Top 7 Creative Writing Programs Online You Must Consider

Outside the tedious world of hard journalism or business writing, there is an ingenious realm of creative writing. Whether you are brand new to the discipline, a nonfiction writer wishing to branch out, or a casual creative writer aiming to become a published author, polishing your creative writing talents is essential.  Here in this article, we will take you through a few creative writing programs online to hone your skills and abilities.

Creative Writing  

Creative Writing is a subtle art of expression through which imagination and innovation find a voice in a story, by creating a strong emotional impact on its readers. Where all the other forms of writing like journalistic or academic writing leave the reader with mere facts and information, creative writing on the other side employs various techniques to appeal to its reader’s senses and emotions. 

It encompasses different genres and styles, with its core focus on character development, narrative, and plot building. Different from the formal scope of technical writing or academic writing, creative writing deeply infuses its structure with imagination.  

Forms of Creative Writing

Creative Writing is not just limited to novels, short stories, or poems, it includes dozen different types of writing suiting different situations and specific requirements. 

• Poetry 

Poetry is not just the most ancient but the most popular form of creative writing. Written in as distinctive forms as haiku or sonnets, it is a form of writing that creates evocative images with its fine vocabulary and rhythmic structure. Poetry appeals to its audiences’ emotions deeply and its major themes include nature, love, and God. 

• Short Story 

Filled with the goodness of compelling characters, great plotline, and descriptive language in a compact package, a short story is a form of fiction defined by its brevity. Its brief fictional narrative deals with only a few incidents and characters, which usually fall between the length of 3,000 to 7,000 words.  

Read Here: Short Story Writing Tips

• Novellas 

The English word novella derives from the Italian novella, meaning a short story related to facts. Larger than a short story but not as long as a novel, novellas are short novels, having 20,000 to 40,000 words or about 100 – 200 pages. A novella goes into great detail about the various crucial elements of the plot.

• Novels 

Perhaps the best-known form of fiction with wide-ranging genres, including romance, thrillers, science fiction, psych thriller, etc., a novel is a long-form of fiction that contains an invented prose narrative and complexity dealing with imaginative human experience. Writing a novel is a mammoth task but it is also the best way to improve your skills as a writer. 

• Plays 

A Play is a literary work written for various theatre and stage performances. They are traditionally divided into several acts and scenes, which assist build suspense and delivering the tale to audiences in a captivating fashion. Through its technique of dramatization plays, its functions appeal to its audiences variably. There are several varieties of plays, including those created for the stage, radio (radio plays), television, or motion pictures (screenplays). 

• Script 

 A screenplay, or script, is a written work by a screenwriter meant to function as a blueprint for a film, television show, TV commercial, or even a video game. A script written for television is also known as a teleplay. Screenplays can either be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing, which are written in a specific format to distinguish between various characters and dialogues. 

• Journals 

Journal writing is also a type of creative writing, it involves the simple act of writing informally regularly. Journals come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they serve a variety of functions, some creative, others personal. 

Skills Needed by a Creative Writer 

1. Communication Skills

Writing is nothing but communicating one’s emotion on a blank sheet of paper. To express one’s thoughts and emotions clearly, a person needs to be proficient with communication skills. As a writer, it becomes extremely important to write such work as its readers could relate to. Thus, good communication skills are a must for a creative writer. 

2. Observation Skills

Every writer needs to possess the power of observation. To hone the skill of breathing life into various characters, a creative writer must become an active observer of life and all its aspects.  Observation of nature helps the writers to create masterpieces of fiction. 

2. Excellent Vocabulary

A writer throughout his career deals with words and phrases to create innovative masterpieces. Thus, they need to have an excellent vocabulary and a great knowledge of words, phrases, and their correct usage. Knowledge of words helps writers to create quality content that emotionally influences their particular audiences. 

4. Discipline

The art of writing is not a cinch. After all, creating inspiring storylines and brilliant characters is not a piece of cake. There also come times when a writer faces writer’s block when nothing seems to inspire the writer to write. In such times, strict discipline helps the writer to push limits and complete the given tasks on time. 

