online creative writing courses australia

Creative writing courses

Learn how to tell a compelling story

Introduction to Creative writing

Discover practical online writing courses that will help you grow as a writer. It doesn’t matter if you want to pen a novel, become a poet, work as a journalist, or write for the joy of it—there’s a study option to suit you here. 

These courses will teach you the craft behind different writing styles, so you can discover what inspires you most. You can search short courses or full qualifications. Either way, you will learn from published authors and editors who can guide you towards wherever you want to be in your writing career. 

Start comparing online creative writing courses across universities. We can offer advice on entry requirements, flexible study arrangements, fees and enrolments. When you study through us, it’s easier to balance your learning with other commitments in your life. 

Discover creative writing courses

Online creative writing degrees.

Undergraduate | MAQ-ART-DEG

Bachelor of Arts

Undergraduate | LAT-ART-DEG

Undergraduate | GRF-ART-DEG

Undergraduate | CUR-CWG-DEG

Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing)

Online creative writing subjects and short courses

Undergraduate | MAQ-ENGX1021

An Introduction to Creative Writing

Undergraduate | CUR-PWP110

Introduction to Creative and Professional Writing

Undergraduate | LTU-ENG2WFI

Writing Fiction

Undergraduate | GRF-CWR111

Writing the Short Story

Discover 78 ways to study creative writing with leading Australian universities.

Creative writing study FAQs

What is a creative writing course.

A creative writing course teaches you how to approach different styles of writing, like fiction, short fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction. You will be encouraged to share your work so it can be critiqued by others, which helps you develop your skills to a publishable standard. 

What do you learn in a creative writing course?

Creative writing courses are both inspiring and practical. You’re given the space to experiment with your own ideas, but you also learn writing for different genres, platforms and formats. 

Depending on your course, you’ll learn how to:

• kickstart your creativity
• develop a distinctive writing style
• think critically about work produced by other writers 
• write across areas like short fiction, long-form fiction, genre fiction, poetry and children’s fiction
• act on feedback and edit your own work
• deliver critical feedback during virtual workshop discussions
• submit your work for publication
• navigate the Australian publishing industry.

Why should I study creative writing?

There are countless reasons to study creative writing. Enrol if you want to develop your craft, write professionally, or inspire yourself artistically. You’ll have the space to work on projects that matter to you, which could lead to a publishable story, collection or manuscript that you might not have finished otherwise. 

You’ll gain incredibly valuable knowledge about the path to publication from people who’ve been there. And you’ll network with like-minded creatives from all over the country. These connections often end up being the writers, editors and publishers you collaborate with in your career.   

Why should I study an online course in creative writing?

It’s not uncommon to juggle your creative projects with other work. Studying online gives you the time and flexibility to do that. Plus, you’re not restricted by location—you can access universities from across Australia. This has its advantages. It means you can choose your course based on the writing teachers who appeal to you most.  

Why should I study online through Open Universities Australia?

There are a lot of reasons to study your course online through us.

• You can enrol without entry requirements  We have a unique open-door policy  that makes it possible for everyone to enrol in university study, no matter their academic history. If you don’t meet the entry requirements for a degree, we’ll help you get in through single undergraduate subjects and transition into a qualification from there.
• You have total control over how you study Upskill without committing to a whole degree upfront. Or enrol in a full degree, but take it a subject at a time. We’ll introduce you to flexible study options you didn’t even know about, so you can fit uni around what matters to you.
• You’ll graduate with the same qualification as an on-campus student Once you enrol through us, you’ll study online with the university that provides your degree. This means that when you complete your qualification, you’ll graduate with the same degree as on-campus students.
• We’ll help you navigate the university world Our friendly student advisors will be your guide every step of the enrolment journey. They'll help you compare universities, choose a course, provide documentation and understand your finance options.

How long is a creative writing course?

