Based in Chicago
What are the 5 best creative writing classes?
Congratulations! Deciding to learn how to creative write is often the hardest step of all. Now it's time for a choice that's almost just as difficult: picking which creative writing class you want to take in a market that's getting more crowded by the day.
That’s why we built this directory of the best creative writing courses — so that you can more easily filter through all of the selections out there. But in case you don't have time to dive into them all, here are five of the best creative writing classes for you to take a look at.
1. Reedsy Learning
💲 Cost: Free
👨🏫 Type: Email lessons
If you’re struggling to find time for creative writing classes, Reedsy Learning is for you. These bite-sized lessons are emailed to you once a day for ten days and can be read in five minutes or less. But don’t let their compact size fool you — each lesson is packed with practical tips, links to additional resources, and enough exercises to keep your skills sharp. There are also courses on editing, marketing, and publishing for when you’re ready to take your creative writing to the next level.
2. Gotham Writers’ Workshop
💲 Cost: $165 - $409 (plus registration fees)
👨🏫 Type: Video lectures, live Zoom classes, assignments, critique
The largest adult-education writing school in the US, Gotham Writers has been helping budding authors hone their skills since the 1990s. Based in New York City, they offer in-person classes as well as a variety of online options for students all over the globe. With self-paced courses, live Zoom lectures, write-ins, and several free events per term, Gotham Writers emulates the university feel wherever possible.
3. Udemy
💲 Cost: $0 - $109
👨🏫 Type: Lectures (videos, slides, and text)
Founded in 2010, Udemy is a massive online open course (MOOC) platform, created to provide an alternative to in-person, university learning. Their primary audience is made up of professionals and students — some of their courses even offer credit toward technical certifications. Their creative writing courses are broad and geared mainly toward beginners, through there are some intermediate courses that get into specific niches.
4. edX
💲 Cost: $0 - $998
👨🏫 Type: Video lectures, online assignments
Another MOOC, edX was started as a collaboration between Harvard and MIT, but these days boasts classes from a wide variety of respected universities. Like Udemy, some of their courses also offer college credits. edX’s courses are weekly, consisting of short videos, interactive learning exercises, and online discussion groups. Their writing courses cover everything from novels to stand-up comedy to digital content. There are also related courses in journalism, composition, and grammar, among other specializations.
5. Coursera
💲 Cost: Free (Creative Writing Specialization)
👨🏫 Type: Video lectures, online assignments
One last MOOC for our list, this time founded by several Computer Science professors from Stanford University. But don’t let its history fool you — Coursera offers humanities classes as much as science and technology. In addition to general courses, Coursera also offers specializations, a series of courses that work together much like what you’d find in a university.
I have a long list of creative writing courses. Now what?
If you've narrowed down a list of writing classes in English you like, then it's time to commit to one of them. But how do you know which is the right fit for your needs and lifestyle?
Before committing to one of them, we recommend considering some of these questions.
- What skill levels does the writing course cover?
- What’s the price of the writing course? Does it match your budget?
- How long does the writing course run for?
- Who is the instructor of the course? Can you verify their credentials?
- Is the writing course remote or in-person?
More creative writing resources
Whether you’re a new or established author, there are always evergreen resources out there to how to get a headstart on creative writing!
Free online materials
- Creative Writing Prompts (resource)
- Book Title Generator (resource)
- Character Name Generator (resource)
- Plot Generator (resource)
- How to Write a Novel (blog post)
- How to Write a Book Proposal (blog post)
- How to Edit a Book (blog post)
Recommended books
- For writers in the UK: Writers' & Artists' Yearbook
- For writers in the US: Writer’s Market 2020
