When I got started, Enrolling in one of the best free creative writing courses will give you the necessary skills to quickly bring your story to life without breaking the bank in the process!
If you've been stuck conceptualizing your novel or any other creative piece you'd like to share with the world, you aren't alone - many writers, especially beginners, find it difficult to start...
Or, they might start their novel, write a few chapters, and then get stuck on where to go with it!
Trust me, I know. It has happened to me A BUNCH!
Online creative writing courses offer you the training and mentorship necessary to help build your story into a masterpiece.
These courses are easily accessible and allow you to learn at your own pace and interact with other beginner and seasoned writers. Additionally, these courses may offer you a certificate on completion, which is excellent for your author's resume.
This article reviews the following ten best free creative writing courses to give you a glimpse of their offerings and how your writing can benefit from them.
Read on to find out more about:
- How To Write and Publish A Novel (Alison)
- An introduction to fiction (Coursera)
- Creative Writing (Coursera)
- Writing with Impact (LinkedIn)
- Secret Sauce of Great Writing (Udemy)
- Storytelling 101: Character, Conflict, Context and Craft (SkillShare)
- Write a Feature Length Screen-play for Film or Television
- Creative Writing Bootcamp- Start A Brand New Story (SkillShare)
- Write Your First Novel (Coursera)
- The Creative Toolkit: 6 Techniques to Spark Original Ideas (SkillShare)
How To Write and Publish A Novel (Alison)
This course is designed and published by professionals from John Academy for free on the Alison platform.
Why this course?
- This course introduces you to the fundamentals of writing and publishing a novel
- It also helps you to master the art of preparing and planning your novel before writing
- It explores different genres of novel writing
- It offers you a course assessment
- It's a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accredited course
Course details
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 1.5-3h
Pros:
- It's free and 100% online
- You can pace your learning
- It offers a certificate on completion
- It's ideal for both aspiring and seasoned writers
Cons:
- Certificate only available on purchase
Click here to sign up and start your creative writing journey today.
An Introduction to Fiction (Coursera)
This course is part of a specialization package created by Mark Farrington, an Associate Program Director, and Johns Hopkins University.
Why this course?
- This course explores the various creative writing forms for aspiring authors and teachers.
- It allows you to pace your learning
- It's available in video and reading formats
- It offers practice quizzes.
- It allows for peer assessment and grading on completion
- It offers graded assignments
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 21h
- It contains ten videos, seven readings, and one quiz
Pros:
- Certification available on completion
- It's part of a free specialization package
- Ideal for beginner-level writers and teachers
Cons:
- Certificate only available on purchase
- Teaches basic writing concepts
Click here to sign up for this course.
Creative Writing (Coursera)
The Creative writing course is a specialization package for aspiring novelists, narrative essays, short story, and memoir writers. It's offered on Coursera by Wesleyan University and features the input of 4 instructors for the different lectures.
Why this course?
- It is a specialization package, and each course offers you in-depth knowledge and mastery of fiction writing, copy editing, creative writing, and short story writing.
- It offers you hands-on projects for every course in the specialization.
Course details:
- 7- day free trial
- Financial aid available for course participants
- Duration: 3-6 months
- Unlimited access to every course in the specialization
- Shareable certification on completion of all courses in the specialization
- Rating: 4.7 stars
Pros
- Course offered by a renowned university.
- It offers a flexible, self-paced learning schedule.
- No prior writing experience is required.
- Course lectures are available in video and written formats.
- Graded assignments and quizzes with peer feedback
- You can void your subscription at any time.
Cons:
- No university credit is offered for completing this specialization.
- Certification is only available on purchase.
This course is best suited for beginners and tutors specializing in creative writing. Sign up here for your free seven-day trial of the specialization course package.
Writing with Impact (LinkedIn)
This course features a 1-month free trial and is available on LinkedIn. It was created and presented by Tom Geller, a seasoned author, lecturer, and video journalist.
Why this course?
- It teaches you the different approaches to creative writing
- It equips you with the skills to start your writing career with confidence
- It's designed and presented by a professional author
- It features chapter quizzes and practical examples
- You earn a certificate on completion
Course details:
- One month free trial
- Duration: 1h 1m
- Rating: 4.5 stars
Pros:
- It's ideal for both aspiring and seasoned writers
- It offers a shareable certificate on completion
Cons:
- Teaches basic creative writing concepts
Click here to sign up and jumpstart your creative writing career today.
Secret Sauce of Great Writing (Udemy)
This course is designed and presented by former Wall Street Journal Editor and writing coach Shani Raja.
Why this course?
