creative writing course code

Getting Details...

Cyber Monday Savings 10% Off ALL Courses! Use code: CYBER View Courses -->

1-866-berklee, int'l +1-617-747-2146, [email protected], searching..., or check out these faqs:.

• CHANGE CERTIFICATE: When a student wants to change their lower-level certificate to a higher-level certificate (or vice versa) prior to the completion of the program. There are no additional fees for this option other than the cost of additional courses, and you will only earn one certificate upon completion.
• STARTING A NEW CERTIFICATE: When a student wants to earn more than one certificate by having the courses from their lower-level certificate waived into a higher-level certificate. In this case, an additional $175 registration fee is required.

Financial Aid

• Attained at least a 2.70 cumulative GPA in concentrate courses
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00
• Fulfilled all program requirements AND completed a minimum of 120 credits for a single major or 165 for a dual major
• Completed a minimum of 60 institutional credits for a single major or 105 institutional credits for a dual major
• Fulfilled all financial obligations to the college

Transfer Credits

Online undergraduate-level course, creative writing: finding your voice.

Authored by Pat Pattison

Course Code: OLART-216

starts January 13--> Next semester starts Jan 13, 2025

3-credit tuition, non-credit tuition.

Creative Writing: Finding Your Voice is designed to help you write clearly and strongly in your own unique voice, bringing your full self to your writing process every time you write. This course will guide you through the first and most essential part of finding your writing voice: how to bring your senses and sense memories to the forefront and channel them into your writing. No one has ever seen the world from your perspective before, in the order, time, and context you’'ve experienced it. Your sense memories stimulate your readers’ imagination, forcing them to respond with their own sense memories, filling your words with their stuff.

• Make conscious and informed choices about point of view and tense
• Employ your senses effectively
• Create interesting and effective metaphor
• Make conscious and informed choices about sentence type and structure

Need guidance?

Call ,  Text ,  or  Email us

Lesson 1: Sense-Bound Writing—What Writing

• Getting Close to Your Senses
• Sense-Bound Writing
• Using All of Your Senses
• Sharpening the Way You See the World
• Keeping Your Writing Eyes Open

Lesson 2: Writing from Person—Who Writing

• Point of View
• Camera Angles
• Third-Person Narrative
• First-Person Narrative
• Direct Address
• Second-Person Narrative
• Writing from the Outside
• Writing from the Inside

Lesson 3: Writing from Time—When Writing

• Locating Your Characters in Time
• Use of Tense and Point of View
• Writing in Past Tense
• Writing Past Tense to Present Tense
• Writing Present Tense to Future Tense
• Writing in All Three Tenses

Lesson 4: Writing from Place—Where Writing

• Locating Characters in Space
• Combining Where and When
• Sentence Types
• Combining Point of View, Senses, and Place
• Combining Third-Person Narrative, Moving from Past to Present Tense, Senses, and Place
• Combining Second-Person Narrative, Moving from Present to Future Tense, Senses, and Place
• Combining Direct Address, Moving through Tenses, Senses, and Place

Lesson 5: Metaphor—Adjectives and Nouns

• Making Metaphors
• Expressed Identity
• Qualifying Metaphor
• Verbal Metaphor
• Adjective/Noun Collisions
• Combining Senses with Adjective/Noun Collisions
• Working from Adjectives to Nouns
• Working from Nouns to Adjectives

Lesson 6: Metaphor—Nouns and Verbs

• Working with Nouns and Verbs
• Noun/Verb Collisions
• Combining Senses with Noun/Verb Collisions
• Moving from Nouns to Verbs
• Moving from Verbs to Nouns

Lesson 7: Metaphor—Expressed Identity

• Noun/Noun Collisions
• Noun/Noun Collisions and the Senses
• Expressed Identity and the Senses
• Creating Provocative Collisions

Lesson 8: Metaphor—Linking Qualities

• Finding Metaphors in Deeper Detail
• Words in Families and Keys
• Linking Qualities and the Senses
• Linking Qualities and Expressed Identities
• Using one Metaphor Term to Describe the Other Metaphor Term

