The 8 Best Online Writing Courses

Our Ranking Criteria

The best online writing courses offer you the chance to take your natural writing skills and shape them into a form that will open the doors in your chosen field. Whether you want to pen TV sitcom scripts or write the next great American novel, the best online writing course for you will take you further than you would be able to go on your own, helping you develop professional-level skills that will allow you to obtain the job of your choice. We based our decisions for the best courses on the following criteria.

Basic ranking criteria

No one factor makes a writing course the best. Instead, we looked at multiple aspects of each of the 74 online classes and factored them into our final ranking. In our first pass, we looked at basic ranking criteria:

Time to complete. Although it’s important to have the time to thoroughly understand what you’re learning, no one wants to spend more time in class than necessary. Some of our chosen classes are self-paced, others take less than an hour to one year.

Prerequisites required. None of our finalists has any prerequisites, which means that anyone with a basic understanding of the English language can participate and learn. If you do have previous writing experience, that’s all the better, but it’s not necessary.

Flexible schedule. All but two of our choices feature a flexible schedule. Your life is busy, and for most people, it is difficult to sign into the course at a specific time. Eight of our chosen courses allow you to take the classes and do the work as you can at a convenient time.

Certificate of completion. A certificate of completion is not standard for writing courses. However, if one is available, adding the certificate to your resume and LinkedIn profile is often a plus.

Advanced ranking criteria

Once we reviewed the results for the basic ranking criteria, we looked at more advanced features specific to the courses’ topics. Since many of our finalists have different focuses (such as children’s literature or creative writing), we were more concerned that they each covered their topic completely rather than covering the same things as the other courses.

• The course thoroughly covers the material needed for an understanding of the topic.
• Instructors have solid credentials in the field they are teaching.
• The course includes materials appropriate for someone without skills or training in that area.
• The course includes opportunities for students to practice their writing skills.
• Instructors are personable and engaging.
• Alums of the course are equipped to write at a beginning professional level.
• Graduates of the course have landed good jobs in their fields.
• The course does not require software beyond a basic writing program such as Microsoft Word.
• The goals for the course are clear from the beginning.

8 Best Online Writing Courses or Bootcamps

Coursera

Creative Writing Specialization by Wesleyan University

Intelligent Award: Top Pick

Coursera’s business model is different from that of many online education companies. It partners with established colleges and universities to offer classes at the higher-ed level. You earn college credit for only a few courses, but you can gain valuable certificates by completing specializations. The Creative Writing specialization consists of five courses focusing on three genres: short story, narrative essay, and memoir. Within those genres, you’ll learn about crafting characters and settings, writing descriptions, and developing your style, followed by a capstone class resulting in a completed story, essay, or memoir. Throughout the specialization, you’ll have access to peer readers who can critique your work and suggest improvements. The course is taught by faculty at Wesleyan University, published authors trained in creative writing.

• Price: $49/month
• Time to complete: 1 month (at 10 hours per week)
• Prerequisites required: None
• Flexible schedule: Yes
• Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes

Who should take this course? This course is best for writers wishing to jumpstart or fire up their creative projects with college-level coursework.

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Udemy
Secret Sauce of Great Writing

Intelligent Award: Most Affordable

Intelligent Award: Most Affordable

One of the better-known names in the online education industry, Udemy offers both paid and free courses and, as of 2024, has more than 70 million students. One of the company’s many courses on writing, The Secret Sauce of Great Writing, stands out. Taught by former Wall Street Journal editor Shani Raja, the class focuses on what Raja believes are the four ingredients of good writing: simplicity, clarity, elegance, and evocativeness. Understanding and using these four ingredients, Raja says, will take your writing from the mundane to the inspiring. And at this price — it’s free! — and with a minimal time commitment (the course runs less than an hour), it is a great way to boost your writing and possibly learn some techniques that can enhance your output, whether you’re writing press releases or your autobiography.

• Price: Free
• Time to complete: 44 minutes
• Prerequisites required: None
• Flexible schedule: Yes
• Includes verified certificate of participation: No

Who should take this course? Anyone looking for a short, inspirational course at no cost.

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MasterClass
Shonda Rhimes Teaches Writing for Television

Intelligent Award: Best for Multimedia Writing

Our top pick from MasterClass is the Shonda Rhimes MasterClass on writing for television. However, there are several excellent options for writers, including courses by Neil Gaiman, David Sedaris, and Joyce Carol Oates. Rhimes packs a lot into her 30 lessons, including creating a compelling character, script structure, and authentic dialogue. But she also takes it beyond writing instruction, discussing editing, breaking into the industry, and showrunning, among other TV-centric topics. Your annual membership to MasterClass also gives you access to a PDF workbook and the opportunity to download the classes and watch them offline. Rhimes is one of the biggest names in television today and an engaging speaker who seems to relish letting learners in on all the secrets that got her to where she is today.