- It's designed to help you master simple, elegant, precise, and evocative writing
- It equips you with the skills and confidence to write great prose
- It allows you to pace your learning
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 44m
- Rating: 4.5 stars
Pros:
- It's available for free
- Contains well-structured videos
- It contains quizzes to test your learning
- It's ideal for aspiring authors, communication professionals, marketers, and copywriters alike
Cons:
- No certification available for this course
Click here to sign up for your secret sauce of creative writing.
Storytelling 101- Character, Conflict, Context & Craft (Skillshare)
Daniel Jose Older, a New York bestselling and award-winning author and musician, designed and presented this course. Daniel has authored Star Wars: Last Shot and several other fantasy novels.
Why this course?
- It introduces you to the fundamentals of writing a narrative.
- It breaks down the lessons to the four C's of storytelling and teaches you how to build character, conflict, context, and craft in your narrative.
- Offers you practice examples and quizzes to test your learning.
- You can pace your learning to suit your schedule.
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 42m
- Contains nine lessons
Pros:
- The course is well-structured and detailed
- The instructor is articulate and engaging
- Ideal for writers of all levels
Cons:
- No certification available for this course
Click here to sign up and hone your storytelling skills for free today.
Write a Feature Length Screenplay for Film or Television
This course is designed for aspiring playwrights for film and television. It was created and offered by Michigan State University and presented by seasoned playwright, film director, and cinematographer David Wheeler.
Why this course?
- This course introduces you to the world of screenplay writing
- It teaches you how to conceptualize your idea and structure it into a pitch-ready script
- It allows for peer reviews
- It offers you examples and challenges you to write your screenplay as you learn
- You will have completed writing your screenplay by the end of this course
Course details
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 93h
- Rating: 4.6 stars
Pros:
- It offers you a shareable certificate on completion
- Offers you real-time writing challenges on your screenplay
- It's available on mobile
- It's concise and information-packed
Cons:
- Certificate available only on purchase
Click here to sign up for this course and start your journey in screenwriting today.
Creative Writing Bootcamp-Start A Brand New Story (SkillShare)
Myla Goldberg, a seasoned teacher and award-winning fiction author, developed and presented this course.
Why this course?
- This course is designed to teach you how to develop your ideas into masterpieces
- The instructor encourages you to write your manuscript in real-time as you progress with the course
- It teaches you to build compelling characters and incorporate emotion in your writing
- It teaches you to create vivid scenes and settings for your writing
- It incorporates timed writing prompts to help you master quick idea generation
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 59m
- Contains 14 lessons
- Available on the SkillShare platform
Pros:
- Ideal for both aspiring and seasoned writers
- Covers different creative writing genres
- Practical examples and quizzes are available
Cons:
- No certification available for this course
- Teaches basic writing concepts
This free course is ideal if you wish to reignite your creative ideas. Sign up here to start your free lessons today.
Write Your First Novel (Coursera)
This course is designed to build the necessary skills and confidence to develop ideas and build on them to create a novel from scratch. It's offered on Coursera by Michigan State University and presented by a seasoned writer, film director, and cinematographer, David Wheeler.
Why this course?
- This course helps you to generate simple writing ideas and develop them into a 50,00-word book
- It requires you to practice writing your manuscript as your practice example throughout the course
- No prior writing experience is required of students
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 127h
- Rating: 4.3 stars
Pros:
- It offers you hands-on training with peer-reviewed quizzes and assignments
- It provides certification on completion
- It offers well-structured, concise, and engaging lessons
- Ideal for writers of all levels
Cons:
- Certificate available only on purchase
If you want to give your novel-writing dreams a head start, sign up to start your free lessons today.
The Creative Toolkit: 6 Techniques To Spark Original Ideas (SkillShare)
This course is specially designed by renowned film writer, comedian and talk show host Esteban Gast.
Why this course?
- It teaches you the art of creating original ideas for different creative writing genres
- It helps you to develop sustainable creative writing habits for your writing career
- It contains activities to help expand your creativity streak
Course details:
- Pricing: Free
- Duration: 59m
Pros:
- Available for budding and seasoned writers of all genres
- Well-structured and articulated lessons
- Interactive idea-generation activities
Cons:
- No certification available for this course
If you wish to take your idea generation and conceptualization to the next level, this course is for you. Click here to begin your free lessons today.
The online creative writing courses above will instill different skills and motivation in budding and seasoned writers alike. They are a go-to source for fresh ideas for weaving a story that will leave your readers wanting more. So, go on and select one that suits your genre and writing needs to kickstart your writing journey today.