Lesson 9: Finding Linking Qualities

• Determining Essential Qualities
• Locating Linking Qualities
• Linking Qualities
• Finding Target Ideas

Lesson 10: Working Both Directions

• Reversing Metaphor Direction
• Working Both Directions with Target Ideas
• Exploring through the Lens of the Target Idea
• Working Both Directions

Lesson 11: Reversing Direction through Linking Qualities

• Reversing Direction through Linking Qualities
• Exploring Metaphors through Prompts
• Finding Prompts

Lesson 12: The Grand Finale

• Final Project: Sharing Your Voice

Requirements

Prerequisites and course-specific requirements .

Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills English Proficiency Requirements All students enrolled in this course, must know English well enough to:

• Easily understand recorded videos and written class lessons
• Participate successfully in written and oral class discussions
• Read, write, and study without being hindered by language problems
• Possess intermediate or advanced grammar skills related to punctuation and verb conjugation

Textbook(s)

• Writing Better Lyrics: The Essential Guide to Powerful Songwriting (2nd Edition) by Pat Pattison (Writer's Digest Books, 2010)
• Songwriting Without Boundaries: Lyric Writing Exercises for Finding Your Voice  by Pat Pattison, (Writer's Digest Books, 2012)

Student Deals After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

General Course Requirements

Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course. 

• macOS Big Sur 11.0 or later
• Windows 10 or later
• Latest version of Google Chrome
• Zoom meeting software
• Speakers or headphones
• External or internal microphone
• Broadband Internet connection

Instructors

Pat Pattison is a professor at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches lyric writing and poetry. In addition to his four books, Songwriting Without Boundaries  (Penguin/Random House), Writing Better Lyrics, 2nd Edition (Penguin/Random House), The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure (Hal Leonard), and The Essential Guide to Rhyming (Hal Leonard), Pat has developed several online courses for Berklee Online. He has written more than 50 articles for various blogs and magazines, including American Songwriter , and has chapters in both The Poetics of American Song Lyrics (University Press of Mississippi) and The Handbook on Creative Writing (Edinburgh University Press).

Mark Scholtes is an ARIA-nominated and APRA-winning songwriter and recording artist. He was the first Australian artist to record for the legendary Verve record label , and his career to date has included collaborations with multiple Gram- winning producer Tommy LiPuma (Barbra Streisand, George Benson, Miles Davis), Grammy Life Time Achievement recipient and noted veteran engineer Al Schmitt (Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson), and multiple Grammy-winning producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchel, Herbie Hancock, Tracy Chapman).

Cassandra is a singer, educator, writer and performer based in Sydney, Australia. Having graduated Summa Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Songwriting and Music Production, she currently lectures in the Music Department at JMC Academy Sydney as well as mentoring artists and teaching voice. Cassandra is the vocalist and co-songwriter for an indie folk duo, sagas, and is currently writing a book on vocal technique. 

Susan Cattaneo is one of Boston’s most respected singer-songwriters, blending rock and folk with a healthy dose of country. Susan won the CT Folk Festival and has been a finalist or winner at some of the country’s most prestigious songwriting and music contests including: Kerrville New Folk, Emerging Artist Falcon Ridge, the International Acoustic Music Awards, the Independent Music Awards and the USA Songwriting Competition. Her latest album The Hammer and The Heart charted #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and yielded a folk radio #1 single and top 10 album. In her 20 years teaching Songwriting at Berklee College of Music, Susan helped students work on over 15,000 songs in all musical genres and styles and mentored over 2,000 artists. She’s taught master clinics at the International Folk Conference and at regional Folk conferences (NERFA, SWRFA and SERFA). Her Songwriting Lessons has been featured in a series in American Songwriter and Guitar Magazine and her lyric writing has been featured in Pat Pattison’s award-winning books Writing Better Lyrics and Writing Beyond Boundaries.

What's Next?

