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Life Writing for Beginners: Telling Your Own Story

A course by tom bromley , author, editor, and ghost writer.

Tom Bromley

Discover the writing techniques to research, draft, and edit a narrative piece based on your memories and experiences that engages readers until the final sentence

  • 96% positive reviews ( 77 )
  • 2798 students
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Life Writing for Beginners: Telling Your Own Story

Life writing is an exploratory process, which involves unlocking memories, both the cherished and the difficult, and translating them into a coherent, narrative structure. For author and editor Tom Bromley, it is like portraiture: trying to depict someone as they truly are—a complete picture, but with words rather than colors.

In this course, Tom takes you through the fundamentals of life writing, from the research, first draft, to the final edit. Discover the techniques to retell experiences in vivid detail and build a seamless narrative piece that captivates readers.

What will you learn in this online course?

14 lessons & 19 downloads

Lesson image

  • 14 lessons (1h 51m)
  • 19 additional resources (8 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Compose a narrative piece based on your life by exploring different writing exercises.

life writing courses online

Projects by course students

Diario de vida en retrospectiva (continuación). Writing, Narrative, Non-Fiction Writing, and Creative Writing project by Vanessa Naranjo Inostroza - 11.10.2022

By vnaranjoinostroza

Vanessa Naranjo Inostroza

By rebeccafkara

Rebecca Kara

By tom.bromley

UN PROBLEMA O UNA OPORTUNIDAD. Writing, Narrative, Non-Fiction Writing, and Creative Writing project by Cristina Martínez - 07.11.2022

Who is this online course for?

Anyone interested in exploring the art of life writing to tell their own story and capture their memories and experiences on the page.

Requirements and materials

No previous experience necessary.

All you need is something to write with and an open mind.

life writing courses online

Me pareció sobre todo muy práctico para comenzar a escribir!! M hubiera gustado contar con más explicaciones y recursos sobre cómo continuar un proyecto más largo.

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carolinaabad

carolinaabad

Me ha gustado. Muy interesante el ejercicio en el que se mezclan hechos históricos reales con tu propia experiencia.

titina.nino

María Cristina Niño De la Selva

This is the third course I take with Domestika and am again pleased to find that quality of content, activities and learning outcomes are quite high and satisfactory... this is an extraordinary option to keep oneself updated and to acquire new competencies. I am enjoying this course to the top... will keep on being a Domestika student for good!

Amazing course !

Catarina Assuncao

Era o curso que procurava para começar a colocar as ideias no papel. Sempre escrevi muito sobre mim, tenho milhares de diários, e sempre procurei livros biográficos portanto este curso fez todo o sentido.

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Tom Bromley

Tom Bromley A course by Tom Bromley

Tom Bromley is a published author, editor, creative writing tutor, and ghostwriter. He has written twelve works of both fiction and non-fiction, including We Could Have Been the Wombles and Crazy Little Thing Called Love , and other novels, novellas, short stories, and memoirs. He has also ghostwritten fifteen titles, including UK and international bestsellers, and prizewinners.

For the past decade, he has written and taught numerous online writing courses for organizations including the Faber Academy and the Professional Writing Academy, and a number of his students have gone on to become published authors. He has also spoken and taught at a number of literary festivals in the UK and Ireland, and runs an annual writing retreat in the Spanish mountains. He also currently works as an editorial consultant and mentor for a number of publishers, literary agencies, and organizations.

Introduction

Triggers: senses and specifics.

  • What Is Life Writing?
  • Using Senses to Bring Emotions to Life
  • Employing Music as a Trigger
  • Objects and Small Details

Making History Personal

  • Rewriting Historical Events from Your Own Perspective
  • Bringing in and Bringing Out the Emotions Even When It Hurts

Fleshing Out and Focusing In

  • Creating a First Draft
  • Structuring and Shaping Your Narrative
  • Line Editing

Doing More with Your Work

  • How to Give and Receive Feedback
  • Taking Further: Thoughts on Building Towards a Memoir

Final project

What to expect from a domestika course, learn at your own pace.

Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

Learn from the best professionals

Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

Meet expert teachers

Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

Certificates Plus

If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

Get front-row seats

Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

Share knowledge and ideas

Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

Connect with a global creative community

The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

Watch professionally produced courses

Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

  • Creative Writing
  • Non-Fiction Writing

Life Writing for Beginners: Telling Your Own Story. Writing course by Tom Bromley

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life writing courses online

Course details

Writing lives (online).

Using a specially-designed virtual learning environment (VLE), this online course guides students through weekly pathways of directed readings and learning activities. Students interact with their tutor through tutor-guided, text-based forum discussions. There are no 'live-time' video meetings, meaning you can study flexibly whenever it suits you under the direct tuition of an expert. This flexible course is distinct from the live-time classes with weekly lectures on the  Weekly Oxford Worldwide programme .

Is there a true story that only you can tell? This course is designed to provide you with the skills you need to turn experiences, recollections and real-life phenomena into literary works that are enjoyable and accessible to a wider audience.

Are there stories, events or circumstances in your own experience, your family's, or those of people known to you, that you've always wanted to investigate, and that you think would make good reading? This course will provide you with all you need to shape your materials into an enjoyable and accessible literary work. 'Life Writing' is prose non-fiction devoted to exploring the events and emotions of real lives. The Life Writing course will enable you to recognise which things are significant, how to characterize them in way that really brings them to life, and how to structure them into a narrative that will keep a reader's interest.

For information on how the courses work, please click here .

Programme details

Unit One: Getting Started Getting acquainted, how to work with the truth, memory, good practices.

Unit Two: Point-of-view Memory and imagination, using the senses, finding a voice.

Unit Three: Descriptive Writing Getting the surfaces right, getting below the surfaces.

Unit Four: Characterizing Others Revealing motivation, psychological depths and habits.

Unit Five: Characterizing Yourself Re-living your life inside and outside time and experience – making yourself knowable.

Unit Six: Dialogue Writing the authentic, the important and the plausible simultaneously.

Unit Seven: Structure Finding the plot in history; realising potential and maximising drama.

Unit Eight: Sequence and Situation How to form episodes combining characters, dialogue and description.

Unit Nine: Beginnings and Endings How to start and where to stop.

Unit Ten: Re-writing and Editing Finishing, polishing, re-making, re-telling, expanding and cutting.

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Recommended reading

To participate in the course you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following book: Roorbach, B., Writing Life Stories: How to Make Memories into Memoirs, Ideas into Essays and Life into Literature (Writer’s Digest Books, 2008) Recommended, but not required: Bell, J. and A. Motion, eds., The Creative Writing Coursebook (Macmillan, 2001) Hackles, L., Writing from Life: How to Turn Your Personal Experiences into Profitable Prose (How To Books, 2008)Gilchrist, C.  Your Life, Your Story : Writing Your Life Story for Family and Friends . (Piatkus, 2010) (Also available in electronic format: Lume Books (15 Oct. 2019) - electronic & Kindle edition)

Certification

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £10 fee.

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.

All students who successfully complete this course, whether registered for credit or not, are eligible for a Certificate of Completion. Completion consists of successfully passing the final course assignment. Certificates will be available, online, for those who qualify after the course finishes.

Ms Lisa Selvidge

Lisa has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she subsequently worked for 15 years both as tutor and academic director for Continuing Education. She wrote and taught one of the first short online courses in creative writing. Her works include, The Last Dance over The Berlin Wall , Beyond the Sea and Writing Fiction Workbook .

Course aims

This course aims to provide students with insight into the major aspects affecting life-writing and to enable them to use these features confidently in writing their own creative non-fiction.

Teaching methods

  • Introductory section, outlining key areas of work within each unit.
  • Description of required reading and recommended reading.
  • Presentation of materials taken from additional (eg. online) sources, relevant to each unit.
  • Online discussion forum.
  • Online personal study diary.
  • Area for short responses to literary extracts from key texts.
  • Tutor responses to forum and exercises.
  • Assessment and feedback.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will be expected to understand:

  • Key features (such as perspective, dialogue, etc) in a work of life-writing.
  • The applicability of such characteristics in their own work.
  • How to use at least some of these aspects of technical expertise with increased skill and confidence.

By the end of this course students will be expected to have gained the following skills:

  • The ability to recognize and name key features in contemporary life-writing.
  • Knowledge of why authors employ these features and what their different effects are.
  • Increased confidence in their own use of such features as enhancements to the development of an individual ‘voice’ in life-writing.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Application

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Level and demands

FHEQ level 4, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week, therefore a total of about 100 study hours.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support

life writing courses online

  • Creative Writing Programme (Blended)
  • Creative Writing Programme (In-person)
  • Creative Writing Programme (Online)
  • The Life Writing Programme (Online)
  • Advanced Writing Workshops
  • Advanced Poetry Workshop (Online)
  • Join a 2nd year group

The Life Writing Programme (Online) 2023-2025

(two years. one morning per week for 25 weeks per year).

The Life Writing Programme has been carefully designed to develop your understanding of the craft of turning personal or researched experience into narrative. It has a particular emphasis on the different forms of creative non-fiction: life writing, autobiography, biography, historically-researched fiction, travel writing, diaries, journals, comic writing and blogs and teaches writing techniques that can be used in both non-fiction and creative fiction.

