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75 Best Free Creative Writing Classes in 2024
Showing 75 courses that match your search.
Writing a Resume For Success
Kansas City Public Library
Applying for college or a new job is a daunting task, but having a good resume can alleviate some of the stress. In this class, gather tips and guidelines on how best to showcase your skills.
Website: https://kclibrary.org/blog/library-launches-online-writin...
Categories: Free
Start date:
Open all year round
Prerequisites: No prerequisites
Story Writing: How to Build Background With Imagery and Setting
This class is all about writing sensory descriptions and creating a sense of place in writing fiction. Discover how descriptive language can help ground your reader and create thought-provoking imagery that adds to the tone and intrigue of your story.
Website: https://kclibrary.org/calendar/story-writing-how-build-ba...
April, 2024
(Re)writing as Therapy
One of the most potent powers of writing is its ability to remold the past. In this class, we’ll use writing to explore past events, discovering how imagination can reframe good or bad times. You’ll even have the opportunity to literally rewrite a past event if you’d like.
Website: https://kclibrary.org/calendar/rewriting-therapy-0
How to Write a Novel
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May Seaport Free Write
What's more satisfying than leaving work behind on a Friday evening? Rounding out the week with a free writing session of course! Maximize that Friday feeling and kick off your writing weekend with us! In 60 jam-packed minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing!
Website: https://grubstreet.org/findaclass/class/may-seaport-free-...
Writing the First Feature Film Treatment Toolkit
UCLA Extension
Learning to write a screenplay is a process, and to do it well can take years of practice. Boil down your story into a short pitch and then expand that into a complete treatment for a feature-length script.
Website: https://www.uclaextension.edu/writing-journalism/screenwr...
Hard Times Writing Workshop
Jefferson County Public Library
This workshop offers a supportive environment for adults to process life experiences through storytelling. It's a free and open weekly writing workshop.
Website: https://jeffcolibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/656ea59208...
Writing Mysteries & Thrillers
Writing Adventures
Step into the world of suspense with our "Mysteries and Thrillers" class. Delve into writing mysterious and thrilling narratives, creating enchanting plots, eerie characters, and ingeniously hidden clues.
Website: https://www.hisawyer.com/writing-adventures/schedules/act...
Improv + Scene Writing
"Improv + Scene Writing" merges comedy, performance, and writing in a dynamic one-hour class. Enhance your skills in plot crafting, character development, pacing, and comedic timing, all while collaborating and performing with peers.
Electrifying Creative Writing
"Electrifying Creative Writing," our standout course, promises to ignite your creative spark like never before. Explore a diversity of themes and genres, embarking on a year-long adventure that empowers you to find and develop your own writing style and talents.
Advanced Writing Essentials
"Writing Essentials" redefines your approach to essays. Move beyond traditional structures and dull topics, embracing a journey to discover your unique writing talents and style. Write about what truly matters to you within a nurturing and social writing community.
Writers Room Experience
Writers Room
This experiential studio class, led by instructor Lauren Lowe, focuses on developing an understanding of the self in relation to the world. It emphasizes building community and working towards a more equitable world through writing and sharing stories.
Website: https://www.writersroomdrexel.org/courses
Blackout Poetry Workshop
Willoughby City Library
This workshop focuses on creating stories and poetry through the technique of blackout poetry, where a page of text is blacked out except for a few select words, creating a new story from the existing text. It's an interactive and fun approach to creative writing. The workshop is held at The Creator Space, Chatswood Library, and materials are provided for participants. The workshop is free of charge and scheduled for a specific date and time.
Website: https://libraries.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/Eventbrite/Blacko...
How to choose a free creative writing class
Looking to build your writing skillset, learn more about your genre, or finally finish that book you’ve been working on? You’re in the right place. That’s why we built this directory of the best creative writing courses.
However, creative writing classes aren’t one size fit all. If you’re planning to join a free writing class in particular, you’ll want to make sure that it matches what you’re seeking to learn about creative writing.
