What is creative writing?
Creative writing is any writing where creativity is involved and differs from normal academic, professional, journalistic or technical forms of literature. This form of writing uses imagination and innovation in order to tell a story. It can involve fiction, essays, scripts and poetry. Professional writing courses give you the tools you need to ace creative writing.
Though constant learning and practicing will improve your creative writing skills. Free online content writing courses with certificates help you reach your writing goals.
For a freelance writer, taking up a creative writing course online can help you hone your skills and also move more towards fiction writing. There are many brands who need storytelling writers and even poets.
Why enroll in a creative writing course?
There are various learning benefits that you’ll get when you enroll in a creative writing course. Here are the major benefits of taking up an online English writing course as a freelance content writer:
- Find your own unique writer’s voice
- An experience of practical learning to gain the skills you need
- Master different writing styles and techniques
- Produce great fiction
- Understand and apply principles of creative writing in stories and poems
- Become a professional of literary masterpieces in English. You’ll understand how this plays a role in the creation of book or novel writing
- Write more convincing and captivating plots to hook readers
- Enhance your vocabulary and hence improve your communication skills
- Empower yourself as a writer and improve your creativity
Top creative writing courses online
Creative writing comes in many forms, and there are a variety of courses that focus on these forms. Here are some of the great creative writing courses available online:
(These courses are suitable for writers who are thinking about writing a fiction book but aren’t sure how to start. If you are looking to take up some content writing courses that are focused on online content, web copy, and articles, check out this post.)
1- British Council
In-person/Online: Weekend online classes
Price: INR 10,000
Duration: 36 hours over 9 weeks
Certificate: Yes
The British Council creative writing course is called Creative Writing for Adults – Module 1. While the course is conducted online, there are set timings to attend the sessions. The course also includes 14 hours of interaction and peer-learning through the British Council’s very own learning platform.
You need to have an upper-intermediate language level and above to be eligible for this creative writing course in Delhi.
The platform’s online writing classes include 14 hours of interaction. Instructors do the assessments between the course and at the end. The course content includes diverse topics, including:
2- Creative Writing Workshop by Xavier Institute of Communications
In-person/Online: In-person classes
Location – Mumbai
Eligibility – Non
Price – 8000 INR
Duration: 8 Sessions of 2 hours each
Check brochure for more details
Certificate: Yes
The workshop by Xaviers offers various writing exercises. Your content is then critiqued by professional writers and fellow writers. The goal is to help improve your writing through constructive feedback. The workshop is mostly useful for aspiring fiction writers who want to understand the different elements of creative writing.
This was the first course that I came across when I was in Mumbai. And I really liked it because it’s affordable, has flexible timings, and there are new classes every 2 months.
3- Writing: Book Writing: Creative Writing Skills: Punctuation (Udemy)
In-person/Online: Online access on mobile and PC
Price: 1600 – 1800 INR
Duration: 30 hours on-demand video
Certificate: Yes
This is one of Udemy content writing courses for writers who have an interest in publishing a book. The course content includes downloadable articles and resources along with 30 hours of on-demand video. The course focuses on helping you improve in different elements such as character development and plot.
As part of the book writing training, you’ll learn how to self-publish a book on digital platforms like Amazon. The course also aspiring novelists ways of editing their own book manuscript.
4- Creative Writing – Get Writing, Keep Writing (Udemy)
In-person/Online: Online access on mobile and TV
Price: 5300 – 5500 INR
Duration: 1-hour on-demand video
Certificate: Yes
For beginners looking to establish their writing style, this is one of the best Udemy content writing courses that offers professional tips from experts.
It provides you with practical advice to start writing every day to improve your creative writing skills. The goal of this course is to get your creativity flowing and get all those amazing ideas out of you.
5- Good with Words by University of Michigan
In-person/Online: Online
Price: Free to sign up and offers financial aid
Duration: 4 months approximately
Certificate: Yes
The name of this course is Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization. The course provides English writing classes for adults. The specialization is offered through Coursera and contains four sections about writing and editing.
This online English writing course focuses on every element of creative writing. From word choice and word order to how to write better sentences.
You will gain skills in creativity, editing, and persuasion. The goal is for you to become good with words, thus improving your ability to do good writing. By taking up English writing courses like these, you are guaranteed to handle both short-term and long-term projects with ease.
6- Creative Writing Specialization by Wesleyan University
In-person/Online: Online
Price: Free to sign up
Duration: 6 Months
Certificate: Yes
Coursera offers this Creative Writing Specialization course which can help you master all the important elements of a story. The goal of the course is to give you skills in short story writing, fiction writing, creativity and copy and editing.
The main elements of the story that this course focuses on include:
- Plot
- The craft of character
- Setting and description
- Style
7- English Literature Composition by University of California, Berkeley
In-person/Online: Online
Price: 13900 INR
Duration: 7 Weeks, spread over 4-5 hours per week
Certificate: Yes
This course offers advanced writing classes for literature and fiction. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to read and interpret fiction works much better and create your own fiction stories from scratch.
The course discusses the works of English novelist Mary Shelly (the author of Dracula) and American novelist Toni Morrison, making this specially a great course for anyone interested in gothic literature.
8- How to Write a Novel by University of British Colombia
In-person/Online: Online
Price: INR 24000 – 25000
Duration: 6 Weeks
Certificate: Yes
This course offered by UBC on edX is essentially a book writing training course which focuses on how to write a novel draft.
You’ll attend 4-5 hours of online classes per week. There is also a Q&A podcast each week for learners to ask instructors questions. You’ll be engaging in group discussions and doing assignments every week.
Furthermore, freelance content writers will learn how to manage complicated plots and craft real dramatic dialogue.
9- Masterclass: Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling
In-person/Online: Online
Price: Free Trial
Duration: 19 video lessons(4-5 hours)
Certificate: Yes
If you are looking for story writing courses, then this course offered by Masterclass, a video-based learning platform, is one of the best ones out there.
Masterclass instructors are not English writing experts or teachers. They are actual masters in their respective fields. Neil Gaiman is a best selling author and prolific award-winning writer who heads this masterclass in the art of storytelling.
The course contains 18 chapters that focus on everything about creating a story. Some of the content in the chapters includes word building, editing, and dealing with writer’s block.
10- Henry Harvin
In-person/Online: Online Interactive Classroom Sessions
Price: 12500 INR
Duration: 24 hours of two-way live sessions/1 year membership
Certificate: Yes
Henry Harvin is an edtech company that offers this writing course in India.
The course requires you to have language skills and basic technical know-how as a prerequisite. Creative writing classes for this course will teach you poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, and drama.
Have you taken up any creative writing courses online? How was your experience?
