Creative writing as a field can be a unique career option as well as a hobby. The scope of creative writing is broad and encompasses different genres and styles of writing beyond just literature. Even in today’s time when artificial intelligence (AI) is ruling, creative writing still has a pivotal place in various fields. Here’s an article for you to learn about the best options available to pursue creative writing courses online.
What is Creative Writing?
Creative writing expresses words uniquely and imaginatively. It is a form of writing that goes beyond the rules of grammar and syntax and involves the use of literary devices such as metaphor, simile, and personification. The purpose of creative writing is to arouse the reader’s imagination and present a concept or message in a way that is both memorable and significant.
One of the benefits of creative writing is that it allows writers to explore their innermost thoughts and feelings, and to express them in a way that is meaningful to themselves and others. Additionally, creative writing can be a form of self-expression that is both enjoyable and fulfilling.
Many forms of creative writing exist, including poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and drama. Each of these forms requires different skills and techniques, but all involve using language creatively and engagingly. Poetry, for example, often involves the use of rhyme and metaphors to create a rhythmic quality that enhances the meaning of the words.
Fiction, on the other hand, requires the creation of characters and a plot that is both believable and engaging. One of the challenges of creative writing is that it requires writers to take risks and be vulnerable. To create something truly unique and impactful, writers must be willing to put themselves out there and share their ideas with the world.
Creative writing allows writers to connect with others deeply and meaningfully. It also allows writers to make a difference in their readers’ lives. Another challenge of creative writing is that it requires a lot of practice and perseverance. Writing is a craft that takes time and work to master, just like any other art.
To produce truly outstanding work, writers must be willing to put in the hours of practice and editing. They also require the capacity to receive and apply criticism. The world of creative writing has also seen its application in social media platforms. In an era of virtual dominance, creative writing has also evolved to create content for online platforms.
The best is to look for creative writing courses that will expose you to the digital world of creativity. In conclusion, creative writing is a powerful form of self-expression that allows writers to connect with others on a deep and meaningful level. It requires skill, practice, and perseverance, but the rewards are well worth the effort.
Types of Creative Writing
The following are different types of creative writing that exist:
- Poetry: Poetry is a type of creative writing that uses language to arouse an emotional response in the reader. It often involves the use of rhyme, metaphors, and other literary devices to create an emotionally relatable quality that enhances the interest of the readers.
- Fiction: Fiction is a type of creative writing that involves the creation of characters and a plot that is both believable and engaging. It can be romantic fiction, mystery, science fiction, or even horror.
- Non-fiction: Non-fiction is a type of creative writing that is based on facts and real-life events. It can include memoirs, biographies, essays, and journalism.
- Drama: Drama is a type of creative writing that involves the creation of a script for a play or film. It often includes dialogue, stage directions, and descriptions of characters and settings.
- Screenwriting: Screenwriting is a type of creative writing that involves the creation of a script for a film or television show. It requires an understanding of storytelling, character development, and visual storytelling techniques.
- Creative non-fiction: Creative non-fiction is a type of writing that blends factual information with literary techniques such as narrative storytelling, descriptive language, and personal reflection. It can include genres such as travel writing, personal essays, and memoirs.
- Songwriting: Songwriting is a type of creative writing that involves the creation of lyrics and melodies for songs. It requires an understanding of musical composition and the ability to create lyrics that are both meaningful and memorable.
Each type requires different skills and techniques, but all involve using language creatively and engagingly. You can learn these writing skills through creative writing courses online.
Career in Creative Writing
A career in creative writing can be rewarding and fulfilling, but it can also be competitive and challenging. Here are a few careers after completing any of the creative writing courses online:
- Author: One of the most obvious career paths for a creative writer is to become an author. This involves writing and publishing books in a particular genre, such as fiction, non-fiction, or poetry.
- Freelance writer: Freelance writers write for various clients, such as magazines, newspapers, websites, or businesses. This can involve writing articles, blog posts, web content, or marketing copy.