• Price: Annual membership starts at $120 (access to 200+ classes)
• Time to complete: Self-paced
• Prerequisites required: None
• Flexible schedule: Yes
• Includes verified certificate of participation: No

Who should take this course? Best for those with some script-writing experience or anyone who wants to try their luck with the notoriously difficult-to-break-into world of TV writing.

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Writer’s Digest University
Creative Writing 101

Intelligent Award: Best for Beginners

If you are starting your writing career, consider checking out Writer’s Digest University. A venerable name in the writing world, Writer’s Digest has been publishing a magazine for writers since 1920, and it has the professional chops to offer solid, comprehensive courses to both beginners and experienced writers. Creative Writing 101 is geared toward those who have an idea and the urge to write but are unsure where to begin. The classes lead you in shaping your protagonist and antagonist and fleshing out the story’s plot while addressing common writerly concerns, such as determining points of view and how to motivate yourself to write. The 12 sessions are available for $579.99, which is steep for what you receive, but the quality of the courses is generally excellent.

• Price: $579.99
• Time to complete: 12 weeks
• Prerequisites required: None
• Flexible schedule: Yes
• Includes verified certificate of participation: No

Who should take this course? Those who are at the beginning of their writing career without a strong sense of direction. It’s also good for established writers who want a refresher on imagery and dialogue.

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Bookfox
Two Weeks to Your Best Children’s Book

Intelligent Award: Best Editorial Support

Intelligent Award: Best Editorial Support

Bookfox is the brainchild of John Matthew Fox, a former college professor, editor, and writer, who understands the ins and outs of the publishing world well. His courses, which include Two Weeks to Your Best Children’s Book, are packed with information. They delve far beyond the actual writing process and include how to generate book ideas, the revision process, and, perhaps most importantly, how to successfully publish your book. He also touches on finding an illustrator and agent and what you should know if you decide to self-publish. Fox himself teaches each class. The self-paced children’s book class has 14 lessons, which take two weeks to one year. As a one-person operation, Bookfox doesn’t have the highly polished look and feel of companies like MasterClass, but Fox’s knowledge base more than makes up for his website’s lack of bells and whistles.

• Price: $149
• Time to complete: Two weeks
• Prerequisites required: None
• Flexible schedule: Yes
• Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes

Who should take this course? Anyone who wants comprehensive information on the editorial and publishing process.

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CreativeLive
Writing Your Story

Intelligent Award: Best for Memoir Writing

CreativeLive’s Memoir course, called “Writing Your Story,” is taught by celebrated novelist and memoirist Joyce Maynard, who first came to public recognition following her account of her affair with J.D. Salinger, At Home in the World. She’s written several other books of an autobiographical nature, along with 11 novels. Her teaching style is engaging and idiosyncratic and involves numerous stories from her own life. If that piques your curiosity, you’ll find her course engaging and informative, with 26 lessons that range from 2-32 minutes long and discuss how to determine what to write, how to write it, and how to handle criticism and rejection. If you enjoy Maynard’s teaching style, note that she also teaches several other courses, including How to Write a Full-Length Memoir and How to Write a Personal Essay.

• Price: $11/month for a pass that includes 2,200+ classes; $149 if you purchase just this class
• Time to complete: 5 hours and 19 minutes
• Prerequisites required: None
• Flexible schedule: Yes
• Includes verified certificate of participation: No

Who should take this course? A great option for anyone who wants to tell their own story.

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Grammar Lion
A Grammar Refresher for All Writers & Editors

Intelligent Award: Best for Grammar Review

Having a great story to tell is important, but you won’t be able to tell it unless you have the basic building blocks of writing. This means paying attention to grammar, and it’s what the Grammar Lion Grammar Refresher course offers. Appropriate both for those who need to learn about grammar and accomplished writers looking for a review of basic material, the course starts by identifying the parts of speech, reviewing sentence structure, delving into verb forms, and discussing shifts in person, tense, and structure. The instructor is Ellen Feld, a journalist, author, and essayist who has taught more than 45,000 students on the Grammer Lion platform. You can connect to Feld via a discussion forum or by private email. She also offers one-on-one editing services for an additional fee.

• Price: $99
• Time to complete: 12 weeks
• Prerequisites required: None
• Flexible schedule: Yes
• Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes

Who should take this course? Beginners who are learning grammar for the first time and experienced writers who need a refresh in the building blocks of language.

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Gotham Writers Workshop
Fiction Writing 1

Intelligent Award: Best Supporting Materials

Gotham Writers Workshop has made a name for itself in the NYC region with in-person and Zoom classes, but it also offers well-regarded online classes. Level I classes, such as Fiction Writing I, have a maximum of 16 students per class, so you are guaranteed personal attention from the instructor. Level II and III classes (which include the continuation of the Fiction Writing series) have a maximum of 14 students. You can access each class and do the accompanying exercises anytime during the week for the 10-week workshops. The online interface makes it easy to submit work and read critiques from instructors and fellow students. Lessons are text-based rather than video, and there is a wealth of accompanying materials, such as reading lists and podcasts, to help you extend your learning experience.

