students with study abroad.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Leaving already?

8 Universities with higher ROI than IITs and IIMs

Grab this one-time opportunity to download this ebook

Connect With Us

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Online Programs

The process of writing – workshop.

• Session-Based
• Language Arts

This course explores the craft of writing, including techniques like brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and revision that effective writers use across multiple genres. You will write a family narrative describing an event experienced by a family member, telling a story that is important to you and your family history. You will also pen an argumentative essay on a topic of your choice and compose a vivid poem using concrete images and abstract concepts. You’ll work on each assignment three times, engaging in all steps of the writing process: ideation, pre-writing, drafting, applying feedback, revising, editing, proofreading, and reflection. At the end of the course, you’ll write a reflective piece carefully considering your writing progress in your three major projects.

Time Commitment: 4-6 hours of independent work per week.

Course Overview

What we'll do

We’ll participate in three writing workshops and complete four writing projects over 10 units that each include two lessons, a formative writing exercise, and a summative writing assignment. Your instructor will provide feedback that you’ll practice applying to your writing.

What we’ll learn

• Qualities of narrative storytelling
• How to effectively craft and support an argument
• Freewriting, drafting, and revising strategies
• How to write effectively for a variety of audiences

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

• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences
• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
• Acquire and accurately use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression
• Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences

How we'll measure learning

Instructors evaluate student work using marking guides and provide constructive feedback on writing assignments. The course is aligned to ELA Common Core standards for grade 7.

This course is

Register for an Online course by selecting an open class below. If no open classes are listed, then course enrollment is currently closed. Note: You will need to have an active CTY Account to complete registration through MyCTY

This course is not open for enrollment at this time. Please check back later.

Testing and Prerequisites

Students must achieve qualifying scores on an advanced assessment to be eligible for CTY programs. If you don’t have qualifying scores, you have several different testing options. We’ll help you find the right option for your situation.

Cost and Financial Aid

Application fee.

• Nonrefundable Application Fee - $15 (Waived for financial aid applicants)
• Nonrefundable International Fee - $20 (outside US only)

Financial Aid

We have concluded our financial aid application review process for Academic Year 2023-2024 Online Programs (Courses with start dates July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024). Our application for Academic Year 2024-2025 Online Programs is expected to open in January. We encourage those who may need assistance in the future to apply for aid as early as possible.

Technical Requirements

This course requires a computer with high-speed Internet access and an up-to-date web browser such as Chrome or Firefox. You must be able to communicate with the instructor via email. Visit the Technical Requirements and Support page for more details.

This course uses a virtual classroom for instructor-student communication. The classroom works on standard computers with the Zoom desktop client , and on tablets or handhelds that support the Zoom Mobile app . Recorded meetings can only be viewed on a computer with the Zoom desktop client installed. The Zoom desktop client and Zoom Mobile App are both free to download.

Terms & Conditions

After a you complete a course, your projects may be used to illustrate work for future students. 

About Language Arts at CTY

Enhance your skills in creative writing and critical reading, learn to craft effective sentences, and develop an analytical approach to reading and writing through our Language Arts courses. Guided by our expert instructors, you can further develop your communication skills in our interdisciplinary visual fluency courses, and explore topics in communication theory, design theory, and cognitive psychology. Through coursework and online discussions with classmates from around the world, you’ll elevate your writing structure and style, hone your craft, and become an adept wordsmith fluent in the language of literary arts. 

Write, Edit, Publish

Walk in the shoes of a writer, editor, and publisher this fall in Master Class I: Writing, Editing, and Publishing , and then collaborate with peers to create the next issue of our CTY Online student-developed literary journal, Lexophilia , in Master Class II: Writing, Editing, and Publishing , offered in the winter.

Explore Greek Myths

Newly revised for fall 2021, you'll read, discuss, and write about Greek myths in Young Readers’ Series: Greek Myths Revisited , studying exciting, heroic characters and ancient narratives that continue to teach us all valuable lessons about life, love, and family.

Meet our Language Arts Instructors

I realize that I love teaching on an almost daily basis. It comes to me in the form of a student's 'ah-ha' moment, when everything clicks and the student understands a challenging concept. I get goose bumps just thinking about it!

Yvonne Borresen

Language Arts Instructor