So make sure to consider the following questions when you’re researching free writing courses:
- Who is the instructor? How many years of experience do they have in creative writing?
- Is there something in particular you’d like to learn about creative writing? Does this course include it?
- How long is the course, and where is it taught?
- Are there any hidden fees advertised in this free creative writing class?
More free 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 writing a book.
Free online materials
- Creative Writing Prompts (resource)
- How to Self-Publish a Book (blog post)
- How to Publish a Novel (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
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7 free online creative writing courses that you can enrol in right now
By Megha Sharma
As a form of expression , a means to escape the reality, and a medium to communicate a larger ideology, the act of writing can serve different purposes. And no matter what your reason to put pen to paper, or keys to screen, these virtual lessons could help you develop the techniques you will require on your creative journey. Here, find out all the free online courses you can join to begin now.
Creative Writing Specialisation
Covering three major creative writing genres—short story, narrative essay and memoir—the course will help you master the techniques of putting your ideas on paper as clearly as possible. So if you’ve been meaning to work some engrossing features in your already existing plot, or better highlight the setting of your story, or simply articulate in a stronger fashion, let this lesson be on your shortlist. In case you’re just starting out, the course is equally rewarding.
Write Your First Novel
Have you been wanting to pen down your thoughts and weave them into a well-written novel? Go for this virtual course where you will learn an end-to-end approach to producing a work of fiction. Through a stepwise process that will culminate in your individual production of a 50,000-word book, the learning course will provide you all the important pointers right from the top.
Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest
Complete with video lectures, online readings, peer reviews and guest appearances from renowned authors, the course will offer an all-inclusive guide to creative writing for students and young aspirers. Apart from that, you will also explore the cultural significance of notable works , analyse the ways in which art and words interact, and become familiar with standard elements of a narrative, that include dialogue, point of view, theme, plot and so on.
Write A Feature Length Screenplay for Film or Television
Whether your point of interest is serious dramas, romantic comedies or thrillers , the free virtual course will zoom in on every aspect of screenplay writing so you’re able to pursue the genre you want. Following in a well-structured process, you will have produced a pitch-ready script by the time the four-week programme is over. Along with learning how to create a basic idea and write loglines, you will be studying the Three Act Story Arc, and much more.
By Vogue Staff
By Shriya Zamindar
By Prabal Sharma
Memoir and Personal Essay: Write About Yourself Specialisation
Here, four published memoirists and essayists let you in on the tricks and tools of writing about yourself. Be prepared for professional tips, prompts, reading challenges and exercises among other interactive activities. Unlike many other courses where you will be producing a large body of work at the completion of the programme, here, you will be constructing a portfolio of work to use as valuable components later.
Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop
These lessons support the school of thought that poetry isn’t just a means of expression. Rather, using it for just that, is like “using the internet just for email”. If you too are willing to think beyond that, and take up the art to bring about a change in people’s thought and ideologies, the course is for you. Learn to use the several tools of poetic composition, study the works of contemporary poets and, of course, try your own hand at the skill.
Transmedia Storytelling: Narrative worlds, emerging technologies, and global audiences
In a world that believes in not just up-skilling, but also cross-skilling, this transmedia course serves to be an extremely well-rounded one. The description on the website states, “Transmedia storytelling is the practice of designing , sharing, and participating in a cohesive story experience across multiple traditional and digital delivery platforms - for entertainment, advertising and marketing, or social change.” So learn to develop expansive narratives and optimise your writing for mobile devices, social media communities, virtual and augmented realities and more.
6 free online history courses to take while you’re self-quarantined from Harvard University and more
6 free online music courses you can enrol in while you self-isolate
Art enthusiasts, here are 7 online courses you can now enrol in
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Start writing fiction
Course description
Course content, course reviews.