When taken for credit, Creative Writing: Finding Your Voice can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:

Related Certificate Programs

• General Music Studies Professional Certificate
• General Music Studies Advanced Professional Certificate

Related Degree Majors

• Bachelor's Degree in Music Production
• Bachelor's Degree in Music Business
• Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games
• Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Music Studies (Create Your Own Major)
• Bachelor's Degree in Electronic Music Production and Sound Design
• (Pre-Degree) Undeclared Option
• Bachelor's Degree in Songwriting
• Bachelor's Degree in Guitar Performance
• Bachelor's Degree in Songwriting and Producing Music

Related Music Career Roles

Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:

Digital Content Producer

Music Journalist

Proofreader

Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at [email protected] .

Save up to $200! Enroll by Dec 9, and save when you enroll in an eligible course or certificate.

Get instant access to free music resources, access free music resources, free sample lessons.

Take our online school for a test drive with our free sample course, featuring 12 lessons from our most popular courses.

Degree Handbooks

Download free course materials designed to provide you with marketable skills in music.

Online Course Catalog

Browse more than 200 unique 12-week courses in a wide variety of musical interest areas.

News and Exclusive Content

Receive the latest in music trends, video tutorials, podcasts, and more.

Already have an account? Log in to get access.

Berklee is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

Berklee Online is a University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) award-winner eighteen years in a row (2005-2023).

We use cookies to improve your experience on our sites. By use of our site, you agree to our cookie policy .

Proof of Bachelor's Degree to Enroll

Proof of a bachelor's degree is required to enroll in any non-degree, graduate-level certificate or course .

Ready to submit an unofficial copy of your transcript?

International Students

See the Enrolling in a Graduate Certificate or Individual Course page for more information.

Creative Writing, Certificate

The Creative Writing Certificate is a program concentration that seeks to expose learners to a variety of creative writing genres, including poetry, creative nonfiction, drama, fiction, and screenwriting. Four tracks are offered in the program:

• Poetry Writing,
• Fiction Writing,
• Creative Nonfiction Writing, and
• Screenwriting.

For students in each track, Introduction to Creative Writing is required, followed by one genre writing course, one literature/theater course in the chosen track, one program elective, and one capstone course.

Our unique capstone options include a choice of one of the following:

ENGLI 2210, Literary Journal: Prairie Light Review : an experiential course where students oversee the production of the journal, including acquisitions, copy editing, design, and marketing;

ENGLI 2261, Writing for Publication : a market-driven course that exposes the inner-workings of the publishing industry to writers seeking to release their work to the world;

ENGLI 2860, Internship : a hands-on course where students work with employers on real-world creative writing projects that will impact the business's mission and/or bottom line.

MPTV 1820, The Business of Screenwriting : a market-driven course about the inner workings of the film industry as it relates to professional screenwriting including finding an agent, pitching, collaborating with producers and understanding contracts. 

For more information about English, please visit the  program page .

Certificate Requirements

Field of Study Code: ENGLI.CER.CW

Students choose from a wide-range of literature courses to learn the techniques of published writers and develop deep reading skills. Theater electives develop characterization and dialog writing skills. Film courses assist in the study of plot, characterization, and visualization techniques. Students can also choose to take a genre writing course outside of their track.

General Creative Writing Certificate

• English Transfer Pathway, A.A.
• Professional Writing, Certificate

Explore our email writing courses

Select a topic and enroll in a free 10-day course taught by publishing professionals

10-day writing and publishing courses

Learn in quick five-minute lessons

Lessons are sent to your inbox each morning

Showing 19 courses

Novel Writing 101

So you want to write a novel? In this 10-part course, novelist and ghostwriter Tom Bromley will show you how to plan and write your book.

Taught by Tom Bromley

Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine

This 10-part course will reveal researched-backed, actionable tips to help you face down your procrastination gremlins and find a solid writing routine.

Taught by Prolifiko

How to Write a Business Book

So you want to write a business book? In this free 10-part course, publishing partner Alison Jones will show you how to structure and write your book.

Taught by Alison Jones

How to Turn Your Cookbook Idea into a Reality

Bring your cookbook to life in this free course from Laura Gladwin, the editor behind books by Heston Blumenthal, Ferran Adrià and Rene Redzepi.