Also Read: Effective Creative Writing Tips

Careers

For all the ones interested in creative writing, it offers some of the most inventive and creatively challenging careers in the industry. A degree in creative writing programs online helps one to develop great writing, research, and creative thinking abilities. After taking one such course candidates can go on to take up various job responsibilities as: 

Advertising Copywriter 

An Advertising Copywriter takes up the role of creating and delivering innovative advertising campaigns for their clients using their brilliant writing skills. An advertising copywriter works within the creative department of an advertising or media agency and helps produce headlines, slogans, catchphrases, and body copy for print advertising, writes for social media or web advertisements, and also creates scripts for radio jingles or TV commercials. 

Editorial Assistant  

An editorial assistant provides assistance and support at all stages of the publication of printed and online material which includes books, journals, magazines, etc. Performing a range of different administrative and editorial tasks, an editorial assistant functions to support the editorial staff in its every step till the publication. He organizes and researches projects to tight deadlines, summarizes written material, corrects manuscripts, and oversees tasks such as issuing materials from other publications. 

Magazine Journalist 

After honing your writing skills via various creative writing programs online, one could go-ahead to pursue a career as a magazine journalist. A magazine journalist researches and writes news articles for varied publication houses. These magazines include customer magazines in shops, supermarkets and trade magazines, also known by the name business-to-business (B2B) magazines. A magazine journalist mainly divides their time between avid researching, writing, and editing news stories for the publication houses. 

Lexicographer 

A lexicographer works researching specialist databases containing thousands of pieces of words and phrases from sources such as literature, newspapers, online journals, and also transcripts of radio and television, for substantiation of the meaning and usage of a particular word or phrase. Typically, a lexicographer works for coming up with better versions of various dictionaries. 

Writer 

Any individual with the abilities of imagination, research, and creative thinking could become a professional writer. As a writer, one gets the chance of writing myriad forms of fiction and non-fiction like children’s stories, novels, poetry, scripts for theatre, and also web content. Most writers work as freelancers, researching the market for relevant topics of articles & blogs and writing for their clients in their domain of interest. 

Web Content Manager 

After brushing up one’s skills through different creative writing programs online, people take up the role of Web Content Manager. As a Web Content Manager, one’s role is to manage all types of content on a particular website including, web pages, videos, blog posts, guest articles, social media, etc., to ensure quality content that is nicely laid out for the user. 

You may also be interested in Short Story Writing Courses

Top 7 Creative Writing Programs Online  

1. IIM Skills 

Admired by India’s most respected and diversified media conglomerate, ‘The India Today Group’, IIM Skills offers the best creative writing course in the industry. The Content Writing Master Course by IIM Skills is a 4-week live classroom online training. It features 3 months of guaranteed Internship, 30 hours of training (16 Hours Lectures + 14 Hours internship sessions), a dedicated placement cell, and myriad freelance opportunities. 

During the time of the course, candidates learn different forms of creative writing like blogs, articles, eBooks, news articles, etc. Excellent e-books get featured on such platforms as Kindle and Google Books. Candidates also use their creativity to create their first blog for prestigious platforms such as The Times of India. Candidates master 30 types of writing skills through the course of 140 hours of extensive training. 

Content Writing Course Syllabus

• Introduction to Content Writing       
• WordPress Web Development 
• Digital content (Articles, Blogging, Web Pages) 
• Copywriting 
• Marketing Collaterals 
• Email Writing
• Social Media Writing & Video Scripts 
• Creative Writing 
• SOP & Business Listing 
• Legal Writing 
• Technical Writing 101 
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) 
• Content Marketing 
• Affiliate Marketing & Ad sense 
• Freelance Content Writing 
• Resume Writing 

Upon completion, candidates are awarded a Certification from IIM SKILLS & Preparation for HubSpot Content Marketing Certification (USA) 

2. The Novelty – Creative Writing Programs Online 

In the spring of 2017, the idea of creating a collaborative space for worldwide writers hit the author Louise Dean. And The Novelty is the fruit of all her efforts in this direction of giving a new definition to the discipline of creative writing. The Novelty is an award-winning writing school that collaborates with some of the most brilliant writers like Paula Hawkins, Louise Doughty, Mark Billingham, Meg Rosoff, Val McDermid, Jessie Burton, etc. to teach its students the elegant art of creative writing.