In your first year you will reflect on the sources and themes of your own writing

  • develop a deeper understanding of your own creativity and enhance your story-telling ability
  • learn the writing techniques that will bring the world of your imagination to life on the page
  • explore the relationship between memory and imagination in non-fiction narratives

In the second year the focus will shift from shorter scenes to longer narratives. You will:

  • learn how to create compelling characters and a strong, distinctive narratorial voice
  • discover ways of enhancing the dramatic impact of your writing and explore the different ways in which life stories can be told
  • gain further insights into language and technique and examine the related concepts of authenticity and integrity in life writing

Throughout the course you will continue to explore aspects of character and setting, learning to negotiate memory and constructs of time in relation to life writing.

You will hone your critical and editing skills and develop your eye for good life writing. In the writing workshops, you will share, discuss and evaluate your work with the other writers in your writing group.

At the end of the two-year programme you will be invited to attend Publishing Day where you will have an opportunity to discuss your work with a publishing professional

What this creative writing course will do for you

This programme will help you:

  • develop your confidence and ability as a writer.
  • organise and manage your work
  • evolve a strong individual style.

All you need to bring to the programme is your imagination, a love of reading, a passion to write, a commitment to your writing group and the determination to succeed.

What is required of me?

Over the two years you will need to organise a minimum of twelve hours per week for classes and additional writing and reading time.

You will need to ensure you have access to a computer/laptop with a good internet connection and a video camera (most modern computers have one built in).

How the course works

The programme follows a structure of four creative writing courses over two years. Weekly seminars of two and a half hours include a mix of practical writing exercises, discussions, group work, tutor-led feedback and taught sessions.

Your online learning space

Each writing group on the Creative Writing Programme has its own course page on our website. Once logged in to your course page you will have access to course outlines, supporting seminar notes, writing exercises and a Writer’s Forum where you can chat with other writers in your group.

How are seminars structured?

To join your online class, you simply click on the link on your course page and the online classroom will open up. On your screen you will see your tutor and the other writers in the online classroom.

Over the course of the two-year programme you will work closely with two of our tutors. On each course you will be offered one-to-one tutorials and an opportunity to take additional seminars with visiting writers on the Creative Writing Programme Weekend Schools.

Click here for further information on the structure and content of individual courses

Sorry this course is now closed for enrolment, programme length.

Two years. Maximum group size 12

Autumn: 2nd October – 15th December (Reading Week 23rd – 27th October)

Spring: 8th January – 22nd March (Reading Week 12th – 16th February)

Summer: 22nd April – 24th May

(Dates for 2024-2025 will be given in the summer term of 2024)

Venue: Online

Tuesdays, 10am – 12.30pm

Entry requirements

No formal qualifications required

Programme team

Dr mark slater (director), cathy hayward (co-director), katy massey, dr hannah vincent.

£950 per annum

Fees can be paid in full or at the beginning of each term. There is a £20 additional admin fee or the Autumn Term if fees are paid per term:

Autumn term only: £400

Spring/Summer term only: £570

Additional courses (optional) :

Weekend Schools £30 per session (5 hours). Publishing Day £50

International students, please note, fees must be paid in GB pounds

To enrol: choose one of the payment links at the bottom of this page and click on it

Please ensure you have read our  terms and conditions . for further information on this course or our other programmes contact.

Mark Slater [email protected]

life writing courses online

Explore online writing courses and programs

Why learn writing skills.

The ability to write well is a foundational skill for communication in both personal and professional settings. Writing allows you to express thoughts, opinions, ideas, and emotions. It facilitates connections between people and allows them to engage in the type of discourse that can lead to discovery and progress. 

Clear and concise writing that conveys information both accurately and precisely can help guide people’s decision making and actions. The style of writing can express the importance and sense of urgency behind a message. The flow of writing can change the emotions that people feel when reading those words.   

Whether you are writing a script for a podcast, crafting an email to your colleagues, or penning a message to a family member, strong writing skills can significantly improve how the communication is delivered and how it is received.

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Browse online writing classes

Stand out in your field, learn at your own pace, earn a valuable credential, online writing course curriculum.

With online writing courses, any learner can master the skills needed to become a strong writer. Start with the fundamentals in an online grammar course, where you can learn about the different parts of speech, punctuation, conjugation, and sentence structure. Or more advanced writers can practice their storytelling and persuasive writing skills with an essay writing course. Develop your own style by reading and analyzing the works of other writers, and explore how to write in different formats and tones in creative writing courses. 

You can even find courses that teach writing for specific contexts. For example, a business writing class may cover how to relay tough feedback or how to adjust your tone to build consensus. 

For learners interested in advancing their knowledge in a variety of subjects, edX offers a range of educational opportunities, including boot camps , as well as bachelor's degree programs, and master’s degree programs. Explore how online education can help you build the critical skills you need and get started learning today.

Explore writing jobs

Clear writing and communication skills are assets in nearly every industry. Regardless of whether you work as a lawyer or a mathematician, you will likely need to be capable of crafting a well-written message. 

But for those who enjoy writing, there are careers that can leverage their talents, including: 

Journalist: Writes news or feature articles for video, online, or print publications. 

Novelist or author: Focuses on storytelling by writing longform fiction and nonfiction. 

Copywriter: Writes marketing-driven copy such as advertisements and emails. 

Communications or public relations specialist: Delivers strategic messages on behalf of a client or an organization. 

Speech writer: Crafts speeches for individuals including leaders or lawmakers.

Screenwriter: Develops scripts for movies, television shows, and other visual media.

Editor: Reviews and revises written materials for accuracy, clarity, and style.  

How to start a career in writing 

Writing takes practice. If you are interested in pursuing a career in the field, it’s important to ensure that you have a mastery of the fundamentals of writing. You can build those skills through instruction and coursework in which you have to apply what you have learned. That means responding to prompts, writing essays, and critically reviewing your work to better understand how you can improve. 

Writing also requires expertise. While you can be a general writer, somebody who wants to pursue a technical writing career, for example, will need background knowledge of that field in order to be able to understand what they are reporting on or writing about. A strong understanding of how to research, interview, and source can also be beneficial for aspiring professionals in this space. 

If you dream of being the next great writer, begin honing your craft with online courses delivered through edX.

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Master's degrees, bachelor's degrees, writing faq.

Effective writing is clear and accurate and provides enough context to engage readers and help them understand the message you are trying to deliver. For example, journalists provide context by focusing on the “who, what, when, where, and why” of a situation. 

There are many different types of writing including, but not limited to: persuasive writing, creative writing, poetry, script writing, journalism, nonfiction, academic writing, speech writing, and song writing. 

Learners develop writing skills at their own pace. Developing mastery takes practice and time. 

Sometimes grammatical rules are not universally applicable, which can make them difficult to remember. Everyone has different learning styles and speeds. Memorization can help, but practice is key.

There are online courses that can help you learn how to organize your ideas and develop your voice for a business setting. You can practice writing effective emails, reports, and presentations. 

Aspiring creative writers can develop their skills by taking classes that not only teach them about the essential elements of storytelling, but also give them opportunities to practice writing and critiquing both their own work and the work of other writers. 

Last updated January 2024

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Help Centre

Life writing: getting started

Choose a start date.

  • Taught: Fri, Evening
  • Time: 18:00 - 20:30
  • Dates: 23 February 2024 - 01 March 2024
  • Location: Online
  • Tutors: Lucy Popescu
  • Dates: 31 May 2024 - 07 June 2024

Course Code: HW109

  • Dates: 23/02/24 - 01/03/24

Duration: 2 sessions (over 2 weeks)

  • Tutor: Lucy Popescu

Choose a start date  

Download form & post

Any questions? [email protected] or call 020 4582 0415

Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Center for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.

What is the course about?

There are few activities more meaningful than reflecting on the events of our lives, those we care about and the world we live in. Whether you are creating a keepsake containing your most precious moments, hoping to improve your creative writing or simply want future generations of your family to know about your life experiences, this workshop teaches a range of life writing approaches and techniques that will open new avenues of reflection. This is a live online course. You will need: - Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome. - A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer. - Earphones/headphones/speakers. We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

- Approaches to enriching life writing. - Innovative structural techniques within life writing. - Developing a voice and style in life writing. - Life writing prompts of an introspective nature.

What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Experiment with different writing styles. - Develop your understanding of structural techniques within life writing. - Experiment with introspective prompts that open up avenues of exploration in your life writing.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is an introductory course. The only requirement is a good level of literacy.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

A mix of writing prompts, pair work, group work, class discussion and formal tutor modeling and instruction. All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit. For classes longer than one day, regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines. City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit .

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Writing materials.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

City Lit offer a range of writing courses that encourages aspiring writers to explore their creativity. All students are invited to join us at Late Lines , our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines , our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter .

Lucy Popescu is a writer, editor and arts critic. She has published two anthologies about refugee experiences, A Country of Refuge (2016) and A Country to Call Home (2018) and is the author of The Good Tourist (2008). Lucy is chair of the Authors’ Club and its Best First Novel Award. She reviews books for The Observer, FT and TLS, among other publications, has a regular column in the Literary Review and is theatre editor at Camden New Journal. Lucy has taught creative writing for over ten years, is a writing mentor at Freedom for Torture and also curates literary events. Before that, she worked with the English Centre of PEN.

Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.

Close-up of a fountain pen nib touching paper

Writers.com

Creative writing workshops can take your writing to the next level. The chance to experiment with your writing in a community is invaluable, and getting live feedback on your work will propel you through your writing career.