Taught by Laura Gladwin

The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction

This free Reedsy Learning course explains the mistakes to avoid, the questions to ask yourself, and how to stay motivated when writing non-fiction.

Taught by Azul Terronez

The Ten Commandments of Writing YA Novels

Editor Kate Angelella reveals her 10 Commandments for Writing Young Adult fiction in this free course from Reedsy Learning.

Taught by Kate Angelella

How to Craft a Killer Short Story

Learn the art of the short story in this 10-part course from literary editor Laura Mae Isaacman.

Taught by Laura Mae Isaacman

Children’s Books 101: Writing for the Right Age Group

In this course, you will learn what publishers are looking for in books for kids of all ages... and how you can write these bestsellers.

Taught by Anna Bowles

Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character

In this free 10-part course, learn how to write dialogue that bring your characters to life and develop your plot into a satisfying narrative.

Taught by Bridget McNulty

Creative writing courses delivered straight to your inbox

Whether you’re a new writer or a published author, there’s no such thing as a writer who can’t learn something new about their craft. Reedsy Learning’s online writing courses make it easy for anyone, regardless of skill level, to improve their craft, build better routines, and pursue the creative writing life they’ve always longed for.

Learn from the best in the business

Our online writing courses are taught by professionals, including bestselling fantasy author Ben Galley and former Simon & Schuster editor Kate Angelella. Topics include:

We’ve got you covered on all these topics and more. Each 10-part course is delivered to your inbox, making these the most convenient creative writing courses on the internet. By saving both time and money, you’ll be able to reinvest in your dreams and get one step closer toward making them a reality.

How much does it cost?

Every writing course we offer is free. At Reedsy, we believe that knowledge shouldn’t be limited to those who can afford to pay for it — if you want to be a great writer, we want to help you achieve that.

Reviews for Reedsy’s free online writing courses

“I'm hooked. As a writer just starting out, this course was exactly what I needed. The lessons were short and sweet, so I wasn't intimidated when I opened my emails.” — Amy S.

“A very comprehensive course, especially considering that it's been delivered fully in an email format. I felt like I was there in the classroom with the teacher.” — Lucy T.

“These writing courses manage to cover a lot of ground in a minimal amount of time and space.” — Aisha P.

“The information you provided was exceptional. So much packed into one bite-sized email each day is definitely what time-strapped people need when trying to jump the hurdles that keep them from writing. These lessons have helped me push through several roadblocks that have kept my writing books closed and my pens in the box.” — Paul D.

“The lessons are short and divided into smaller topics, which makes it so much easier to keep track of what you’re learning.” — Cindy L.

“I am a short fiction and poetry writer who’s been writing for 50+ years. I found these courses to be invaluable as a refresher and a source of new insights. Thank you!” — Steve M.

NEW VIDEO COURSE

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing masterclass and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

Sale Ends Today: 40% Off Self-Guided Courses! Learn more »

Are you looking for the best online creative writing courses? You may have found some promising classes online, but you may also be unsure if the course is actually good. How can you know you’ll benefit from the course without spending your money first?

The good news is, there are creative writing courses out there for everyone, and they’re sure to improve your writing. Even better news, the best online creative writing courses share many of the same qualities.

If you want to learn how to write creatively, or if you simply want to improve your everyday writing, the best online creative writing courses can transform your writing abilities. Let’s explore what you might learn in creative writing classes, and how they help writers of all skill levels.

The Best Online Creative Writing Courses: Contents

What do you do in a creative writing class?

• Reputable Instructor
• Clear Course Description
• Promise of a Great Experience
• Constructive Feedback
• Focus on Craft
• Respect Your Creative Autonomy
• A Writing Community
• Motivate You to Write
• Jumpstart a Writing Habit
• Broaden Your Literary Horizons
• Offer a Healthy Creative Outlet
• Give You Next Steps

How to Make the Most of Online Creative Writing Courses

Every online creative writing class is unique, and different courses emphasize different things. We have classes that are entirely generative, meaning the focus is on writing new poems, essays, stories, or making headway into a novel or memoir project. Other courses might have more of a workshop component, in which you share your work with the class and receive feedback on how to improve your writing.