• Price: Registration fee: $25; Online class: $439 (returning students: $409); One-on-one: $1,895
• Time to complete: 10 weeks
• Prerequisites required: None
• Flexible schedule: Modified flex time, with work needing to be completed within a week
• Includes verified certificate of participation: No

Who should take this course? Anyone who prefers text-based lessons and wants to interact personally with their instructor and peers.

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Online Course Comparison Chart

Tips for Succeeding in an Online Writing Course

1. Consider the cost

How much do online writing classes cost?

Online writing courses are offered at a broad range of prices; our cheapest option is free, and the highest is nearly $2,000. Generally, the more personal one-on-one time you have with an editor or instructor, the more you’ll pay.

When you sign up, many of our choices are paid for in one lump sum. A few, however, follow Coursera’s model of charging by the month or year. Also, remember that some of our choices, such as MasterClass, give you access to all courses for the membership fee. So, if you have the time and interest, your $180 annual fee at MasterClass could net you dozens of courses in various topics.

Will my employer pay for me to take the course?

If you work in the communications industry or in any industry that values good, clear writing skills, you may be able to have all or part of your writing course fees paid for by your employer, especially if you can show them how the course will benefit them. It’s worth asking your boss or your HR supervisor if they will help with the cost.

2. Get your tech squared away

You shouldn’t need any special software or hardware to take an online writing course. You will need a good internet connection and a computer loaded with the most recent version of your chosen browser and system files. Most courses are formatted to work on desktop computers and other devices, such as your tablet or smartphone. One handy app for Google Chrome is the company’s Video Speed Controller, which allows you to speed up or slow down HTML5 video as needed.

3. Use the right study resources

One resource that many writers swear by is a good style guide. There are several of these, and you can generally find out which style guide your company uses with a quick question to the marketing or communications department. Here are the most common:

• Associated Press Stylebook — Used by journalists, it is also the favored choice for much web writing as well as some academia.
• The Chicago Manual of Style — a wealth of information, the 17th edition features chapters on grammar and usage, a glossary of problematic words, and extensive information on citing sources.
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association — in its 7th edition, this style guide is used extensively by researchers and those in science and health care.

Career Outlook for Creative Writing

The skills you learn in an online creative writing class can be applied to multiple careers and offer plenty of opportunities to share your ideas and perspectives. Few people are full-time authors. But most professions, from legal work to health care, require those who can write clearly and concisely. According to the government’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, a full-time writer earns an average of $73,690 a year — but you can earn significantly more, depending on your job skills and professional area. Below are additional jobs related to creative writing:

Author

Authors tell stories in a written medium. They may generate their own work based on their personal interests or areas of expertise, or they may work on commission for a third party. The writing process includes brainstorming, researching, outlining, drafting, and revising. Because authors typically work on contract, their salaries vary widely. As of May 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the median annual salary for writers and authors is $73,690. Authors receive payment through a combination of advances, royalties, and net receipts or via a flat fee.

Screenwriter/Playwright

Screenwriters and playwrights use their creative writing talents to tell stories through performance-based mediums like TV, film, and live theater. These roles are often collaborative, with writers working as part of a team that includes directors, producers, actors, and designers. Screenwriters and playwrights must generate ideas, conduct research, outline, write, and rewrite. These jobs are often contractual, with salaries varying greatly. According to Salary.com, screenwriters earn a median annual salary of $60,114.

Public relations specialist

Public relations specialists and publicists rely on strong written communication skills to produce press releases, articles, speeches, and more. These individuals use the narrative-crafting skills they learn in creative writing classes to tell stories for their clients, who can be organizations, brands, or products. BLS projects an 8% increase in public relations specialist jobs through 2031 and reports that the median annual wage is $66,730.

Marketing copywriter

Marketing copywriters use their creative writing skills to describe and promote brands, products, services, and more. They write for a variety of print and digital platforms, including catalogs, commercials, social media, and more. Virtually every industry employs copywriters, including finance, retail, business consulting, and IT, making this an ideal career path for individuals with expertise in a field other than writing. According to Salary.com, the annual salary range for copywriters falls between $47,426 and $75,876.

Blogger/Web content writer

Creative writers can use the internet to share and monetize their writing. Bloggers may be self-employed and run their own blog based on their interests or they may write for an outside company as a freelancer or salaried employee. Brainstorming, researching, writing, and editing are all common elements of a blogger’s job. They may also need to create photo or video content and promote the blog. The average salary for bloggers is $52,729, according to Salary.com.

Educational requirements for careers in creative writing

Whether a job in the creative writing field will require a specific degree or formal training largely depends on the role or the employer. Nobody needs formal training or credentials to write a book, blog, movie script, play, etc. Individuals often teach themselves through the practice of writing. Still, formal training can be helpful if you want to familiarize yourself with storytelling techniques and principles and to learn more about the particular industry you want to join. For certain jobs, such as editor or journalist, a bachelor’s degree can open up more opportunities and increase earning potential.

Frequently Asked Questions About Writing Courses?