That said, there are plenty of writing workshops where writers get less than what they bargained for. Finding the right group of writers to workshop with is a slow process—no different than dating or finding a therapist. Where can you find the best online writing workshops for you?

Consider this your go-to guide for navigating the internet of adult writing workshops. We’ll talk about different workshopping models and how they might work for you, and we’ll also look at how to get the most from your fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writing workshops.

But first, we ought to define this particularly nebulous aspect of creative writing education. What is a writing workshop?

Looking for the best online writing workshops?

If you’re looking for the best online writing workshops, look no further. Writers.com has been running online creative writing workshops since 1995. View our upcoming calendar to view the best writing workshops for you!

You can also navigate our courses by category:

  • Short Story
  • Personal Essay
  • Lifestyle and Wellness
  • Single-Day Zoom Sessions

What is a Writing Workshop?

People use the phrase “writing workshop” differently in different contexts, although it’s a rather vague term that writers use inconsistently. Here are some common ways you might see the term used:

  • Online , a workshop is a complete writing course, including both lecture materials and opportunities for feedback from fellow students.
  • In universities and MFA programs , a workshop is the aspect of a writing workshop where students give feedback to one another to improve their writing overall.
  • At some online writing schools , a workshop is specifically a single-day Zoom-based workshop.

That said, “writing workshop” is a rather nebulous term that has a lot of applications. A workshop is any space where writers come to grow as writers. In short, a writing workshop is an open-ended term that describes different styles of creative writing education.

What is a writing workshop? An open-ended term that describes different styles of creative writing education.

For the purposes of this article, we are addressing multi-week online writing classes, as well as single-day webinars that have a workshopping component. Basically, we’re looking at any type of online learning space where students share their work, receive feedback, build new craft skills, and engage with a writing community.

Here’s what online writing workshops might look like, as well as tips for finding the best ones!

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

Are you thinking about enrolling in a creative writing workshop? The best online writing workshops have these 12 things in common:

1. The Best Online Writing Workshops Have Well Respected Teachers

At most online writing schools, the instructor is the person who sets the syllabus, writes the workshop, and gives feedback to students. As a result, a good writing teacher makes all the difference in online writing workshops.

You want to be excited to learn from an instructor.

In addition to being a great writer and teacher, a great workshop instructor will be community-oriented, empathetic, and capable of tailoring their teaching to your writing needs.

Before you enroll in a writing workshop, do some research on the writer teaching it. Most professional writers and teachers will have a website, where you can peruse their work, degrees, and teaching history.

Some questions you might ask:

  • Does the instructor have a terminal degree? (M.A., M.F.A., Ph.D., etc.)
  • What do prior students say about this instructor?
  • Does the instructor have a significant publication history?

On terminal degrees—they’re not necessary for running good creative writing workshops. But, they do indicate a certain level of craft training and teaching experience. Many terminal degree programs require students to learn how to teach creative writing. While you don’t need an M.F.A or Ph.D. to publish or teach writing, they certainly help.

Most importantly: are you excited about this instructor’s work? Do you like it? Do you connect with it? You want to be excited to learn from an instructor. They’re not just teaching craft, they’re teaching you their approach to crafting good writing.

2. The Best Online Writing Workshops Have a Clear Description

Enrolling in creative writing workshops involves a certain level of trust. If you haven’t taken a class with the organization before, you might not know how they run their classes or what you’ll get out of working with them. Writing programs should honor their side of the bargain by telling you exactly what you’ll get from their writing workshops.

Writing programs should honor their side of the bargain by telling you exactly what you’ll get from their writing workshops.

The descriptions for online writing workshops should tell you the following:

  • What will you learn and write during the workshop?
  • Who’s teaching the workshop, and what have they accomplished?
  • How will your time be spent while taking the workshop?
  • Who is this for? At what stage of your writing should you be in?

It helps to know what you’re looking for from your workshop. If you have certain goals in mind or ways you want to grow as a writer, be clear about these goals, and don’t spend money on workshops that simply won’t fit your needs. (That said, it can also be fun to enroll in random workshops and learn new writing skills—you’d be surprised what you’ll learn from a class that has nothing to do with your projects.)

If the description of the writing workshop aligns with your goals and needs, it should be a good fit. And, if you’re on the fence, it never hurts to ask the program administrators before you enroll. They’ll be glad to hear from you!

3. The Best Online Writing Workshops Prioritize the Student

Creative writing workshops place your experience front and center. The goal of a workshop is to expand your learning, work, and writing journey. If a writing course doesn’t promise to uplift your writing life, why would you take it?

If a writing course doesn’t promise to uplift your writing life, why would you take it?

A good writing school will acknowledge the risk involved in taking an adult writing workshop. Since online schools can’t confer college credit, and since you probably haven’t interacted with the workshop instructor before, you’re spending your time and money on a program that you haven’t used before.

So, why wouldn’t that school prioritize you ? You want to be confident that your writing, your creativity, and your time will be valued, otherwise you’re wasting your money on an experience you hardly learned from.

Check to see if the program itself has a student promise before you enroll in their writing workshops. If it doesn’t seem like the school will center your learning and growth as a writer, don’t take the risk—there are plenty of other schools to choose from.

prioritizing the student in adult writing workshops

4. The Best Online Writing Workshops Give Constructive Feedback

The feedback you receive in creative writing workshops will often prove the most valuable aspect of the course. Because most workshops are run by writers with Masters or Doctoral degrees, they’ve spent a fair amount of time giving and receiving feedback in competitive and community settings. As a result, they know a ton about the craft skills that make for good literature, and they know how to transmit those skills to their students.

Most importantly, a good writing instructor will tell you what you’re doing well in your writing.

The feedback you receive in online writing workshops will vary by the scope of the workshops and the backgrounds of the instructors. You might receive feedback on:

  • Where the writing is effective
  • Word choice that isn’t clear to the reader
  • Ideas that can be expanded or shortened
  • Sentences that are too long or too short
  • Corrections in spelling and grammar
  • Opportunities to improve the writing structure
  • Feedback related to the elements of fiction , nonfiction, or poetry

Most importantly, a good writing instructor will tell you what you’re doing well in your writing. When you write a really great simile , have well developed characters , or find a moment of deep insight, your instructor will highlight this.

While it’s good to know what needs to be improved, writers can’t begin to improve until they also know what works in their poems and stories. This is how you build a foundation for good writing: start with what works, and sculpt from there. Writing workshops are the best spaces to build this foundation!

5. The Best Online Writing Workshops Focus on Craft

The best online writing workshops are centered around the craft of writing. Unlike English and composition classes, which focus on grammar, literacy, and the mechanics of language, creative writing workshops look at using these mechanics to write compelling, effective stories. And, in a writing workshop, you don’t just use the rules, you get to break them!

In a writing workshop, you don’t just use the rules, you get to break them.

The craft elements you focus on will vary based on the kind of course you’re in. If you’re taking poetry writing workshops, for example, you’ll focus on employing effective literary devices and studying different forms of poetry .

Likewise, in novel writing workshops, you might study elements like plot , point of view , and the art of storytelling .

Good writing workshops will break down great literature into the components that make it great, allowing you to read like a writer and employ these craft skills in your own work. And, learning the craft of creative writing helps you with everyday tasks, like sending emails or expanding your vocabulary.

6. The Best Online Writing Workshops Respect Your Creativity

The workshop is a space of unfettered creativity. Writers get to share their ideas, their experiences, and their creative, collaborative minds in the same space, making workshops the place to experiment with ideas. Of course, this is only possible if the workshop respects your creative authority.

We don’t “earn” the title of “writer,” we simply are writers, and a good writing course will uphold your integrity and creative vision, no matter where you are in your writing journey.

What does respect for your creative authority mean? It means that no one judges, criticizes, or condemns you for your writing and ideas. The best writing workshops will:

  • Help you explore your ideas, rather than impose ideas upon you.
  • Teach you the ropes of writing craft without telling you what to write.
  • Show you what you’re already doing well in your work.
  • Point out opportunities where the writing can be expanded, restructured, or clarified—in ways that help you carry out your creative vision.

Most importantly, this is true no matter how “new” you are to creative writing workshops . Whether you’ve submitted the first poem you’ve ever written or your thousandth, you deserve the same level of respect as everyone else in the room. We don’t “earn” the title of “writer,” we simply are writers, and a good writing course will uphold your integrity and creative vision, no matter where you are in your writing journey.

In a writing workshop, you may encounter many different ideas, but you also encounter the freedom to accept or reject those ideas. It’s your writing. You get the final say!

7. The Best Online Writing Workshops Create Community

What is a writing workshop without community? Writing can be a lonely practice, but a writing community makes all the difference. The best creative writing workshops foster a sense of community. In fact, many writers have come away from our courses with friends and writing partnerships that last for years and years!

A writing community can give you the motivation to create, the license to experiment, and the potential to learn even more about the craft of writing.

A writing community can give you the motivation to create, the license to experiment, and the potential to learn even more about the craft of writing. Because we all have very different literary backgrounds, we all have studied different authors and elements of the writing craft. When we write in a community, we naturally share what we’ve learned with one another, creating a culture of growth and inspiration.

Additionally, a strong writing community creates valuable feedback. When you write alongside people who know and enjoy your work, it is much easier to give and receive feedback, especially when these writers know what you’re trying to accomplish.