- Screenwriter: Screenwriters write scripts for film, TV, or other media. This involves developing characters, writing dialogue, and creating compelling storylines.
- Copywriter: Copywriters write advertising copy for businesses, such as taglines, slogans, and product descriptions. This requires strong writing skills and the ability to write persuasive and engaging copy.
- Editor: Editors work with writers to improve their writing and prepare it for publication. This involves editing for grammar, style, and structure, as well as providing feedback on the overall quality of the writing.
Other best online courses:
- Online Content Writing Courses
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- Online Business Accounting and Taxation Courses
- Online Financial Modeling Courses
- Online Data Analytics Course
Best Creative Writing Courses Online
1. IIM SKILLS
The IIM SKILLS “Master Content Writing Course” is an online course designed to help aspiring writers develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become successful creative content writers. This is one of the best options if you are searching for creative writing courses online.
The Course Covers Various Facets of Content Writing, Including:
- Introduction to content writing: The course covers the basics of content writing, including what it is, why it’s important, and the different types of content.
- Writing techniques: The course covers various writing techniques, including how to write effective headlines, introductions, and conclusions, and how to write for different audiences.
- SEO writing: The course covers the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) writing, including how to research keywords, write for search engines, and optimize content for better search engine rankings.
- Content marketing: The course covers the basics of content marketing, including how to create a content marketing strategy, promote content, and measure success.
- Social media writing: The course covers how to write effective social media posts, including how to write for different platforms, use hashtags, and create engaging content.
- Freelance writing: The course covers how to find freelance writing opportunities, pitch clients, and manage freelance projects.
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You will have to submit weekly assignments after every module. The course also offers you a 3-month guaranteed internship. In addition, you will learn how to publish your first book.
This is a comprehensive course that covers all aspects of content writing and is the perfect online learning platform to boost your creativity. It is suitable for both beginners and experienced writers who want to improve their skills and knowledge of content writing.
The course duration is 4 weeks, and classes are conducted on a weekend batch.
Course Fee: 14,900 INR + GST
2. British Council
The “Creative Writing for Adults – Module 1” course is one of the best creative writing courses online. The British Council offers this course that is designed to help participants develop their writing skills and explore different genres of writing. The courses are led by experienced writers and instructors and cover a range of topics, including:
- Plot
- Characters and settings
- Writing dialogues
- Writing short stories
- Poetry and poetic tools
- Travel writing
- Blogging
- Screenwriting
- Children’s Fiction
- Memoirs
- Experimental writing
- Getting published
The course duration is 9 weeks, with weekend online classes. The required English language level is ‘above the upper-intermediate level (Level B2).
Course Fee: 10,000 INR per participant with certification
3. Xavier Institute of Communications
The institute is well-known in the field of mass communication and journalism and offers one of the affordable creative writing courses online with certification. The course is a “certificate course in creative writing.” This workshop is for aspiring writers who want to improve their writing skills and learn various techniques of creative writing.
The course content includes writing exercises and receiving reviews from experienced and fellow writers. 8 sessions are conducted online in the evening for two hours.
Course Fee: 8,000 INR with certification
4. Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
FTII, or the Film and Television Institute of India, offers various creative writing courses online in various genres. Presently, the following creative writing courses online are offered:
- Basic Course in Writing Dialogues and Scenes for the Screen
- Film Appreciation Course
Check their website for more online courses that are posted every month. These online courses are designed to help students develop their writing skills and explore various forms of writing, such as screenwriting, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.
The course is open to anyone who has completed their 10+2 education and is interested in pursuing a career in writing. Throughout the course, students will work on various writing assignments and projects, such as short stories, scripts, and poetry, and will receive feedback from experienced writers and instructors.
Students will also have the opportunity to participate in workshops and seminars, attend guest lectures, and network with industry professionals. The various creative writing courses online offered by FTII are comprehensive courses that provide students with the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to pursue a career in writing.