Some online writing courses also focus on specific skills or types of writing. You might take a class focused entirely on learning the tools for revision, or on learning the elements of fiction writing so you can later employ them in a story or novel.

In short, the best online writing courses typically include the following:

• Lectures and discussions on a topic of creative writing craft.
• Assignments that help you generate new work or revise old work.
• Opportunities to give and receive feedback with your fellow classmates.
• Feedback on your work from the instructor, who themselves is a successfully published author of the type of writing you’re producing.
• A weekly video call. Some courses, including ours, are entirely text-based and asynchronous, but many classes meet at least once a week on Zoom.

In addition to all of this, you will make new friends and connections in the best online creative writing classes. Writing is often a lonely experience for writers, and the bonds you make in creative writing workshops can last a lifetime.

12 Things to Look For In the Best Online Creative Writing Courses

The best online creative writing courses will sharpen your writing skills, help you find your confidence, and introduce you to new communities of writers. How do they do it? Here’s 12 things to look for to make sure you’re spending your money on the right online writing class. 

1. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Have a Reputable Instructor

Your course is only as good as the instructor who teaches it. For online writing classes to teach you the craft, they need to have reputable, trustworthy instructors. A great instructor will also be empathetic, community-oriented, adaptive to your writing needs, and a great writer themselves.

A great instructor will also be empathetic, community-oriented, adaptive to your writing needs, and a great writer themselves.

Do some research on the course instructor: they should have a terminal degree in their field (M.A., M.F.A., Ph.D., etc.), as well as a significant publication history. A reputable instructor will make all the difference in your course: as part of their education, the instructor should have undergone dozens of writing workshops, submitted to countless literary journals, and had their work scrutinized by critics and book lovers alike.

In order for an instructor to help you develop your creative writing skills, they need to be successful on their own. The best instructors are what make the best online creative writing courses.

2. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Have a Clear Course Description

What does the course teach you, and what will you learn week by week? In addition to listing a reputable instructor, the course description should tell you exactly what you’ll gain from taking the course.

In addition to listing a reputable instructor, the course description should tell you exactly what you’ll gain from taking the course.

Be sure you know exactly what you’re getting out of your online creative writing course, including what you might learn and write in the process. Consider what will help you the most as you embark on your writing journey: entering a course with certain goals or learning objectives will help you make the most of the course’s lectures and writing assignments.

There should be no ambiguity: if you’re paying for the course, you deserve to know exactly what you’re paying for. And, if you have questions, ask the program administrator before you enroll. They should be happy to hear from you!

3. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Promise a Great Experience

The best online creative writing courses prioritize one thing: YOU! Your learning, your goals, and your writing should be at the center of your experience. And, your course should guarantee that experience.

The best online creative writing courses prioritize your learning, your goals, and your writing.

Creative writing classes can be a risk, since they probably won’t confer university credit and you probably haven’t interacted with that instructor before. You want to be confident that your learning is guaranteed, otherwise you’ll only waste your time, money, and creativity.

Before you enroll in an online writing course, look to see if the program administrators have a student promise . Your experience in the course should be the number one priority of the instructor and administrators; otherwise, you’re better off looking elsewhere for the best online creative writing courses.

4. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Offer Constructive Feedback

In addition to useful lectures and assignments, creative writing courses give you access to helpful, instructional feedback. Most instructors hold Masters or Doctoral degrees in English or creative writing and, as a result, they have ample knowledge of what works in literature, as well as tons of experience in giving feedback.

Creative writing courses give you access to helpful, instructional feedback.

In the best online creative writing classes, an instructor will both inspire you to write and guide you towards being a better writer. Their feedback will cover the many aspects of great writing. For example, your instructor might comment on:

• Unclear language
• Ideas that need to be expanded
• Sentences that are too wordy or passive
• Opportunities to use more engaging vocabulary
• Places to improve writing structure
• Grammar and spelling corrections

Finally, an instructor will tell you what you are already doing well in your writing. When you write a really great metaphor , use interesting word choice, or find a moment of great insight, your instructor will tell you—highlighting the creative writing skills you have already mastered.

5. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Focus on Craft

You might be wondering how creative writing classes are different from high school English. The big difference is that, where a typical English class focuses on basic grammar and literacy skills, creative writing classes focus specifically on craft.

Creative writing classes focus specifically on craft: the elements of language and storytelling that make a work of prose or poetry successful.

What is creative writing craft? Craft involves the elements of language and storytelling that make a work of prose or poetry successful. Focusing on craft is how creative writing classes primarily improve your writing.

Your writing class might focus on the structure of a short story, the different types of literary devices , the importance of effective word choice , or the elements of storytelling . A writing class should break down successful works of literature into the components that make it work, giving you the tools to practice your own creative writing skills.

Additionally, craft-focused writing helps you with everyday writing. From improving your vocabulary to structuring an email, the creative writing practice translates to improved writing in every aspect of your life.

6. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Respect Your Creative Autonomy

One of the benefits of creative writing classes is the perspective you get from different writers. No two writers are working on the same projects, and in your course, you’re likely to work with students of different genres and writing styles.

your creative authority should be respected no matter how new you are to creative writing.

With so many different writing philosophies in one class, the new ideas you encounter can help strengthen your own writing. But in the worst-case scenario, a student or instructor might try to force their writing philosophy onto you. This is always unfair, as there is no one-size-fits-all writing advice, your creative authority should be respected no matter how new you are to creative writing .

For example, let’s say you’re writing a poem about your childhood cat, and the instructor thinks it should be a poem about your experiences growing up. No matter how many times you explain you want this poem to be about your cat, the instructor keeps telling you to write more about your childhood. By ignoring your goals for the poem, the instructor is not respecting your creative autonomy, because they think they know your writing needs better than you do.

No matter where you are in your writing journey, you are a writer, and you deserve respect and compassion as such. Every writer is on a constant journey of growth and discovery; your instructor and course should acknowledge and respect that. In your course, you will encounter many different ideas, but you should also encounter the freedom to accept or reject those ideas. It’s your writing: you get the final say!

7. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Foster a Writing Community

A creative writing course fosters a creative writing community . This community gives you the motivation to create, as it creates a safe environment to experiment, take risks, and grow in your writing practice.

A writing community gives you the motivation to create, as it creates a safe environment to experiment, take risks, and grow in your writing practice.

For even the most solitary of writers, writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Participating in a community of word enthusiasts can jog your creativity and give you useful feedback on your work. Additionally, the feedback you provide other writers in the community also helps you learn. It’s a self-fulfilling, self-sustaining process, where members of a writing group can continuously grow, improve, and fine-tune their love of the craft.

In fact, well-known authors throughout history have been a part of valuable writing communities, such as The Beat Poets, Stratford-on-Odeon, and other famous writing groups .

When you enroll in creative writing classes, you also take part in a writing community. Foster relationships, make new writing friends, and forge your own writing group—it may one day be famous, too!

8. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Motivate You to Write

Writing is a skill that you can only develop through practice. For anyone just starting on our writing journeys, the best online creative writing classes keep you motivated and accountable.

The best online creative writing classes keep you motivated and accountable.

Every instructor works differently, but you can expect the following in a creative writing class:

• Creative writing prompts
• Daily journaling assignments
• Helpful revisions
• Inspirational readings
• Ideas to combat writer’s block
• Different opinions on how to write creatively

Some courses are even designed to motivate you, such as our course Write Your Novel! The Workshop With Jack . Sometimes, the biggest struggle is simply to begin, and creative writing courses help you do that.

9. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Jumpstart a Writing Habit

The best online creative writing courses will get you into a writing habit. By combining lectures with thought-provoking assignments, one of the primary goals of a writing course is simply to get you writing.

You’ll gain the most from your creative writing courses if you block out the time to write every day.