Many well-known authors throughout history have been a part of valuable writing communities, such as The Beat Poets, Stratford-on-Odeon, and these famous writing groups . Writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and when you enroll in community-oriented online writing workshops, you foster the kinds of relationships and connections that can sustain your literary career.

community in creative writing workshops

8. The Best Online Writing Workshops Motivate You to Write

Because writing is often solitary, it can be hard to motivate yourself to get work done. Taking online writing workshops pushes you to put words on the page.

Sometimes, the biggest barrier is beginning, but creative writing workshops will spark your writing practice.

For one thing, these classes cost money, and when you’re spending money to write and learn about writing, you’re more likely to actually write and learn about writing.

But, it’s not just the monetary transaction that motivates writers in adult writing workshops. Your course might provide you with:

  • Creative writing prompts
  • Daily journaling assignments
  • Helpful revisions
  • Inspirational readings
  • Ideas to combat writer’s block
  • Different approaches to writing

Some writing workshops are even designed to motivate you, such as our class Write Your Novel! The Workshop With Jack . Sometimes, the biggest barrier is beginning, but creative writing workshops will spark your writing practice.

9. The Best Online Writing Workshops Jumpstart a Writing Habit

Because writing workshops require you to submit work every week, students will have to set up a consistent writing practice in order to meet these deadlines. Not only does this prepare you for your life as a published author (where deadlines are less flexible), but this also helps you master a key aspect of the writing life: a consistent writing habit.

To make the most of creative writing workshops, try to find time to write every day.

Writing every day isn’t just good advice, it’s essential to building a writing life. Writers who want to build careers out of their work, or at the very least publish books some day, will have to dedicate time every day to their work. When you engage with language each day, you build the skills necessary to write good books, and you also keep yourself creatively motivated. This is true especially for the days that are hardest to write on.

Of course, most of us lead very busy lives. How do we steal time as artists? Here are some ideas:

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

These ideas won’t work for everyone, and it all depends on your schedule and lifestyle. Nonetheless, to make the most of creative writing workshops, 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 wherever you can. Balancing a career, a family, and a writing life isn’t easy, but when the work calls, you’ll find time to answer!

10. The Best Online Writing Workshops Broaden Your Literary Horizons

As writers, it’s important for us to know our literary history. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to read every piece of classic literature to start writing—in fact, many books published in the 19th century could never be published today.

If you want to publish your own work some day, it’s important to know what else is being published today.

But it does mean knowing the craft skills that went into both classic and contemporary books. It especially means having a sense of the contemporary literary zeitgeist. If you want to publish your own work some day, it’s important to know what else is being published today.

The best creative writing workshops broaden your literary horizons. When you read classic literature, you get a sense of the foundations of contemporary writing, and the ways that writers before us expanded the possibilities of literature as a whole. When you read contemporary literature, you get a sense of today’s publishing landscape and what people are looking for in the writings of today.

(If you plan to publish books by querying literary agents , reading contemporary work is crucial, because you need to have good comps in your query letter. Comps are books that have been published recently and are similar, in some ways, to your own.)

Now, this doesn’t mean you need to write like other authors. In fact, far from it. It’s better that you learn to write like yourself , because your most valuable asset as a writer is your voice. But, when you expand your literary horizons, you engage with literature and make decisions on what you do and don’t want to do in your work.

What do you like to read? What do you want to never read again? The more you read, the more you hone your own voice as a writer. Great writing workshops introduce you to literature that provokes these kinds of questions.

11. The Best Online Writing Workshops Provide a Creative Outlet

One of the best reasons to take online writing workshops is that they give you an outlet for feelings and creativity.

Writing workshops are a great supplement to a healthy writer’s life.

This is the result of the various reasons listed above for taking writing classes. By building community, creating a writing practice, and engaging with literature, you inevitably nourish your creativity. In doing so, you nurture a healthy space to explore your ideas and emotions—an essential aspect of any writer’s life.

Now, even the best online writing workshops can’t replace the benefits of therapy. We’re not saying you should ditch your therapist for a Writers.com class. But we are saying that writing workshops are a great supplement to a healthy writer’s life, because they create safe spaces for you to experiment with your work and explore your emotions freely on the page.

This is true even for writers of genre fiction or persona poetry. It’s true for participants in fiction writing workshops and memoir writing workshops. We gravitate to writing in part for its emotional release, and a great online class in creative writing will nurture this release. Between the prompts, community, and writing habits that a creative writing workshop fosters, you’re sure to come away from your workshop with renewed emotional health.

what is a writing workshop?

12. The Best Online Writing Workshops Provide Next Steps

The best creative writing workshops are the beginning of your writing life, not the end. When your workshop ends, you should come away with new ideas for writing, new publication opportunities to pursue, and new friends and mentors to nurture your writing journey.

The best creative writing workshops are the beginning of your writing life, not the end.

Throughout the workshop, you’ll find new opportunities for continuous growth. You might find a list of literary journals to submit to, new readings to stimulate your writing, further creative writing workshops to attend, or simply the emails and social media accounts of students you really enjoyed working with.

If you’re ready to move on to the next level of your writing, your instructor will provide you with next steps. And, if you want to learn more outside of the classroom, contact the instructor about this. We’re always excited by writers who want to keep learning and learning!

The Best Online Writing Workshops

Of course, we’re partial to our own workshops at Writers.com . Since 1995 we’ve offered the best fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and book writing workshops around the internet, inspiring thousands of writers to embark on their writing journeys, find their voices, and get published.

We offer both single-day webinars and multi-week workshops in all genres, and also offer opportunities for private coaching with our instructors. If you’re looking for the best, you’ve already found it. Drop us a line if you have any questions!

Check out our full schedule of upcoming classes here.

In addition to Writers.com, here are some online writing workshops that we’ve found offer fantastic creative writing education:

  • Loft Literary
  • Brooklyn Poets
  • Creative Nonfiction

In Creative Writing Workshops…

You get to find great literature, meet fellow scribblers, build a writing habit, and, most importantly, take your writing journey to the next level. Why wait? Enroll in an online writing workshop today!

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life writing courses online

The Writers Studio

Online writing about everyday life (moroney) - spring 2024 / starts april 8.

Meets 6 Mondays 8:00 - 9:00 pm ET Taught by Francesca Moroney Price includes all fees

Writers often find their richest material in their everyday lives. This material is easy to overlook as too pedestrian because it’s hard to see what’s so close to us. The exceptional poet James Schuyler revealed his longing for home in writing about his breakfast and Yannis Ritsos revealed his and his fellow prisoners’ anguish in exile in writing about daily life in a prison camp. In this six-week class, we’ll try out different narrative and persona techniques that will enable us to access our own material, finding ways to write about our deepest longings even in the details of our everyday lives. Register

life writing courses online

Writers Studio Teacher

Francesca Moroney

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Life Writing & Memoir Writing

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Writing Room

A welcoming online home for all creative writers

Life Writing & Memoir Workshop with Giovanna Iozzi

“ You must write a memoir as if you’re writing a novel, you have to give it a shape. ” Blake Morrison

Over six weeks, you will learn all about the popular and compelling memoir form with useful writing exercises, guidance, tips and ideas which will help you identify your own themes as well as recalling key memories and events for your own life writing material. This course is designed so that all levels of writer will be inspired and benefit from each session – whether you’re completely new to life writing, or you already have a memoir project on the go.

As well as reading a range of strong and diverse memoir writers, you will gain insights on: how to develop your own voice on the page; how to hook readers into your story; how to use fascinating and relatable details about your life to keep up the pace and maintain page turnability.

You will begin to understand how novelistic devices like dialogue, scene-building, setting, summary, interiority and tension can help to create a vivid world the reader disappears inside.

Half of each session will be given over to students to receive valuable, supportive feedback on their work. Students will also be able to share extracts of memoir projects they are already working on.

We will read extracts from great examples of the form including: Carmen Maria Machado, Audre Lorde, Jeanette Winterson, Deborah Orr, Patti Smith, Viv Albertine, Deborah Levy, Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi, Tim Lott, John Burnside, Nadia Osuwu and Lemn Sissay.

All levels welcome.

I HAVE LEARNED A LOT!

“ I thoroughly enjoyed the course. I’ve been on it four times, so that shows the interest and value of the course for me. I have learnt a lot! Giovanna takes a keen interest in our work. ”

Life Writing & Memoir student

COURSE WAS EXCELLENT

“ The life writing course was excellent. I enjoyed the themes and structure, with tutor input, a writing exercise, feedback and reading out. Giovanna is a lively, fun, inspiring teacher. ”

ZOOM DELIVERY

Spring: mornings.

  • Tuesdays 10.30am-1pm

Jan 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Feb 6

Summer: Mornings

  • April 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21

Autumn: Mornings

  • Sept 17, 24, Oct 1, 8, 15, 22

Our tutor Giovanna says...