It is suitable for anyone who is passionate about writing and wants to develop their skills in a supportive and creative environment.
Course Fee: Check the website (look for the online courses tab)
5. Udemy
Udemy is an online platform that offers a range of creative writing courses online. These courses are taught by experts in the field and cover different genres such as fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting, and more.
Some of the courses available include:
- Creative Writing-Get Writing, Keep Writing:
Rating: 4.3/5
This course is for those who want to write but don’t know where to begin. You’ll kick start your writing journey and discover your creative writing ability. The course content includes 5 sections, 33 lectures, a total of 1 hour 33 minutes in length, and lifetime access to the videos. It is a self-paced course.
Course Fee: 649 INR with certification of 12
- Complete Creative Writing – All Genres- The Full-Course:
Rating: 4.6/5
In this course, you will learn four genres of creative writing – fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction. In addition, you’ll learn how to create your digital portfolio. The course content includes 6 sections, 162 lectures, and a total of 12 hours and 7 minutes of video content.
Course Fee: 549 INR with certification
- Writing with Confidence: Writing Beginner to Write Pro:
Rating: 4.6/5
This course is taught by a pro-copywriter and Cambridge University writing teacher. This course is perfect for you if you want to become a business writer, blogger, or writer of non-fiction. The course content covers 8 sections, 97 lectures spread over 5 hours and 50 minutes duration.
Course Fee: 549 INR with certification
Also Read:
- Creative Writing Courses in India
- Creative Writing Courses in Ahmedabad
- Creative Writing Courses in Bangalore
- Creative Writing Courses in Delhi
- Creative Writing Courses in Chandigarh
- Creative Writing Courses in Hyderabad
6. Coursera
Coursera is another online learning platform that offers creative writing courses online. These courses are taught by professors from top universities and cover a range of topics such as storytelling, poetry, and more.
Some of the courses available include:
- Creative Writing Specialization from Wesleyan University:
Rating: 4.6/5
This course covers different forms of writing, including poetry, memoir, and short fiction. It includes 5 specialization courses (The Craft of Setting and Description, The Craft of Plot, The Craft of Character, The Craft of Style, and Capstone: Your Story). These modules are designed to help you develop your writing skills step-by-step.
Course Fee: Depends on how much time you need to finish, along with certification. For 1 month, it is 4,003 INR; for 3 months, 8,007 INR; for 6 months, 12,011 INR
- Write Your First Novel from Michigan State University:
Rating: 4.3/5
By taking this creative writing course, you’ll learn how to write a full-length novel of 50,000 words and by the end of the course, you will have the manuscript ready.
Course Fee: 2,369 INR with certification
- Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest from Commonwealth Education Trust:
Rating: 4.7/5
This course is for you if you are aspiring to write for young readers. It is a 5 weeks course that will cover these modules: ‘Your Writing Identity,’ ‘Genre, Form and Audience,’ ‘Structure,’ ‘Editing and Proofreading,’ and ‘Publishing.’
Course Fee: 2,369 INR with certification
7. University Of Oxford
The Department of continuing education of the University of Oxford offers a wide range of online and in-person short courses. If you are looking for the best creative writing courses online, you may want to see the following courses with their details:
- Writing Fiction for Young Adults
Through this course, you will find your niche of writing for young adults, whether real stories fantasy to supernatural. The course content includes all the phases of writing fiction. It begins with the module, “What is Young Adult Fiction,” moving to the next modules, “Reading and Writing Young Adult Fiction,” “Ideas and Inspiration,” “What is it ‘All About’ (plot and theme),” “Characters:
Their Creation and Development,” “Point of View,” “Dialogue,” “Descriptive Writing,” “Conflict,” and “Good and Bad Endings.” This is a credit-based course to get the certificate of completion. To earn credit (CAT points), you will need to register and pay an additional 10 pounds fee.