Along with its online weekly writing classes, special writing groups, and a community of writers, it offers a platform that is open 24*7. The Novelty offers such highly trusted creative writing programs online as getting 5-star reviews on Trustpilot and is admired by major publication houses like Penguin Publications.

With its one-on-one tutoring sessions, various courses are available with The Novelty such as The Book in a Year, The Big Edit, Children’s Fiction, The Finished Novel Course, The Classic Course, Ninety Day Novel, Advanced Course, etc.  All these courses are self-paced courses that could be set according to one’s schedule and along with with-it candidates also get the added benefit of choosing their preferred author for one-on-one sessions upon signing up for any of the courses. 

Price 

The Novelty offers different courses and several pricing options: 

The Ninety Day Novel – $399 (for 3 months) 

The Classic Course – $325 

The Big Edit – $899 

The Book in a Year – $1825 

Find here the best Online Content Writing Courses

3. Coursera – Creative Writing Specialization Program Online 

When talking about academic courses, Coursera provides some of the best courses in the entire industry. The Creative Writing Specialization course by Wesleyan University is a course that covers three major creative writing genres: short story, narrative essay, and memoir. Created with the help of distinguished scholars and brilliant teaching faculty, this creative writing program takes you on a journey to master all the techniques of bracing a plotline, creating memorable characters, and developing a distinctive style of writing. 

This course helps transform novices into masters and thus could be taken by both an aspiring short story writer and an established novelist. This Specialization covers 4 courses focused on all the key aspects of writing, to build a better grasp of major creative writing fundamentals and develop critical thinking ability. 

The 5 Courses Under this Specialization Are: 

• Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot 
• Creative Writing: The Craft of Character 
• Creative Writing: The Craft of Setting and Description 
• Creative Writing: The Craft of Style 
• Capstone: Your Story 

Candidates are awarded a certificate upon completing the entire program. 

Also Read:  How to Become a Successful Writer

4. Reedsy – Creative Writing Programs Online  

In the summer of 2014, Emmanuel Nataf, Ricardo Fayet, Vincent Durand, and Matt Cobb established Reedsy to change how books are published worldwide. By providing publishers and authors access to skillful professionals and free educational content, Reedsy has built a community of over 1 million authors & 2,500 freelance professionals.

Taught by highly experienced authors and publishing professionals, Reedsy provides varied courses to trace your journey from the conception of the storyline to the very act of publishing and marketing it. Reedsy features beautifully designed snap-shot tutorials for mastering the art of creative writing.

Upon signing up for a particular course, the candidate is mailed a page-by-page 10-day tutorial for getting a better grasp of the core concepts. More than 19 courses are currently available under the section of writing on the platform. Some examples of the courses are: ‘ How to find your target audience’, ‘How to Write Mind-Blowing Fantasy Fiction, and many more. 

Although with all these benefits, this online creative writing course is only fit to get a sneak peek into the world of writing and not for gaining proficiency in the discipline. 

Price  

Free. 

5. EdX – Creative Writing Programs Online  

With the aspiration of providing high-quality education to every individual worldwide, edX was set up in the year 2012. With 3600+ courses, 160+ partner universities, 15,000 master instructors, and 110+ million enrollments, edX provide myriad courses in different fields from physics, engineering, and business management to art & culture, music, and writing. 

The creative writing programs online by edX are tutored by some of the most prestigious universities like ‘The University of British Columbia’, ‘University of Cambridge’, ‘University of Washington’ and ‘Berkeley University of California’.