Listening to the students' work, whether it’s joyful, funny, dark or heart breaking is a real privilege. As my own writing is highly autobiographical, I feel as if we are on similar writing journeys, exploring our way in the dark mostly, warmly lit by each others’ support. We all gain so much from exploring and engaging with the memoir form in class together; the insights and ideas which emerge are illuminating.

life writing courses online

Giovanna Iozzi

Giovanna Iozzi has taught creative writing for a wide range of adult learning spaces, including Goldsmiths University and City University as well as Writing Room. An associate lecturer at Goldsmiths, Giovanna runs a successful course on the Short Story and teaches for the Creative Writing MA, while completing a PhD on Elena Ferrante’s fiction. A winner of Goldsmith’s Pat Kavanagh Prize, she writes in the short fiction, novel and memoir form. Her first novel is Black Figs , a simmering narrative of maternal disintegration. She’s currently working on a memoir inspired by her childhood growing up in East London. You can find her published stories at https://www.joiozzi.com and find her on twitter: bristlingnarratives@gioiozzi

Writing Room is a registered Community Interest Company: a non-profit arts organisation committed to serving the interests of our diverse community of creative writers.

Email us at, [email protected], or get in touch using the form, about our courses.

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Home / Book Writing / 16 Best Online Courses for Writers in 2024 [Free & Paid]

16 Best Online Courses for Writers in 2024 [Free & Paid]

Table of contents.

  • Best Overall Online Writing Courses: MasterClass
  • Best Course to Help Finish Your Book: The 100-Day Book Program
  • Best Writing Course for Beginners: Writing With Flair
  • Best Course for Children's Book Writers: Children's Book University
  • Best Course for Amazon Self-Publishers: AMS Ads for Books
  • Best Online Memoir Writing Course: Memoirama
  • Best Course for Indie Publishers: WCU's Publishing MA Program
  • Best Online Course for Bloggers: Freedom Machine
  • Best Course for Sci-Fi Writers: Writers of the Future Online Workshop
  • Best Course For Writing a Novel Step-by-Step: A Fearless Way to Write Novels
  • Best Free Online Writing Courses of 2023

What is the best online course for writers in 2024? In this article, I’ll cover the highest-quality online classes that are free…and not so free. How can I improve my writing skills online? You can improve your writing skills using online classes that push your creative writing, business writing, and academic writing skills to their maximum potential.

A writer needs to keep improving his or her craft. Online writing courses aren't just for amateurs or writing hobbyists; they're for all writers. However, all online writing courses are not created equal. Some courses available are a waste of money, while others are the best money can buy. (Some of the best courses are free .) When looking at the prices, try not to think how steep the cost is. Think of the money you will make if you take the course. Think of how much it would cost to earn an MFA for a specialization in creative writing. These are (often tax-deductible) investments in your career. I've devised a comprehensive list of my favorite online writing courses in 2024, including their cost and what type of course they are. This way, you'll know exactly what you're getting into when you enroll.

  • Best general online writing courses
  • How much each course costs
  • Best genre courses for writing sci-fi, children’s books , memoirs
  • What free , high-quality courses Kindlepreneur offers
  • Best free online classes (in case you're on a tight budget)

Links in this article may give me a small commission if you use them to purchase products. There’s NO extra cost to you, and it helps me continue to write handy articles like this one. This does not detract from the quality of the courses; there's a reason I affiliate myself with them. It's because they're awesome!

If you’re specifically interested in self-publishing courses, check out my article on the Best Self Publishing Courses .

MasterClass is a massive archive of online courses providing training in specific subjects by titans of that particular industry. MasterClass features the biggest names in writing, such as Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, and Dan Brown. What course should I take to become a writer? MasterClass is the best use of your money as an online course to become a writer . Learn from the best. MasterClass courses are the best overall online writing courses because bestselling authors teach them. Plus, your monthly subscription fee gives you access to all of the fantastic MasterClass courses. The courses are self-paced, comprehensive, insightful, geared toward an “intermediate and above” student, and undeniably invaluable. How much does MasterClass cost? MasterClass costs $180/year ($15/month, billed annually). You can also pay $90 for a single class. They seldom offer discounts or coupon codes. MasterClasses features big-name authors, such as:

  • Malcolm Gladwell
  • Joyce Carol Oates
  • James Patterson
  • Neil Gaiman
  • Margaret Atwood
  • David Sedaris
  • Shonda Rhimes
  • Aaron Sorkin (for screenwriting)

Which writing MasterClass is the best? I recommend Malcolm Gladwell’s writing MasterClass. It is the best course for finding the story you need to convey, instead of just telling the reader what to believe. Bonus: If you sign up for MasterClass, you not only gain access to incredible online writing courses, you can listen to all the MasterClass courses, like Gordon Ramsay talking about cooking, RuPaul talking about self-expression, and Hans Zimmer talking about film scoring. Check out my in-depth MasterClass review for more details.

The 100-Day Book Program by The Write Practice gives you a proven process to actually finish your books. Starting a book isn't all that tough. But finishing one — that's a different story. How many unfinished manuscripts are tucked away in desks and forgotten file folders? Although it’s easy to get distracted and difficult to get motivated, the 100-Day Book Program helps you stay on task and gives you the resources you need to finish that book. How much does the 100-Day Book Program cost?

  • $49/month for 12 months, OR
  • $490 as a one-time payment

It’s worth noting that you get a $100 incentive if you meet all your deadlines and finish your book by the end of the course, which (in 2023) runs from May to September. Utilizing over 100 daily lessons (video, audio, and written lessons), this course covers everything you'll need when putting together your story, including:

  • How to structure your novel or non-fiction book
  • Character development
  • World-building
  • Point of view
  • Tone and voice
  • Editing and revising

It's not just a technical course; it's also highly motivating. The Write Practice teaches you how to keep writing when writing gets hard, how to beat writer's block, and how to manage your time. If you've ever found yourself struggling to finish your book, you should try this course.

Writing With Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer is a perfect course for writers of all skill levels, but it's especially beginner-friendly. This course is taught by an ex-Wall Street Journal editor with one goal in mind: how to write with style, confidence, and impact. Over 240,000 students have enrolled in this course on Udemy by Shani Raja. He teaches you how to master 4 basic principles of writing:

  • Evocativeness

How much does Shani Raja’s Writing With Flair cost? This writing course costs $94.99, but Udemy often offers discounts, as you see in the screenshot above. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee. Buying the course gains you lifetime access to the 7 hours of on-demand video training. His basics form what he calls his “secret sauce” of writing. As stated above, this course is for writers of all types and skill levels. Even those learning to write English as a second language can form great writing habits with this course. This isn't the only writing course on Udemy. Check out my in-depth Udemy review for more course info.

Learn Amazon Ads for Free

Check out my full free video course that will teach you how to make effective Ads to increase your book sales

Children’s Book University by award-winning, bestselling author Eevi Jones takes a welcoming, comprehensive, and shrewd look at the children’s book self-publishing world. Not only does Jones guide you through the writing process for a children’s story, she even helps with the business side of things. I love reading with my kids, and that's only possible because of dedicated children's book authors like Eevi Jones. Writing a kid's book is more complicated than you would think. Often, books for kids are full of vibrant illustrations, creative fonts, and simple yet gripping storylines. Now imagine getting all of that ready to publish. It's a lot of work. There's a good chance beginners will get lost. That's why Jones’s course is so valuable. She carefully breaks down her process for you from start to finish. It's a critical resource for aspiring children's book writers. As an added bonus, you can go through her online writing classes at your own pace. According to Jones:

“I have interviewed more than 100 aspiring children’s book authors to ensure that this program covers and addresses every single burning question you may have.”

How much does Children’s Book University cost? This course costs $497, as long as you use Kindlepreneur’s link to enroll. This gains you immediate lifetime access. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. Typically, Children’s Book University costs $997 — and it's worth every single penny. However, Eevi has given Kindlepreneur an amazing 50% discount on her program! This is a special deal that you can only get here. If you're looking to take your children's book writing to the next level, now's your best chance. Be sure to read Eevi Jones’s guest post on How To Write a Children’s Book , here on Kindlepreneur.

AMS Ads For Books is Kindlepreneur’s free course on how to sell more books with Amazon ads . (AMS stands for Amazon Marketing Services.) This robust course is free , on-demand, and easy to follow. Are you a writer wanting to sell more books on Amazon? Enroll today! Now, I'm not looking to boast here, but I honestly believe that my AMS Ads course is an absolute must if you plan to run ads on Amazon. AMS ads aren't very user-friendly. While they have the potential to send your book sales into the atmosphere, they can also eat up your advertising budget while you get them figured out. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't use them. You just need to learn how to set up your ads, manage your campaigns, and make necessary adjustments. How much do Kindlepreneur’s courses for authors cost?

  • Kindlepreneur’s AMS Ads for Books course is free .
  • Kindlepreneur’s MailerLite for Authors Email course is free.
  • Kindlepreneur’s Mastering Keywords and Categories costs $49.99.

There’s no credit card required for either of the free courses and no hidden fees, ever. Check out my in-depth look at Amazon Ads for Authors if you’re still considering whether to take this free course. AMS campaigns aren't just set-it-and-forget-it. In my free course, I show you how using Publisher Rocket can help you construct your book’s best possible ad campaign. If you're looking to create an AMS ad campaign or even self-publish on Amazon, I highly recommend you head over and check out my course.