Course Fee: 535 Pounds
- Writing Poetry
This course is for anyone who would like to begin to write or improve their poetic skills to compose poetry of their own. You’ll learn the poetic techniques to produce magical poetry and become a confident poet.
The course content covers these sections, namely, “rhyme, rhythm and meter,” “figurative language,” “divisions,” “blank verse,” “syllabic verse and free verse,” “free verse II,” “lyric poetry,” “the sonnet,” “pastoral,” and “what more and what next.”
This is a credit-based course. You’ll have to register and pay an additional fee of 10 pounds to earn credits (CAT points) and a certificate.
Course Fee: 535 Pounds
8. The Novelry
Trustpilot – 5 stars (Excellent)
The Novelry is one of the best online platforms and the most amazing thing is that you can choose a particular genre course. For example, if you want to become a children’s storybook writer, you can choose the ‘Children’s Book Writing Program’.
Likewise, there are several online courses available. If you are already a writer and want to produce the best manuscript to publish your book, you can take up their ‘Ultimate Manuscript Assessment’ course.
Here’s the description of the most famous creative writing program, which is ‘The Ninety D ay Novel’. This course will teach you a new approach to writing your novel. Whether you are a novice writer or an experienced one, this course will help you with writing methods by best-selling authors.
The lessons are conducted by the Booker-Prize-listed author, Louise Dean. You’ll enjoy your journey of writing your novel just like winter turning to spring – the transformation from an aspiring writer to a published one.
This course offers you the following:
- 100-lesson structure and step-by-step guidance.
- Construct your novel from scratch.
- Weekly online classes (group coaching) to awaken your creative mind.
- 6 one-to-one coaching sessions with the author of your choice (after considering the genre you are writing in; you can choose an author–coaching guide having the same writing genre as yours).
- You’ll develop the technical skills to draft your storyline and equip you with tools to plan and structure the storyline for your novel.
- It is a self-paced course with a membership of one year.
The course content is spread across in sync with the phases of development of your novel, interestingly named:
- The Inspiration and Preparation Phase (10 lessons)
- The Construction Phase (30 lessons)
- The Swim Phase (15 lessons)
- The Heat Phase (15 lessons)
- The Enlightenment Phase (15 lessons)
- The Home Phase (Write ‘The End’) (15 lessons)
Course Fee – You have two options to choose from.
The first option is the Ninety-Day Novel plan, for which you have to pay $399 per month, for three months.
The second option is the Novel Development Plan, for which you have to pay $1865 and the bonus is that it will include ‘The Big Edit’ option to make it fully ready for the publishing agency.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who can take creative writing courses online?
Anyone who is passionate and wants to ace creative writing and learn about various genres of writing can take up a creative writing course. You can be a beginner or a budding writer. You should be passionate about any language that you want to write in.
2. What is the benefit of taking an online creative writing course?
You can learn from the best across the world on an online platform. Moreover, you can choose any genre-based course that suits your taste of writing style. You have the flexibility to study on your own time.
3. Do I need any specific qualifications to register for creative writing courses online?
You need not have a specific qualification to register for an online course. The most basic requirement is fluency in the language in which you want to pursue the course. Some courses may ask for high school qualifications. It is better to check the enrollment details.
4. Upon successful completion of an online creative writing course, can you help you get published?
Some courses will teach you how you get your work published. But it cannot guarantee publication.
5. Which creative writing course is better- free or paid?
The learning outcome depends on how you let yourself engage in the course curriculum and your ability to practice the techniques and skills you will learn, and not on the fee structure. However, you need to understand what you are aiming to learn and hone your skills, and accordingly avail a course- it could be free or paid. It also depends if you want a certification too. Many free courses do not offer certification.
Conclusion
This article gives you a comprehensive idea of the various creative writing courses online. You will be able to expand your horizon of creativity if you take up any of the above courses. Creative writing requires patience and practice. Just doing the course won’t make you a prolific writer, but it will surely improve your writing skills. You’ll be able to connect with a like-minded community of writers and get your work reviewed.