If you are in search of the best free writing courses that also give you some credentials to take home and show your grandmother, I’ve got you covered!
While there are many online courses on different platforms, not all will offer you a certificate on completion.
UTEP mentioned that online certificates have recently gained employer recognition. As such, an online course with a certificate option may be all you need to bring your writing dreams to reality.
Save these free online writing courses with certificates below; even if you don't start any now, the list will be great to have when you are ready! I may also update it periodically:
- Write Your First Novel
- Writing For Young Readers: Opening The Treasure Chest
- Write A Feature Length Screenplay For Film or Television
- Secret Sauce of Great Writing
- A comprehensive guide to Creative Writing
- Script Writing: Write a Pilot Episode for a TV or Web Series (Project-Centered Course)
- Mastering The Art of Persuasive Writing
- Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop
- Screenwriting
- Essay essentials: improve Your Academic writing
- Finding Your Voice as A Playwright
- How To Write and Publish A Novel
Write Your First Novel
This course is available on Coursera for free. It was designed and presented by David Wheeler, a seasoned screenwriter, screen director, and cinematographer.
Why this course?
- This course targets beginner-level writers
- It teaches you everything you need to start writing your novel, from a simple idea to polishing your first manuscript.
- It also teaches you how to form and keep writing habits to ensure you complete your novel
- It encourages you to practice writing your manuscript from day one.
Course Details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 127h
- Contains 26 modules
- It offers you a shareable certificate on completion
- Rating: 4.3 stars
Pros:
- It offers you flexible learning deadlines
- It is ideal for budding and seasoned writers alike
- It allows you to write your novel as the practice example
- It allows for peer-reviewing
Cons:
- The certificate is only available at a fee
- Teaches basic novel writing concepts
This course is a good choice if you are a new writer looking for a step-by-step guide to writing a novel. Sign up for the class to start learning today.
Writing For Young Readers: Opening The Treasure Chest
This course was created by The Commonwealth EducationTrust and presented on Coursera by seasoned authors David Hill, Maria Gill, and Dr. Alex Alexandrou.
Why this course?
- This course teaches you how to write for young readers.
- It teaches you how to combine words and images to communicate effectively with young readers.
- It allows you to create your story excerpts as writing practice examples.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration:13h
- It offers you a shareable certificate upon completion.
- Rating: 4.7 stars
Pros:
- It allows you to schedule lessons to suit your schedule
- It offers very insightful discussions and viewpoints from guest authors
- It provides peer-reviewed feedback on assignments.
Cons:
- The certificate for this course is only available on purchase
- Writing critiquing not done by professional or seasoned writers
This course is a treasure for aspiring writers looking to write impactful books for children. Click here to start learning for free.
Write A Feature Length Screenplay For Film or Television
This course is specific for screenplay writers. It was compiled and presented on Coursera by renowned screenwriter, cinematographer, and screen director David Wheeler.
Why this course?
- This course teaches you how to produce a finished and polished script ready for TV or film.
- It encourages you to learn through practice by writing your script from scratch.
- You will gain film and television writing, script writing, filmmaking, screenwriting, and creative writing skills.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 93h
- You get a certificate upon completing the course
- Rating: 4.6 stars
Pros:
- It teaches you skills you can use in various forms of creative writing.
- You can pace your learning to suit your schedule.
- It's ideal for both aspiring and seasoned screenwriters.
Cons:
- None
Sign up for this course for tips and tricks for writing an outstanding screenplay.
Secret Sauce of Great Writing
This free course contains tips and tricks for writing mastery taught by Ex-Wall Street Journal editor and journalism tutor Shani Raja.
Why this course?
- It teaches you how to write excellent and compelling prose.
- It teaches you how to write in a simple, straightforward, elegant, and evocative style.
- It teaches you how to create outstanding novels, blogs, and editorials.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 41m
- It offers a certificate on completion
- Rating: 4.5 stars
Pros:
- It's taught by a seasoned writer and editor
- It's ideal for both aspiring and seasoned writers.
- It allows for flexible learning schedules.
Cons:
- This course only offers a certificate on purchase.
Sign up for this course to learn writing from the viewpoint of an accomplished editor.
A comprehensive guide to Creative Writing
This course is designed to sharpen your writing skills, regardless of genre. It was created and published by Alpha Academy on the Alison learning platform.
Why this course:
- It teaches you how to create a unique and compelling story from scratch
- It teaches you how to maximize your creative ideas for your writing.
- It teaches you how to create sentimental, suspenseful, and sensational plots for your characters.
- This course also teaches you how to structure compelling proposals, meeting agendas, letters, and emails for business.
- It also teaches you how to edit your work to meet the publishing demands of various genres.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 1.5-3h
- It offers a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accreditation certificate.