Memoirama is the brainchild of Marion Roach Smith — an author featured in The New York Times and on NPR and a professional memoir coach. Smith's approach to teaching memoirs has been likened to a precise mathematical formula. She literally teaches you her writing algorithm. Writing a memoir might seem like an easy undertaking at first. You lived through the facts. It can't be that difficult to write them down. Right? Wrong. Navigating these life events can be overwhelming, confusing, and difficult to fully explain to a reader. That’s where Marion Roach Smith comes in to ease your mind, guide you through the process, and equip you with the necessary tools to write a memoir. Unlike other click-through courses, Marion teaches her course live. Seats for her class are limited to 30 people. That way, everybody gets to ask questions at the end. How much does Memoirama cost? Memoirama costs $59. It is taught live mostly on Fridays, with a few Tuesdays thrown in for good measure. This is the first of a 4-part series for learning how to write memoirs. It's highly recommended that you take the courses to get the maximum effect. These courses are broken down into easily digestible parts — with the first only 90 minutes long. Whether you're a beginner to memoirs, need a refresher, or looking to have some fun learning, this course is the one for you.

Western Colorado University’s Publishing MA Program is one of the only comprehensive master’s degree programs in the US that offers hands-on experience in the publishing industry, (mostly) from the comfort of your own home. Let me preface this course by stating that it is not entirely held online. You get to spend two weeks in the gorgeous Colorado mountains for summer orientation. After that, you can complete the rest of the course online. Or in the picturesque Rockies, if you decide to move there — your call. Seriously, this is the best course for indie publishers available today. For the first 2 in-residence weeks, you'll go through an intensive training regimen on the basics of publishing. Once that's done, you'll be put to work. Literally. You'll work for a small commercial publishing company, getting paid pro rates to:

  • Develop a concept for an anthology
  • Solicit submissions
  • Read the slush pile and choose what gets published
  • Issue contracts
  • Edit the piece
  • Design and produce the book and book cover
  • Publish the book
  • Market the book

How much is WCU’s tuition? WCU’s tuition for graduate students is $17,371/year. Like most master’s degree programs, WCU’s Publishing MA Program is a 2-year program. Of course, you may qualify for student aid. Also, great news for any of you Sci-Fi guys and gals out there looking to take this course — it's taught by Kevin J Anderson, a legend in the Science Fiction genre with over 56 national and international bestsellers. This includes his work on Dune , the Star Wars canon, the Seven Suns series, and so much more. Anderson’s personal publishing company, WordFire Press, has released over 350 titles from 95 different authors.

Freedom Machine is a great tool for bloggers who want to make a living by guest posting . If I had to pick just one online course for bloggers, it's this one. Created by one of the world's best bloggers, Jon Morrow, this course is the real deal. I make all of my new hires take this course as part of their on-boarding process. This course covers blogging from start to finish — from how to choose the right opening line to pitching a guest post idea. Morrow really drives home some extraordinary fundamentals of blog writing and guest posting. He also provides you with his “little black book” of websites for guest posting, sites that meet his criteria as great places to guest post. At the end of the course, you get a certificate of completion that carries some weight as a blogging qualification. Morrow makes it abundantly clear that if you don’t put the time and effort into his course, you won't go anywhere with it. You need to buckle down and get motivated, as well as do your daily assignments and homework. This is not a course for quitters or those looking to breeze through nonchalantly. How much does Freedom Machine cost?

  • $99.45/month for 12 months, OR
  • $999/one-time payment

Freedom Machine’s content and resources are valued at $10,000. For all the value it provides, the company even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Learn how to setup and use your MailerLite account effectively to help sell more books.

Writers of the Future Online Workshop is an amazing course if you're a science-fiction writer or looking to become one. Mind you, this is an intermediate course, not necessarily for writers who are just starting out. How much Writers of the Future Online Workshop cost? This course is completely free. The course is 11 lessons long with 13 videos chock full of priceless information. You also gain access to personal essays from the workshop founder, L. Ron Hubbard. This online writing workshop features 3 top-notch teachers:

  • Orson Scott Card
  • David Farland

If you're a sci-fi fan, you've heard of at least one of those names, if not all 3. They're legends in the sci-fi community. This is like the ultimate masterclass for science fiction. One of the coolest parts of this course is its associated contest. The Writers of the Future contest is open to beginning writers only — meaning you can't have published more than 3 short stories or any novels or novellas. By the end of the course, you'll have already written your submission. And since this course is free (along with the contest entry), you may actually win $5,000 just by learning and participating.

A Fearless Way to Write Novels is taught by award-winning, 7-time New York Times bestselling author Alessandra Torre. She uses her experience to teach simple, step-by-step methods to write a great novel. Novel writing is a lot more than simply throwing a story on paper. There’s social media, equipment, software, idea generation, outlining, writing scenes, cliffhangers, copyrights, book blurbs, book descriptions, etc. It can get overwhelming if you don’t have an experienced guide. What I love about Torre’s course is the breadth of topics she covers. From generating story ideas to perfectly typing up a book’s conclusion, this course covers it all with over 75 video lessons. Besides step-by-step lessons, there are also practical writing assignments and bonus content interviews with other bestselling authors. Course lessons include:

  • Finding Your Story
  • Developing Your Idea
  • How to Actually Write
  • Your First Chapter
  • Rewrites and Final Steps

How much does A Fearless Way to Write Novels cost? This course costs $297, or 3 monthly payments of $100. You gain immediate, unlimited, lifetime access, including future updates, at no extra charge. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Sometimes the best things in life are free. When it comes to the best online writing courses, free does not have to mean bad. Here are a few free online writing courses you can consider:

  • Coursera : Founded by Stanford professors, Coursera offers many free creative writing classes, such as creative nonfiction, on top of many other subjects. These free video lectures and online assignments are on-demand at your leisure. Just search “free writing” at the link.
  • The Crafty Writer's Creative Writing Course : This course is for anyone interested in creative writing. Discover your personal writing style and how you can use it to build vivid worlds . This course even touches on the basics of publishing and marketing.
  • Brandon Sanderson’s lectures : Much revered in the writing community , Brandon Sanderson has made some of his lectures free-to-view on YouTube . They cover sci-fi writing, worldbuilding, and even a little bit of publishing.
  • The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction : Offered by Reedsy’s Azul Terronez, this 10-day email course gives you the lowdown on high-quality non-fiction writing. He teaches you how to avoid writer's block, hit word count goals, and stay focused while writing.
  • Start Writing Fiction : This free class teaches you everything you need to know about the basics of fiction writing, including journal keeping, plot development, and dialogue. Over 350,000 people have joined this 8-week course. Once 8 weeks pass, you lose access to the lecture materials. However, you can upgrade for $64 to keep the course material for future reference.
  • Arizona State University's Introduction to English Composition : Great for all skill levels, this class is about building the fundamentals of writing. Although this course is free, you can pay an extra $499 to get a verified certification. But the course alone is just fine for most.
  • Finally, check out my Book Marketing Show Podcast , mainly covering — you guessed it — book marketing . It’s free, fun, and informative (if I do say so myself!).

What’s your favorite online writing course?

Let me know what your favorite online writing courses are. Did I miss any excellent ones? Remember, these courses aren't just for those who don't know how to write. Don't be afraid to go out there and expand your knowledge base, no matter how much experience you have. I believe my breakdown of the best online writing courses will guide you to make the best decision for your individual situation. What's the best online writing course you've ever personally taken? Was it cheating to list all MasterClass courses under one umbrella? Let me know down in the comments below. I keep up with comments long after posts are published.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

Related Reviews

Autocrit review for 2024: read this before purchasing, the best writing apps (for mobile) every writer needs to use in 2024, plottr review [2024]: best plotting software, sell more books on amazon, how to title a book checklist.

Titling your book can be hard…really hard. As you go through choosing your book title, use this checklist as your guide and make sure you have a title that will sell!

6 thoughts on “ 16 Best Online Courses for Writers in 2024 [Free & Paid] ”

What about academic graduate writing courses online?

Haven’t come across one yet. But if you do, let me know.

Thanks Dave … the Marion Roach Smith Webinar was AMAZING. Packed full of information, tips, and advice about getting a memoir off the ground. Thanks for hosting .. and I hope all went well with getting your daughter from college …. crazy times indeed!

You bet…and no kidding!

Hi, I am going through Holly Lisle`s writing classes – in particular her How To Write A Novel class – at the moment and I am finding that she is one of the most thorough teachers in writing craft that I have found on-line. She is a published author with around 30 books and has moved from traditional publishing in the 1980`s/1990`s through to self-publishing today. She has many paid short courses for a small price and also much larger classes. She offers a short (3 week) flash fiction class for free called “How To Write Flash Fiction That Doesn’t Suck” so you can test out whether her teaching style suits you and learn new skills at the same time. As a satisfied student I highly recommend her courses to anyone wanting to learn writing craft. Cheers Fae

Yes, my sister took Holly`s class and said it was tremendous. If you get a chance to take a dialogue class from Kristen Higgans, that is all you need for dialogue.

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363 Best Creative Writing Classes in Online

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This directory of creative writing courses will help you find the right class for you. Simply filter by genre, price, and location to find the writing class that best fits your needs.

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Sign up for a free video lesson and learn how to make readers care about your main character.

The Said and the Unsaid: Writing Your Characters Through Dialogue

In this class, we will examine prose conversations and explore dialogue as a tool for getting to know our characters. We will observe the many ways humans communicate and translate gestures and facial expressions into engaging written descriptions.

Location: Online

Categories: Fiction, Book, Short Story

Price: $51.00

Start date: May, 2024

Website: https://www.porchtn.org/class/the-said-and-the-unsaid-wri...