Have you always wanted to write, but never quite had the courage to start? This free course, Start writing fiction, will give you an insight into how authors create their characters and setting s. You will also be able to look at the different genre s for fiction.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- identify strengths and weaknesses as a writer of fiction
- demonstrate a general awareness of fiction writing
- discuss fiction using basic vocabulary.
First Published: 09/08/2012
Updated: 14/05/2018
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Introduction to Creative Writing
Course description.
Introduces the craft and practice of creative writing. Engages with both contemporary and classic authors within the primary genres of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. May also include exploration of other genres such as drama, screenwriting, digital storytelling, film, and performance genres. Develops use of craft elements discussed in class to compose original work in at least two genres. Covers revision practices for voice and purpose. Audit Available.
Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify the basic craft elements of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction writing.
- Read critically to analyze poetry, fiction, essays, and other written works.
- Write original poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction works.
- Participate in workshop method of critiquing creative writing.
- Revise works within the creative writing process.
Suggested Outcome Assessment Strategies
The determination of assessment strategies is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: writings (journals, self-reflections, pre writing exercises, essays), quizzes, tests, midterm and final exams, group projects, presentations (in person, videos, etc), self-assessments, experimentations, lab reports, peer critiques, responses (to texts, podcasts, videos, films, etc), student generated questions, Escape Room, interviews, and/or portfolios.
Department suggestions: Original poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction works, peer workshop, written analysis of creative texts.
Course Activities and Design
The determination of teaching strategies used in the delivery of outcomes is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: lecture, small group/forum discussion, flipped classroom, dyads, oral presentation, role play, simulation scenarios, group projects, service learning projects, hands-on lab, peer review/workshops, cooperative learning (jigsaw, fishbowl), inquiry based instruction, differentiated instruction (learning centers), graphic organizers, etc.
Course Content
Outcome #1: identify the basic crat elements of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction writing..
- point of view
- symbolism/allegory
- figurative language
- rhyme scheme
- speaker vs poet
- basic poetic forms (i.e. sonnet, haiky, villanelle, sestia, acrostic, ballad, ode, free verse, limerick, etc.)
Outcome #2: Read critically to analyze poetry, fiction, and essays.
- identiry genre
- identify main idea/point/purpose
- describe structure
- impacts of author choices
- annotating a text
- making claims
- summary vs analysis
- in class workshop
- instruction in constructive feedback (both written and verbal)
- crafting question as feedback
Outcome #3: Write original poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction work.
- Brainstorming
- writing journal
- acrostic prompts
- hermit crab/mimic forms
- written description of images
- timed freewriting
- at least one fiction draft
- 2-5 poem drafts
- at least one creative nonfiction draft
Outcome #4: Participate in workshop method of critiquing creative writing.
- set community standards for in class workshop
- written drafts submitted in advance
- instruction on constructive and polite feeback
- guided workshop process
- both verbal and written feedback among peers
Outcome #5: Revise works within the creative writing process.
- reverse outlines
- cut & amp; rearrange
- scan and highlight
- revision checklists
- diction/word choice
- consistent point of view
- shifts in verb tense
- sentence/line variety
- paragraph breakdown
- integrate insights from workshop process in revision work
- integrate insights from readings in revision work
- write self-assessment of revision process
Suggested Texts and Materials
- OER Text: Write or Left: An OER Textbook for Creative Writing Classes. Compiled and written by Sybil Priebe, an Associate Professor at the North Dakota State College of Science.
- OER Text: the anti-textbook of writing (remixed). By Sybil Priebe and students.
- OER Text: Introduction to Creative Writing. Linda Frances Lein, Alexandria Technical and Community College – Distance Minnesota
- OER Text: Creative Writing, Creative Process. Matthew Cheney, Plymouth State University
IMAGES
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The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. ... Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and ...
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Multiple submissions of original creative writing in class, from examples: at least one fiction draft; 2-5 poem drafts; at least one creative nonfiction draft; Outcome #4: Participate in workshop method of critiquing creative writing. Structured workshop process in class, may include: set community standards for in class workshop