These brilliant courses help candidates to hone their creative writing and imaginative thinking abilities, along with being effective for people who want to pursue their education in reputed institutions while working. edX offers Micro-graduate, Micro-postgraduate, or certification programs to candidates signing up for the courses. 

You may also want to opt for Non-fiction Writing Courses

6. Open Learn – Creative Writing Programs Online 

Delivered by the Open University as a part of its commitment to support societal wellbeing, Open Learn is a free learning platform. Since its launch in 2006, it has attracted more than 100 million visitors all over the world, by delivering quality academic, skills, and career development programs with openly available learning. 

Most certification courses on the platform are free of cost, except for the Bachelorette or Master’s Degree programs which contain a basic fee structure and upon successful completion of which students are offered their specific degrees from The Open University. 

The creative writing programs online are all self-paced and delivered via video lectures. Candidates get lifelong access to the material which helps them to hone their creative skills and learn profoundly about the art of writing. 

7. Masterclass – Creative Writing Program Online 

The masterclass is a streaming platform that offers video lessons on myriad topics like business and leadership, photography, cooking, acting, brand building, music, sports, creative writing, and many more. The Masterclass is perhaps the most well-known online learning platform, where all excellent courses are delivered by 150+ world-famous personalities. 

To teach the right technique of creative writing, the online creative writing course is tutored by some of the best-known authors, namely: Salman Rushdie, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, David Mamet, R.L. Stine, etc. Through the course, the students learn to find their unique writing voice, develop original plotlines and produce impactful characters.

Some of the topics covered in this course are Truth in Fiction, Sources of Inspiration, Finding Your Voice, Story Case Study: “The Graveyard Book”, and Short Fiction Case Study: “March Tale”. The entire course is self-paced and filled with practical examples to give an edge to all the candidates enrolling in this particular program. The opportunity of learning from magnanimous personalities helps students to gain from their experiences and write a story of success for themselves. 

FAQs 

1. How hard is creative writing? 

It differs from person to person, as creative writing is a part of such a field as requires a lot of imaginative thinking to go an extra mile for analyzing and evaluating different shades of a character’s personality in the story. It also puts your critical thinking ability to test at several instances when the plotline gets complex. But as the saying goes,” Practice makes a man perfect”, people grow proficient over time and these initial difficulties help them a lot in becoming great writers. 

2. Are creative writing programs online worth it? 

 While there are a lot of resources on the internet and in libraries, creative writing programs online can offer the chance to discover a completely new area of writing and with their help, one could learn more about a challenging aspect of writing. If you put in the time to research and the effort to learn, these courses will leave you with the best outcomes. 

3. What are the 5 types of writing? 

The 5 types of writing are as follows: 

• Narrative Writing- Narrative Writing is the most basic type of storytelling, it involves narrating the sequential order of incidents as happens to a particular character. 

• Descriptive Writing- Descriptive Writing is the same as the name suggests, it involves capturing every detail of a person, place, and scene in the plot. 

• Persuasive Writing- Persuasive Writing is written to persuade or convince the reader to favour a specific viewpoint. It is the best way to inspire one’s audience to take action for a cause. 

• Expository Writing- Expository Writing aims to inform the readers about a particular topic area. It satiates the hunger of readers for unanswered questions. 

• Creative Writing – Creative Writing is writing intending to surprise and delight the readers through its unique style of delivering plotlines. 

Conclusion 

There is an incredible amount of creative writing programs online available on the internet, but a learner should wisely analyze their level of knowledge and comfort to choose the best course for themselves. If one is a beginner, then one should go with some creative writing online course on platforms like Coursera, etc. After gaining some proficiency with the discipline one could then opt for some challenging courses to further hone their creative skills. 

One of the other creative writing training is a must for all the aspiring writers who want to strengthen their observation skills, find inventive ideas to write on, and effectively deal with writer’s block. These pieces of training not only help writers in becoming better at their craft but also give them the skill of effective communication; a skill exceedingly crucial in all walks of life.