Elementary Writing: Animal Stories

Brave Writer

In this five-week course, each student will conceive and draft a short story of up to 1,200 words. We will begin with a triggering image and build from there, reading examples, working with myths and fairy tales, drafting and revising, and exploring how to begin and how to end.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Categories: Kids, Fiction, Short Story

Level: Beginner

Class size: 25

Price: $279.00

Start date: April, 2024

Website: https://bravewriter.com/online-classes/writing-the-short-...

Using Time as a Narrative Tool

Writing for the theatre is a time-based art form. In this session we’ll explore various ways of observing how time operates dramatically, approaches for making deliberate choices about time, and how those narrative choices effect the audience’s experience of story. Come ready to write and play.

Categories: Fiction, Playwriting

Price: £36.00

Start date: March, 2024

Website: https://theatre503.com/whats-on/twp-spring-24-using-time/

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8-week Personal Essay & Memoir II/III (intermediate & advanced)

Sackett Street Writers

Through group discussion of student work, plus that of published authors, writers in this workshop will examine the art and craft of creative nonfiction. The focus will be on learning to understand and use a full range of literary techniques in order to tell a truly compelling nonfiction story.

Categories: Essay, Nonfiction, Memoir

Class size: 10

Price: $800.00

Website: https://sackettworkshop.com/writing/2023/12/30/8-week-per...

Formatting Your Script Like a Pro

UCLA Extension

In this course, you learn not only how to properly format scene headings, action lines, characters, dialogue, parentheticals and transitions, but why these are industry standards. Even with screenwriting software, writers still struggle with the intricacies of formatting as it relates to clarity, succinctness and the reader’s emotional experience.

Categories: Fiction, Screenplay

Price: $325.00

Website: https://www.uclaextension.edu/writing-journalism/screenwr...

Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tale Writing With Anca Szilágyi

Atlas Obscura

In this four-part seminar, delve into the genre of fairy tales—reading and dissecting modern retellings before sharing and workshopping a draft of your own.

Categories: Book, Fantasy, Fiction

Class size: 30

Price: $225.00

Website: https://www.atlasobscura.com/experiences/fairy-tales-onli...

Intro to Writing for TV (On-demand)

Second City

This course is for anyone who wants to learn the essence of writing for television or anyone with a great idea for a series who needs help putting it into words. You’ll learn about the language of TV writing, the importance of deadlines, and unique qualities of a televised story.

Class size: Unlimited

Website: https://www.secondcity.com/classes/chicago/intro-writing-...

The Business of Creative Writing: Book Querying

What even is book querying? Let's break it down. In this class, we'll talk the business of book publishing—how to identify your genre, the difference between commercial and upmarket, how to find comparative titles, marketplace trends and how to react to them.

Categories: Fiction, Book, Nonfiction, Publishing

Price: $77.00

Website: https://www.porchtn.org/class/the-business-of-creative-wr...

Form and Composition

Writer's Digest University

Proper grammar, punctuation, and mechanics make your writing correct. In order to truly write well, you must also master the art of form and composition. From sentence structure to polishing your prose, this course will enhance your writing, no matter what type of writing you do.

Prerequisites: Up to 60,000 words of your novel or two drafts of up to 30,000 words each.

Categories: Book, Fiction, Nonfiction, Short Story

Level: Advanced

Price: $299.00

Website: https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/form-and-c...

Fearless Writing

In this workshop we’ll look at several techniques you can you use to keep yourself in the creative flow and out of the trouble and misery fear always causes.

Prerequisites: The Writer’s Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages is a required book.

Categories: Fiction, Book

Price: $300.00

Website: https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/fearless-w...

Writing Poetry

University of Oxford

This 10-week online course from Oxford University, taught by Dr. Simon Pomery, is designed for flexible learning. It involves tutor-guided forum discussions and self-paced study, focusing on reading and activities around poetry. Suitable for those looking to explore poetry writing in a structured yet flexible environment​​​​​​​​​​.

Categories: Poetry

Class size: Limited

Price: £578.00

Website: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/writing-poetry-online

Memoir Writing Masterclass

The Memoir Writing Club

This 12-week interactive online course, led by Irene Graham, focuses on the art of memoir writing. It includes a memoir writing workbook, audio lessons, live group sessions, and personalized mentorship. Suitable for writers at all levels, from beginners to those revising their memoirs, the course offers a comprehensive journey into crafting a memoir​​​​.

Categories: Memoir, Nonfiction

Price: $2,495.00

Start date: January, 2025

Website: https://www.thememoirwritingclub.com/memoir-writing-cours...

So you’re looking for creative writing classes online

Why go to a class in person when you can simply take the creative writing class online, in the comfort of your home and at your own preferred pace? With the single click of a finger, you could have access to the best online writing courses in the world, and a breadth of knowledge that could help you master the art of writing.

This directory of the best online writing courses is meant to help you locate the right one for yourself.  We’ve included filters for price and genre so that you can quickly sort through the writing classes. And before you commit to any one writing class, consider the following questions:

  • Who is the instructor?
  • What is the price of the writing course?
  • Is the writing course offered in person? Or are you certain you want to take the creative writing class course?
  • How long could the course last?

Got any questions about finding the right writing class online for you? Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] . Good luck!

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The 15 Best Free Online Courses You Can Take From Harvard

Posted: December 21, 2023 | Last updated: December 21, 2023

<p> Free classes are available everywhere online these days. Even Ivy League schools like Harvard University are sharing their courses with the public. </p> <p> Some of these classes can help you learn skills that will transfer to the workplace and help you <a href="https://financebuzz.com/paycheck-moves-55mp?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=1&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=move+beyond+living+paycheck+to+paycheck&synd_backlink_position=1&synd_slug=paycheck-moves-55mp">move beyond living paycheck to paycheck</a>. Others can deepen your knowledge in topics you’re passionate about.  </p> <p> Following are the 15 best free classes available from Harvard.</p><p>  <a href="https://www.financebuzz.com/supplement-income-55mp?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=1&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=Make+Money%3A+8+things+to+do+if+you%27re+barely+scraping+by+financially&synd_backlink_position=2&synd_slug=supplement-income-55mp"><b>Make Money:</b> 8 things to do if you're barely scraping by financially</a>  </p>

Free classes are available everywhere online these days. Even Ivy League schools like Harvard University are sharing their courses with the public.

Some of these classes can help you learn skills that will transfer to the workplace and help you  move beyond living paycheck to paycheck . Others can deepen your knowledge in topics you’re passionate about.

Following are the 15 best free classes available from Harvard.

Make Money: 8 things to do if you're barely scraping by financially

<p> Even in a time when artificial intelligence can write a full-length report, it still pays to know how to write.  </p> <p> If you work in marketing, communications, or fundraising, this eight-week class can help elevate your writing. You’ll learn how to craft a more persuasive argument to get what you want. </p> <p>  <p class=""><a href="https://financebuzz.com/extra-newsletter-signup-testimonials-synd?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=2&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=Get+expert+advice+on+making+more+money+-+sent+straight+to+your+inbox.&synd_backlink_position=3&synd_slug=extra-newsletter-signup-testimonials-synd">Get expert advice on making more money - sent straight to your inbox.</a></p>  </p>

Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking

Even in a time when artificial intelligence can write a full-length report, it still pays to know how to write.

If you work in marketing, communications, or fundraising, this eight-week class can help elevate your writing. You’ll learn how to craft a more persuasive argument to get what you want.

Get expert advice on making more money - sent straight to your inbox.

<p> Most people think happiness is something that just happens to you, but this six-week course teaches students how to actively create and sustain the feeling. </p> <p> Although it might sound like a fluff class, the course utilizes principles from neuroscience and psychology to show that happiness isn’t just about feeling good — it’s also about building a life of which you can be proud.  </p>

Managing Happiness

Most people think happiness is something that just happens to you, but this six-week course teaches students how to actively create and sustain the feeling.

Although it might sound like a fluff class, the course utilizes principles from neuroscience and psychology to show that happiness isn’t just about feeling good — it’s also about building a life of which you can be proud.

<p> If you’ve always loved video games and have dreamed about creating your own, this class is perfect for you.  </p> <p> It lasts 12 weeks and will show you how to create both 2D and 3D games. This self-paced course will examine how the most popular games were designed and how to replicate them.  </p><p class="">  <a href="https://www.financebuzz.com/ways-to-make-extra-money?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=4&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=Make+Money%3A+Discover+17+legit+ways+to+make+extra+cash&synd_backlink_position=4&synd_slug=ways-to-make-extra-money"><b>Make Money:</b> Discover 17 legit ways to make extra cash</a>  </p>

CS50's Introduction to Game Development

If you’ve always loved video games and have dreamed about creating your own, this class is perfect for you.

It lasts 12 weeks and will show you how to create both 2D and 3D games. This self-paced course will examine how the most popular games were designed and how to replicate them.

Make Money: Discover 17 legit ways to make extra cash

<p> In an era of digital communication, most employees spend a good deal of time communicating with people who are even busier than they are.  </p> <p> This webinar class shows students how to create messages that cut through the noise so their emails are always answered — no matter how busy the recipient is.</p>

The Science of Corresponding with Busy People webinar

In an era of digital communication, most employees spend a good deal of time communicating with people who are even busier than they are.

This webinar class shows students how to create messages that cut through the noise so their emails are always answered — no matter how busy the recipient is.

