Online writing classes, just how necessary is it? Are writers compelled to take writing classes to secure their success? Is it needed to learn how to write?
No, you don’t need to take writing classes to learn how to write. After all, writing is self-taught, and taking classes is not a requirement or a professional qualification. So the question is, why do people take writing classes anyway? What do people get out of writing classes that you can’t learn from reading free articles online?
Whether you are an accomplished or inspiring writer, guidance, tips, feedback, refreshers, and connection with fellow writers are excellent ways to improve and refine your writing skills and you can benefit from all of these with good online writing classes.
How to choose an online writing class?
You’ve decided to join an online writing class. That’s great! There are dozens of writing classes online so it might be overwhelming. Which class should you join? How much does it cost? What are the contents?
Before ultimately committing, it is important to know that online writing classes greatly vary in price and content. Should you decide to finally enlist into one, make sure that it is within your budget and that the theme of the class is something you are interested in. This saves you money and time!
Here are some tips on choosing from multitudes of online writing classes!
Know your goals
An online writing class comes with a cost so it is ideal that before spending money on a class, you should first establish what you want to fulfill, what you want to write, and who you want to write for.
A nonfiction writer has different creative goals than a fiction writer. So it is best to attend a class that corresponds with what you want to achieve.
Here are some guide questions to ponder on before committing to an online writing class:
- Are you a new writer or you have the experience but is looking for inspiration?
- Do you need help with writer’s block?
- Are you looking to hone, improve, or develop your writing style?
- Are you going to write your first book or try to publish a personal essay?
- Do you need help with writing your novel?
- Are you a freelance writer who wants to hone your copywriting skills?
- Do you want to practice every writing skills, such as self-editing?
These are some of the basic questions you need to ask yourself before enrolling in a class. There’s no need to worry because we are sure there are online writing classes out there for every type of creative pursuit.
Budget and time constraints
Determine how much you are willing to invest in a writing course and set a budget.
However, online learning is not for everyone so it is best to test the waters first with free online courses. Don’t worry! There are tons of free online writing courses to help you establish the basics and foundation of writing.
But at some point in your writing journey, you are going to want to take advanced writing courses to further hone your skills and those come with a price tag.
Your budget will narrow down your choices and is a limiting factor in taking writing courses, online or not.
Aside from money concerns, time constraints is a matter that you need to think about too. Most online courses are self-paced, meaning you can go through them on your own time. And unless there’s a due date for a specific activity, you can take as much time as you need.
However, it is understandable that not everyone has all the free time in the world and your own time will determine the number of lessons you can take and how much time you can spend in them.
Usually, multi-week courses lead to better results and single-lesson courses that allow you to master the skill you want at one go are very rare. So before signing up for multi-week writing courses, it is best to know your schedule first and determine how much time you can give to your classes.
Student reviews
Trustworthy social media pages and websites, qualified instructors, and courses within your budget are sometimes enough to convince you to sign up for an online writing class. But still, the best way to find out if a class is worth it is to look for student reviews. There will always be honest reviews from previous students that’ll immediately tell you if the class is worth your time, effort, and money.
An ideal online writing class is when instructors offer personal feedback and critique to your writing. So you can check if there is enough teacher-student interaction,
The Best Online Writing Courses
For you, we’ve rounded up the best online writing courses you can right now to develop and hone your writing skills!
Masterclass
In Masterclass writing classes, you’ll be able to find talented and experienced authors who talk about their writing process and thoroughly discuss their writing styles. It has writing classes that focus on the theory of nonfiction and fiction writing.
Each lesson is between 5 to 10 minutes long and you can watch them on your mobile or desktop. It also comes with downloadable materials, like PDF worksheets and notes. It’s also a great place to build connections and relationships since you’ll be able to engage with fellow writers.
The class is self-paced and it is highly recommended for every type of writer out there! It has courses for creative nonfiction, scriptwriting, for novelists, bloggers, and aspiring authors. It also has additional courses related to the writing industry such as getting published.
The Novelry
If you are an aspiring fiction writer and novelist, The Novelry is a good catch to enroll in. The Novelry is founded by award-winning novelist Louise Dean and offers online creative writing courses that’ll help you finish your novel.
The Novelry offers so much more than writing classes as it also supports writers from the scratch of their story until their submission to their literary agency. The classes are self-paced so it is perfect if you only have a specific time of the day to spare.
CreativeLive
CreativeLive is a wonderful alternative to Masterclass and we dare say, more practical as well.
Instead of famous writers and authors, CreativeLive features entrepreneurs, bloggers, and online personalities. Masterclass focuses more on theories while CreativeLive presents helpful steps you need to take to have a successful blog or book.
The classes are recorded from a live studio by teaching instructors where you get reactions and interactions. The audience is allowed to ask questions from the writing instructors so there are additional information thrown around aside from the course outline.
The materials are easily digestible and most lessons are 5 to 15 minutes long. Guides come in a form of video recordings, downloadable PDFs, exercises, and worksheets that you can view from your desktop or through the CreativeLive app on your smartphone.
These courses are ideal for bloggers, fiction, and nonfiction writers.