To make the most of your creative writing classes, try to find time to write every day. It’s best to write at the same time every day, but if your schedule doesn’t allow this, sneak time where you can.

Here are some ways you can steal time as a writer:

• Journal for 15 minutes before you go to bed.
• Write while you wake up with your morning breakfast or coffee.
• Keep a journal on your phone during work and lunch breaks.
• Write on your commute to and from work. If you’re driving, consider keeping an audio journal, where you write by speaking into your phone’s recording device.
• Write on your phone while running on the treadmill.
• Put pen to paper while taking a bath.

These ideas won’t work for everyone, and it all depends on your schedule and lifestyle. Nonetheless, you’ll gain the most from your creative writing courses if you block out the time to write every day, no matter how brief that time is. And, your course should help you find the time to write!

10. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Broaden Your Literary Horizons

You need to read great writing to produce great writing. The best online creative writing courses will introduce you to great literature, giving you additional opportunities to explore the writing craft.

The best online creative writing courses will introduce you to great literature, giving you additional opportunities to explore the writing craft.

In creative writing classes, you might read both classic and contemporary literature. As writers, it’s good to have knowledge of both worlds. Classic literature introduces you to the bedrock of modern writing, including the devices and rhetorical strategies that make for effective poetry and prose.

Contemporary literature, on the other hand, gives you a glimpse into today’s literary zeitgeist. It’s important to understand today’s publishing landscape and the type of work that’s being published, even if you don’t intend to write like contemporary authors.

In fact, it’s better if you don’t try to write like anyone else! Reading other writers shows you what works in literature and what doesn’t, giving you opportunities to experiment with form and style. But, at the end of the day, your writing is for you, not for publishers or particular writing schools.

Use your creative writing classes as opportunities to explore literature, experiment with words, and discover what you’d like to write yourself.

11. The Best Online Creative Writing Classes Offer a Healthy Creative Outlet

Creative writing classes offer a healthy outlet for your creativity and emotions.

A healthy writing space can supplement your emotional health and wellbeing.

How is that so? With a space to put thoughts to paper, many writers inevitably reach breakthroughs about their own feelings and experiences. This is true regardless of whether you write poetry, fiction, plays, articles, or creative nonfiction.

Now, even the best online creative writing courses can’t replace the benefits of therapy. But, a healthy writing space can certainly supplement your emotional health and wellbeing. Between the prompts, community, and writing habits that a creative writing class fosters, you’re sure to come away from your course with renewed emotional health.

12. The Best Online Creative Writing Courses Give You Next Steps

Your education doesn’t end at the end of your course. If anything, the best online creative writing courses are only the beginning of your writing journey!

The best online creative writing courses are only the beginning of your writing journey!

The best online creative writing courses give you opportunities for continuous growth. Those opportunities can take many forms, such as: a list of literary journals to submit to, further readings on a topic of interest, future creative writing classes, or even simply the instructor’s email.

If you’re ready to move on to the next level of your career, your instructor should provide you with next steps. And if you crave more learning, ask the instructor!

A creative writing course is much like life: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Being an active participant will teach you as much about creative writing as the instructor will, because engaging with language is how you grow as a writer. Actively working with suggestions and ideas, keeping a daily writing practice, and offering other students constructive feedback will all boost your creative writing skills.

A creative writing course is much like life: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.

Additionally, do your research before you enroll in the course, or you might end up taking a class that isn’t suited to your needs. Look up the instructor for the course, their teaching style and previous publications, and how much experience they have as a writing coach. If they don’t seem well suited towards your learning style, they might develop your creative writing skills, and they won’t be worth the cost.

Find the Best Online Creative Writing Courses at Writers.com!

Are you looking for a writing community? Are you ready to get writing? Check out some of the upcoming courses at Writers.com , the oldest creative writing school on the internet.

Sean Glatch

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Creative Writing

One of the nation's most prestigious open-enrollment creative writing programs..

Whether you're looking to improve your writing for personal fulfillment, want to be published, or are preparing to apply to an MFA program, the Writers' Program can help you achieve your goals. You will find a supportive community of instructors, academic counselors and fellow students to help you on your journey.