<p> As a boss, your job is to motivate and support your workers so they can reach their full potential. That can be difficult in a world that is changing so much.  </p> <p> This self-paced class teaches you leadership lessons from the life of legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton that you can take directly to the office. </p>

Resilient Leadership

As a boss, your job is to motivate and support your workers so they can reach their full potential. That can be difficult in a world that is changing so much.

This self-paced class teaches you leadership lessons from the life of legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton that you can take directly to the office.

<p> While this course is an introductory 15-minute video, its lessons might impact the rest of your life.  </p> <p> The class will teach you how to get a higher salary based on the story of Derek Sanderson, former center for the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins. </p> <p> Research shows that most workers don’t negotiate well, meaning you could be missing out on thousands of dollars each year by not taking advantage of the strategies shared in this course.</p><p>  <a href="https://www.financebuzz.com/clever-debt-payoff-55mp?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=7&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=Get+Out+of+Debt+for+Good%3A+Try+these+6+clever+ways+to+crush+your+debt&synd_backlink_position=5&synd_slug=clever-debt-payoff-55mp"><b>Get Out of Debt for Good:</b> Try these 6 clever ways to crush your debt</a>  </p>

Negotiating Salary

While this course is an introductory 15-minute video, its lessons might impact the rest of your life.

The class will teach you how to get a higher salary based on the story of Derek Sanderson, former center for the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins.

Research shows that most workers don’t negotiate well, meaning you could be missing out on thousands of dollars each year by not taking advantage of the strategies shared in this course.

Get Out of Debt for Good: Try these 6 clever ways to crush your debt

<p> If you work in human resources, you know that employee health is a crucial building block to a successful and profitable company.  </p> <p> This nine-week class will show you how to reduce employee health costs while providing tangible benefits for your workers.</p>

Improving Your Business Through a Culture of Health

If you work in human resources, you know that employee health is a crucial building block to a successful and profitable company.

This nine-week class will show you how to reduce employee health costs while providing tangible benefits for your workers.

<p> This six-week course is an introductory class that helps business professionals with no experience in computer science learn the basics.  </p> <p> Students will learn about web development, various programming languages, cloud computing, and more. If you’re interested in further pursuing computer science after the course ends, you can take other free Harvard computer science classes. </p>

CS50's Computer Science for Business Professionals

This six-week course is an introductory class that helps business professionals with no experience in computer science learn the basics.

Students will learn about web development, various programming languages, cloud computing, and more. If you’re interested in further pursuing computer science after the course ends, you can take other free Harvard computer science classes.

<p> Individuals constantly misunderstand statistics and probability. Consider taking this class if interpreting data and statistics is crucial to your job.  </p> <p> This course lasts for seven weeks and explains concepts related to probability. It is designed for those with no previous experience.</p><p>  <a href="https://www.financebuzz.com/paycheck-moves-55mp?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=10&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=Break+the+Cycle%3A+8+moves+to+escape+the+paycheck+to+paycheck+grind&synd_backlink_position=6&synd_slug=paycheck-moves-55mp"><b>Break the Cycle:</b> 8 moves to escape the paycheck to paycheck grind</a><br>  </p>

Fat Chance: Probability from the Ground Up

Individuals constantly misunderstand statistics and probability. Consider taking this class if interpreting data and statistics is crucial to your job.

This course lasts for seven weeks and explains concepts related to probability. It is designed for those with no previous experience.

Break the Cycle: 8 moves to escape the paycheck to paycheck grind

<p> If you work in health care, you know that improvements in the workplace can impact the level of care received by patients.  </p> <p> Improvement science is the study of how to make systems better over time. This course takes seven weeks to complete and is self-paced.</p>

Practical Improvement Science in Health Care: A Roadmap for Getting Results

If you work in health care, you know that improvements in the workplace can impact the level of care received by patients.

Improvement science is the study of how to make systems better over time. This course takes seven weeks to complete and is self-paced.

<p>As most education professionals know, student success is tied directly to how engaged and interested the parents are, not just how good the school is. This self-paced course can offer strategies to increase family engagement.</p><p>Teachers, principals, and anyone else who works in education can benefit from this course.</p>

Introduction to Family Engagement in Education

As most education professionals know, student success is tied directly to how engaged and interested the parents are, not just how good the school is. This self-paced course can offer strategies to increase family engagement.

Teachers, principals, and anyone else who works in education can benefit from this course.

<p>The class covers different health care business models and how innovation is changing long-standing systems.</p><p>Employees who work in health care can learn much from this self-paced course.</p><p>  <a href="https://www.financebuzz.com/1000-in-the-bank?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=13&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=Money+Goals%3A+Make+these+7+savvy+moves+when+you+have+%241%2C000+in+the+bank&synd_backlink_position=7&synd_slug=1000-in-the-bank"><b>Money Goals:</b> Make these 7 savvy moves when you have $1,000 in the bank</a>  </p>

Innovating in Health Care

The class covers different health care business models and how innovation is changing long-standing systems.

Employees who work in health care can learn much from this self-paced course.

Money Goals: Make these 7 savvy moves when you have $1,000 in the bank

<p> Chinese philosopher Confucius changed the world with his teachings. And if you’ve always been curious about studying his work, now is your chance.  </p> <p> This course is 13 weeks long and covers Confucius and other Chinese philosophers, detailing how insights from their work can help you become a happier, more fulfilled person.</p>

The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches Us About the Good Life

Chinese philosopher Confucius changed the world with his teachings. And if you’ve always been curious about studying his work, now is your chance.

This course is 13 weeks long and covers Confucius and other Chinese philosophers, detailing how insights from their work can help you become a happier, more fulfilled person.

<p> When you’re working at a nonprofit, you need to find ways to connect to your constituents, donors, and the general public.  </p> <p> This webinar from Harvard professor Arthur Brooks shows nonprofit leaders how to use the principles of human connection in their current role. </p>

New Ideas for Nonprofit Leaders webinar

When you’re working at a nonprofit, you need to find ways to connect to your constituents, donors, and the general public.

This webinar from Harvard professor Arthur Brooks shows nonprofit leaders how to use the principles of human connection in their current role.

<p> Even if you don’t have a law degree, you may still be in a position where you have to read and understand contracts. But without a legal background, you could wind up signing a document you don’t fully understand.  </p> <p> That’s where this class comes in. It will teach you how to read a contract so you can make an intelligent choice the next time you sign your John Hancock on a document. </p>

Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract

Even if you don’t have a law degree, you may still be in a position where you have to read and understand contracts. But without a legal background, you could wind up signing a document you don’t fully understand.

That’s where this class comes in. It will teach you how to read a contract so you can make an intelligent choice the next time you sign your John Hancock on a document.

<p> Harvard offers many free courses that can help build your skills while allowing you to <a href="https://financebuzz.com/5k-a-month-moves-55mp?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=17&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=keep+more+money+in+your+wallet&synd_backlink_position=8&synd_slug=5k-a-month-moves-55mp">keep more money in your wallet</a>.  </p> <p> The school also offers a wide variety of paid courses online. While some of these classes cost thousands of dollars, many of Harvard’s paid courses are less than $100.</p><p>  <p class=""><b>More from FinanceBuzz:</b></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.financebuzz.com/supplement-income-55mp?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=17&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=7+things+to+do+if+you%E2%80%99re+barely+scraping+by+financially.&synd_backlink_position=9&synd_slug=supplement-income-55mp">7 things to do if you’re barely scraping by financially.</a></li> <li><a href="https://financebuzz.com/offer/bypass/637?source=%2Flatest%2Fmsn%2Fslideshow%2Ffeed%2F&aff_id=1006&aff_sub=msn&aff_sub2=&aff_sub3=&aff_sub4=feed&aff_sub5=%7Bimpressionid%7D&aff_click_id=&aff_unique1=%7Baff_unique1%7D&aff_unique2=&aff_unique3=&aff_unique4=&aff_unique5=%7Baff_unique5%7D&rendered_slug=/latest/msn/slideshow/feed/&contentblockid=984&contentblockversionid=21423&ml_sort_id=&sorted_item_id=&widget_type=&cms_offer_id=637&keywords=&ai_listing_id=&utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=17&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=Can+you+retire+early%3F+Take+this+quiz+and+find+out.&synd_backlink_position=10&synd_slug=offer/bypass/637">Can you retire early? Take this quiz and find out.</a></li> <li><a href="https://financebuzz.com/make-extra-money?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=17&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=12+legit+ways+to+earn+extra+cash.&synd_backlink_position=11&synd_slug=ways-to-make-extra-money">12 legit ways to earn extra cash.</a></li> <li><a href="https://financebuzz.com/extra-newsletter-signup-testimonials-synd?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&synd_slide=17&synd_postid=15034&synd_backlink_title=9+simple+ways+to+make+up+to+an+extra+%24200%2Fday&synd_backlink_position=12&synd_slug=extra-newsletter-signup-testimonials-synd">9 simple ways to make up to an extra $200/day</a></li> </ul>  </p>

Bottom line

Harvard offers many free courses that can help build your skills while allowing you to keep more money in your wallet .

The school also offers a wide variety of paid courses online. While some of these classes cost thousands of dollars, many of Harvard’s paid courses are less than $100.

More from FinanceBuzz:

  • 7 things to do if you’re barely scraping by financially.
  • Can you retire early? Take this quiz and find out.
  • 12 legit ways to earn extra cash.
  • 9 simple ways to make up to an extra $200/day

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