Good online writing class?

July 23, 2008 11:06 AM

I would like to take a writing class and would prefer to do it online for my convenience. Are there any good ones out there that aren't too expensive (like over $200.00?) Thanks.
posted by Tullyogallaghan to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

I took a short stories class through my local community college. It was all online and there was quite a bit of collaboration between teacher and pupils. We completed 6 pieces over the span of the semester. It was great writing experience and feedback from a dozen other aspiring authors was great. Also, many large libraries have writing groups that meet and share their work. To be honest though, if you aren't already, you need to just 'start' writing. Every day. Make it part of your routine. It helps world just to do it, often, about everything.
posted by alcoth at 11:15 AM on July 23, 2008

You don't mention what you want to study but I will assume it's one of these: novel, short story, play, poetry, screenwriting. I haven't priced them, but I got my start writing novels through the infamous "Writers Digest School".
They paired me with noted horror writer and anthologist J. N. (Jerry) Williamson. He taught me an amazing amount about life and writing. This was also before the internet and we had to send writing exercises, manuscripts and notes from my home at an Air Force Base in the UK, and his home in Indianapolis.
I think they would be a great place for you to start:

http://writersdigest.com/OnlineWorkshops/

Good luck!
posted by willmize at 11:56 AM on July 23, 2008 [1 favorite]

an online writing class is most likely not going to help you as much as an in-person classroom class would. writing classes, if you're going to learn anything besides wrote grammar rules and such, need to have peer to peer and teacher interaction. you won't get that in an online class. you'll get some email comments and maybe some track changes.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 12:58 PM on July 23, 2008

Previously.
posted by Francis7 at 4:24 PM on July 23, 2008