- Rating:
Pros:
- This course allows you to learn at your own pace
- It provides a course assessment exam on the completion of learning.
Cons:
- The certificate for this course is only available for a fee.
Sign up for this course to get comprehensive training in writing for different genres.
Script Writing: Write a Pilot Episode for a TV or Web Series (Project-Centered Course)
This course is another training masterpiece by screenwriter, film director, and cinematographer David Wheeler. It's available to you for free on Coursera.
Why this course?
- This course teaches you how to write detailed and captivating dramas, comedies, and TV series.
- It encourages you to start writing your script as the course progresses.
- It teaches you how to edit and polish your script for television.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 22h
- It offers you a certificate on completion
- Rating: 4.5 stars
Pros:
- It offers a straightforward approach to script writing.
- It allows for flexible learning schedules
- It's ideal for budding writers and seasoned authors alike.
Cons:
- This course only offers you a certificate at a fee.
- No writing examples offered
If you wish to give your scriptwriting dreams a head start, click here to enroll for this course.
Mastering The Art of Persuasive Writing
This free course is designed for aspiring and seasoned writers by YouAccel Training and published on the Alison Courses platform.
Why this course?
- This course teaches you how to develop business ideas and convincingly articulate them in your writing.
- It explores the concept of copywriting for marketing ideas and products.
- It covers all aspects of business and marketing writing to help you become a successful business writer.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 3-4hrs
- It offers a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accredited certificate upon course completion.
- Rating: 5 stars
Pros:
- It offers well-structured and comprehensive lessons
- It is ideal for business writers of all levels
- It provides a course assessment exam upon completion of lessons
Cons:
- The certificate for this course is only available upon purchase.
If you want to sharpen your business writing, this is the ideal course for you. Click here to begin your business writing lessons today.
Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop
Award-winning author and poet Douglas Kearney designed this course to help you awaken and sharpen your poetry writing skills.
Why this course?
- This course teaches you how to use different tools of poetic composition to create award-winning poems.
- It also teaches you how to use poetry writing skills to compose outstanding music and other forms of creative art and writing.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 8h
- It offers you a certificate of completion.
- Rating: 4.8 stars
Pros:
- Well-structured poetry lessons
- It offers practical examples, quizzes and writing prompts
- It's ideal for aspiring and seasoned poetry writers.
Cons:
- The certificate for this poetry writing course is only available upon purchase.
Click here to learn more about poetry writing.
Screenwriting
This course is the creation of One Education and is available on the Alison learning platform.
Why this course?
- This course teaches you the fundamentals of writing screenwriting in different genres and formats.
- It unpacks the concept of genre and subgenre elements in screenwriting.
- It also teaches you how to edit and polish your script for the screen.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 4-5h
- This course offers you a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accredited certificate upon completion
- Rating: 5 stars
Pros:
- This course is ideal for aspiring and established screenwriters alike.
- It offers a screenwriting course assessment at the end of every module.
Cons:
- Course certification is only available on purchase.
Sign up for this course to enhance your screenwriting skills today.
Essay essentials: Improve Your Academic writing
Tutor and learning specialist Andrew Sippie created this course.
Why this course?
- This course helps you master writing clear and understandable academic papers.
- It allows you to organize your research and articulate it well in an essay or thesis.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 1h 14m
- It contains academic writing lectures
- It offers you an optional certificate on completion
- Rating: 4.5 stars
Pros:
- Well-structured and detailed course
- It's ideal for both high school and college students writing academic essays
Cons:
- It only offers a certificate on purchase.
Sign up for this course to learn how to write an excellent academic paper.
Finding Your Voice as A Playwright
This course is designed by the Writing for Performance and Entertainment Program at the University of Cambridge and taught by Abigail Docherty.
Why this course?
- This course introduces you to the essential concepts of theater writing
- It helps you to develop your dramatic voice as a playwright
- It encourages you to write play scenes as learning exercises.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 4 weeks
- It offers you a certificate on completion
Pros:
- It allows you to pace your learning depending on your schedule
- It is ideal for aspiring and seasoned playwrights alike
Cons:
- Certification for this course is only available on purchase.
Try this course and learn the tips and tricks of theater writing.
How To Write and Publish A Novel
This course is designed by John Academy and offered for free on the Alison online learning platform.
Why this course?
- This course teaches you the fundamentals of writing a compelling novel, from idea to paperback.
- It explores the different writing elements for different genres.
- It explores the publishing processes and requirements for different novel genres.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 1.5-3h
- It offers you a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accredited certificate on completion of the course.
- Rating: 5 stars
Pros:
- It provides a course assessment once you complete the lessons
- It allows you to learn according to your schedule
Cons:
- The certificate for this course is only available upon purchase.
