Free Online Creative Writing Courses

When one is pursuing a career in writing there are many choices to consider. Not the least of these is the question of whether to pursue a formal education or training. Do you require a writing degree in order to become a writer?

In some fields the answer is a resounding --- yes, One example is Journalism, writing for print copy follows a unique style and process, this process isnt necessarilly innate. The career field is a bit of a good old boys club, the reputation and expereince of the degree program you descend from does have pull.

But, what if you are a creative writer? Creative writing has its roots in art and imagination, are these traits that can be taught? Is a degree required in order to get a publisher to look at your work? Well, No..So what can be gained by taking a writing course or a writing degree program?

Three things stick out in my mind.

• Workshop Process
• Being Forced to write (practice not inspiration)
• Finding a style and voice
  

So, In case I wasnt clear, I am a proponent of writing courses, but I do have doubts as to whether paying for an "education" is a required route for the majority of writing careers in this world.

The Workshop Process

When you hand your writing to friends and family and ask "Is this any good?" ...they will always lie. Its a rare artist in the world who has friends that are capable of brutal feedback.

Being Forced to Write

Its a rare job in the world where you will always write what interests you and will always have complete freedom to select topics. Through the assignment process you will be forced to write.

Finding a style and voice

Its a rare author who cant benefit from editorial exposure and feedback relating to their peronal writing style.

Now about the heading...

Since I personally dont feel its necessary to pay for these three small features, what can be done?

Many universities and programs offer online courses that will provide all these benefits for you at little or no cost! The trepidation that many authors feel towards exposing their personally work is blunted by the impersonal nature of the web.

Below you will find the informational and registration links for 3 free online writing courses. Two of the links are for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one for Urah University. Who says you cant go to MIT!

I have to imagine that many people searching for online writing course are actually trying to learn "how to write for money online." Just a small change in wording but an incredibly different purpose. For those folks, as someone who successfully does this. I have 3 reccomendations.

1. Join Hubpages - This is a hubpage, an online publishing platform that takes the technical issues of self publishing out of the equation. The community here is thriving with information on how to make money writing online and is an excellent resource for practicing the methods you learn. Its free and you can earn money while doing it.
2. The Keyword Academy  - This is a resource that will show you all the tricks of the trade and aims at showing complete newbies very complicated methods. They succeed at this! There is a very strong community and they integrate hubpages into their program. This link allos you to try the program fr one month for $1. The normal monthly fee is $33, you can cancel anytime, join and watch the private webinars and read the forum...it will be 100% worth your time.
3. 30 DC (thirty day challenge)  There is no charge for awesomeness! This program focuses more on the internet marketing aspect of the online writing world but at the price of $0 and an incredible amount of free resources and trials only avalable through them. Its a no-brainer
   

There is something to said about the school of hard knocks. If you can compose a sentence and read a description of what is required ou may want to jump right into the world of content writing.

This is an aspect of writing I cover regularly.

Writers Wanted - A constantly updating resource that has call to work in the freelance writing world, including technical writing, research writing, content writing, seo writing and creative writing.

Top Ten Places to write for money online - a real short, to the point summary of the top content writing programs, how they pay and what to expect.

How to write for money online: The Smart Way!  - With so many options on how to wite for money online, creating a method for when and how you submit your work is crucial. See the method that works for me.

Technical Writing - a definition

Composing text for the purpose of conveying specific information about a particular subject, craft, or occupation (eg creating computer manuals or writing textbooks).

Technical Writing is a very formal writing style and is best done by those with significant expertise in the field they are writing in. This is a VERY lucrative field for those with intense education in scientific, medical and technical fields.

There are online technical writing courses available, see the following wikiversity link for additional resources

Technical Writing at WikiVersity

Although, I pointed out that Journalism is a field where degrees do matter. Its hard to say no to someone with experience and a strong portfolio. If you can write for your local paper, get some articles into larger publications and develop a strong portfolio of published work. Perhaps, your work will speak for itself.

One recent and beneficial opportunity is The Examiner, which is an offshoot of a major print publcation, apply and become an examiner and cover local news of interest, develop a portfolio and make money in the process.

News University  the absolute motherload of free information, online courses, self directed study and webinars regarding learning journalism methods.

Maybe your of the old school and you dread the idea of being chained to a PC for your learning process. So, I have a few picks for you.

As far as learning to write effectively..everyone can benefit from Strunk and Whites, The Elements of Style. These principles will beat you into submission.

Finding places and people to contact in regards to writing has been best done through The Writers Market, for years. No reason to stop now.

On eBay, we have a selection of writing course books, have a look.

If you found this article helpful I would really appreciate if you used the share button below and sent this out via FaceBook, Twitter, Digg, email or whatever to your networks or friends who may also benefit from it. This is what I do for a living and if no one ever sees it..I dont live to good!

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