For many English writers, creative writing courses provide the right push to take their writing from bland to brilliant.
If you are a serious writer who wants to hone and polish your skill, creative writing courses may be the right way to do it. Yet choosing the one to invest your money in is not always easy. Here is a guide to some of the best courses out there for creative writers.
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Learn from the world's best teachers and instructors about writing, business, creative pursuits and more. It's affordable and includes dozens of hours of high-quality lessons that you can't get anywhere else. It costs just $10 per month.
1. MasterClass
Who It’s For: Masterclass is for anyone who wants to learn about writing, but it has quite a few fiction writers. It works for novelists, short story writers, screenwriters, bloggers, and nonfiction writers.
When you join Masterclass, you can learn from some of the best fiction writers in the world. These writers will talk about their particular genres and how you can write in them. You learn through streaming online classes in video format.
MasterClass allows you to hone your writing skills while learning from some of the best-known people in the writing world. This is one of the top creative writing classes available online.
The cost for MasterClass is just $180 a year. With the subscription, you can learn from well-known names like Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, James Patterson, and Judy Blume. Find classes that spark your interest and plug in to start learning.
Check out our guide to the best Masterclass courses.
2. Gotham Writers Creative Writing 101
Who It’s For: Creative Writing 101 is for those who are new to novel writing and fiction writing. Though nonfiction writing is covered, the primary focus is on the fiction world.
Some creative writing courses work best for seasoned writers, but Creative Writing 101 is ideal for new writers who need to learn the basics of fiction writing and character development.
The instructors for Creative Writing 101 are published fiction and novel writers. Though each session has a different teacher, they all provide strategies and tools writers can put to work right away to become professional writers.
Creative Writing 101 covers both fiction and nonfiction prose. It provides feedback on writing exercises and assignments, so students can see if they are applying what they are learning well. It is a six-week course that requires a $25 registration fee and $309 for online sessions.
3. Writing Your Story On CreativeLive
Who’s It For: Writing Your Story is for writers who want to learn how to write their own story in memoir form.
Writing Your Story is a 26-lesson course on memoir writing taught on CreativeLive. The instructor, Joyce Manyard, teaches you how to celebrate your own life story by transforming it into your own work.
Manyard believes everyone has a story to tell, and she uses that belief to teach others how to develop a story through dialogue, character development, descriptions and editing. She focuses on not only writing skills, but also storytelling.
Writing Your Story has 6 lessons. The cost is $149 for the entire class. Students can also purchase a CreativeLive Creator Pass to get access to this as well as other courses.
4. The Novelry
Who’s It For: If you are serious about writing your novel and want to learn from a bestselling author, then this course is for you. It explores the methods used by some of the best authors on the New York Times bestsellers list and teaches you how to apply those to your own writing.
If you are looking for help with novel writing, one of the best fiction writing courses is The Novelry. Louise Dean, an internationally famous novelist, teaches this course. It includes instruction and writing prompts for a Ninety Day Novel, teaching writers how to write a novel in just three months.
Through The Novelry, you can learn fiction writing from a bestselling author. You can get over the fear and start writing your novel. The guidance you receive may transform it into the next bestseller.
The Novelry offers all of its lessons for $365. Students who want to take part in the Ninety Day Novel program pay an additional fee for the coaching and 12-month membership. Dean also offers a Book in a Year Plan for $1,999.
Listen to our interview with Louise Dean
5. Character-Driven Short Stories
Who It’s For: This course is for writers who are looking for help with short stories and who want to build strong characters into their stories.
Short fiction can be more difficult to write than a novel or book. You have to work in plot and character development and create believable, likeable characters in just a few paragraphs. Character-Drive Short Stories by Yiyun Li teaches you how to do this.
This course is an eight-video course that explores how to condense a situation into a short story. The main focus is on the characters because these serve as the most important part of the story.
Character-Driven Short Stories is available on SkillShare. This costs $99 for one year of access to this course as well as other online writing courses on the platform.
6. How To Write A Nonfiction Book
Who It’s For: This course is for writers who want to write a nonfiction book.
How to Write a Nonfiction Book is a course by Joanna Penn that teaches nonfiction writers how to write inspiring works. The course covers topics like research and editing as well as practical skills for writers like dictation and staying focused while writing.
Penn’s course will discuss brainstorming and marketing as well. Students also learn how to save time and effort when writing a creative nonfiction work.
Interested nonfiction writers can get 16 hours of course material, divided into five videos, for $297.
Listen to our interview with Joanna Penn
A Final Word On The Best Creative Writing Courses
All writers, from screenwriters to those who love writing poetry, are creative people. Sometimes they just need a little help to tap that creativity.
By signing up for one of these creative writing courses, you can improve your writing skills and finish a book that you’re proud of.
Want more? Check out our guide to the best online writing courses.
FAQs on Creative Writing Courses
Are creative writing courses worth it?
Creative writing courses taught by published, successful authors can give you insight into what it takes to be successful as a writer. They are a wise investment if you want to improve at your craft. Plus, you can easily take one from the comfort of your own before or after work.Â
Should I take a creative writing class?
If you want to become a better writer or publishing creative works, a creative writing class can help you overcome any roadblocks you have about the process. Take one if you want to learn skills like storytelling or writing a novel.
