How to Find an Online Writing Class

Whether you're looking to improve your fiction-writing skills or launch a career as a travel writer, there's an online writing course for you. Typically, you communicate with an instructor and other students through email, chat or discussion boards. Nothing beats the convenience of online courses, especially if you don't have easy access to a college or other learning center.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Check out Writers Village University. They offer a free online creative writing course for beginners. It runs for 6 weeks and includes feedback from a professional writer. You can also connect with other students through a study group.
2. Visit the Gotham Writers' Workshop for a comprehensive list of online writing courses. It's been around since 1997 and was voted "Best of the Web" by Forbes. They offer 6-week and 10-week courses ranging from article writing to TV writing. They include lectures, writing exercises and critiques.
3. Consider taking an online course to become a freelance writer. The Penn Foster Career School offers a program that prepares you to become a professional writer for magazines, newspapers and businesses. It boasts an impressive list of credentials, including licensing from the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.
4. Find cheap online courses at Coursebridge, which has been around since 2000. They offer a course list specializing in writing formats like press releases, magazine articles and memoirs. You download material in PDF format and have one-on-one contact with your instructor.
5. Consider a career in travel writing. Steve and Eileen Rothwell of OffBeatTrips offer The Complete Travel Writer, an online course also offered through two Australian institutions. The course covers writing, photography, sponsorship and marketing.

Tips & Warnings

• The "faceless" nature of the Internet can make it easier to share your writing with others.
• Take your online course seriously. You'll get more out of it if you work through the lessons diligently and participate in chats and discussions.

Who Can Help:

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