We offer a wide range of open-enrollment courses, all of which may be taken individually. A guide on where to get started is provided below.

We also offer a fully customizable 21-unit Certificate in Creative Writing  where you can develop professional creative writing skills in the genre of your choice.

What do you want to create?

See All Courses

Creative Writing Certificate

Develop your skills in the genre of your choice, including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and more.

This customizable program culminates in a capstone project where you will make significant progress on a polished collection of work.

Taught by a prestigious roster of instructors who are published writers and active professionals, courses can be taken onsite, online, or a combination of both.

Writers' Program Consultations

If you have a completed draft of a manuscript and need feedback for your work, consider a one-on-one consultation with a Writers’ Program instructor.

Consultations give you a full cover-to-cover read of your work, a written evaluation, and a follow-up conversation in person, via phone, or web chat.

Get Started

Expect more from your education.

MFA, fiction writer, author of the story collection Once Removed (UGA Press) and winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. 

BUILD COMMUNITY

Writers' Program Network of Writers (WP NOW)

Stay immersed in the Writers' Program community. Our optional membership program offers exclusive access to a range of discounts and benefits, including members-only networking, professional development opportunities, and course discounts. 

L earn More

My UCLA Extension coursework, teachers, and colleagues have shaped my writing life, fueled the creation of my novel, and provided continual inspiration.

Corporate Education

Learn how we can help your organization meet its professional development goals and corporate training needs.

Donate to UCLA Extension

Support our many efforts to reach communities in need.

Innovation Programs

Student Scholarships

Coding Boot Camp

Lifelong Learning

• Accounting & Finance
• Architecture & Interior Design
• Business & Management
• Communications
• Design & Arts
• Digital Technology
• Engineering
• Entertainment
• Environmental Studies & Public Policy
• Health Care & Counseling
• Humanities & Social Sciences
• Landscape Architecture & Horticulture
• Legal Programs
• Osher (OLLI)
• Real Estate
• Sciences & Math
• Specializations
• Online Courses
• Transfer Credit Courses
• Conferences & Boot Camps
• Custom Programs & Corporate Education
• Instruction Methods
• Environmental Studies
• Accounting Fundamentals
• Business and Management of Entertainment
• College Counseling
• Cybersecurity
• Data Science
• Digital Marketing
• Feature Film Writing
• Human Resources Management
• Marketing with Concentration in Digital Marketing
• Personal Financial Planning
• Project Management
• Sustainability
• User Experience
• Payment Options
• How to Purchase Parking
• Enrollment Conditions
• Concurrent and Cross-Enrollment Programs
• Bruin ID Cards
• UCLA Recreation
• Course Drops, Transfers, and Withdrawals
• Accessibility & Disability Services
• Textbooks & Libraries
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships
• Military & Veterans Benefits
• Tuition Discounts
• Tax Advantages
• Grading Scale
• Credit Options
• Course Numbers
• Transcripts and Enrollment Confirmation
• Receiving Your Academic Credentials
• Instructors & Staff
• Parking & Lodging
• Keynote Speaker
• Career Resources
• Alumni Benefits
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Bruin REACH
• Career Services
• Featured Jobs
• Browse Certificate Programs
• Certificate vs. Master’s Degrees
• Dates and Fees
• How to Apply
• Academic Requirements
• OPT, CPT, and Internships
• Upon Completing Your Certificate
• Hummel Scholarship
• Program Details
• Online International Programs
• International Student Services Office
• New Student Orientation
• Maintaining Your F-1 Visa
• Health Insurance
• Academic Advising
• Frequently Asked Questions
• UCLA Campus Amenities & Activities
• Daily Needs
• Public Transportation
• Request a Proposal
• Board of Advisors
• Instructors
• Join Our Team
• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
• Accreditation
• Student Home
• Canvas Log In
• Student Log In
• Instructor Log In

Cookie Policy

We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience, including personalizing content and to store your content preferences. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Read our privacy policy .