It depends on the course and whether you choose something short or long-term. Here’s a general guide: 

If you study a degree in creative writing through Open Universities Australia, you have the flexibility to choose how many subjects you take per term. This means you can complete your qualification at a faster or slower pace than you would on campus.   

Is creative writing a difficult course?

Creative writing is a skill that requires practice and patience—but it’s a skill anyone can learn with the right guidance. Many of our students find workshopping to be the hardest thing about their course, because they can’t help taking the feedback about their work personally. It’s tricky to separate yourself from your writing, but your tutors and peers only have your development in mind. If you’re open to a bit of constructive criticism, you should find your course fun and rewardingly challenging. 

What jobs can you get with a creative writing degree?

Creative writing graduates have the critical thinking and writing skills to work across all sorts of industries. Students commonly pursue work as:

• Journalists
• Copywriters 
• Digital marketers
• Magazine publishers and editors
• Book publishers and editors
• Screenwriters
• Arts administrators

How do I know if I’m eligible to apply for a course?

Before starting an enrolment, it’s important to read the entry requirements for your chosen course to ensure that you’re eligible to apply. If you don’t quite meet the requirements, we can help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study. Chat with us  to find out more.

How do I enrol?

Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool , or request help from one of our student advisors.

When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Apply now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI)  during this process.

Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.

If you get stuck at any time, reach out to us  and we’ll talk you through it.

You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions .

Student stories and study advice

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7 online uni subjects that don't have entry requirements

We’re here to guide you to the right uni course.

Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation helping every Australian to access thousands of university courses.

Over 497,000 students have enrolled in university through us since 1993.

Student reviews

Why study through us students say it best..

We’re here to support your studies from enrolment to completion 7 days a week.

How we can help you

Studying through Open Universities Australia means we take care of the guesswork and administration of university study, so you can focus on learning.

You don't need a strong academic history to go to uni

We make it possible for everyone to start university through single subjects, regardless of ATAR or study experience. These subjects are covered by government loans, and can be used to upskill or gain entry into a qualification.

You have the flexibility to start at multiple points during the year

We’re not restricted by a traditional academic calendar, so you can enrol when it suits your life. You also have total control over how you study. You can scale up (or down) your study load and even pause your course if you need to.

You can rely on us as an unbiased destination for online tertiary education

As a not for profit, we have your best interests at heart. Our advisors are here 7 days a week to guide and support you. It’s our priority to get you qualified with the university of your choice.

Enrol in courses from 27 of Australia's leading universities

Our friendly student advisors are here to help

We're here to guide you every step of the way with expert advice on:

• Choosing a course that suits you best
• Enrolling, and planning your studies
• Understanding your funding options

Call, message, or chat with an advisor today.

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Upcoming Online Creative Nonfiction Writing Courses

June courses, scene study: strengthen your writing with compelling scenes, with susan pohlman.

Great stories are constructed with great scenes. Immerse your reader in your stories by learning the ropes of scene development.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Get It Done: Create the Scaffolding to Start (and Finish) a Writing Project

With eman quotah.

Get your butt in the chair, your mind roaming freely, and your creative juices flowing in this motivational, all-genres writing class.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Finding Inspiration in Dreams

With amy bonnaffons.

Our dreams are fertile fields of inspiration, meaning, and creativity. Learn how to use your dreams as doorways to future writing.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

In Bloom: Nature Writing Workshop

With dana de greff.

Want to write about nature like Robert Frost, Henry David Thoreau, or Annie Dillard? Join us for this six-week nature writing course.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Write into Mystery: Writing Flash Memoir on Wonder and the Unexplained

With joanna penn cooper.

We often encounter wonder, mystery, and the unexplained in our everyday lives. Turn those experiences into flash essays in this community-centered course.

Creative Nonfiction , Personal Essay

Get Back to That Book

With donna levin.

For any number of reasons, the book we want to write gets waylaid. Get back to it in this motivational two part workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel

Food Writing: Meals And Manuscripts

With jennifer billock.

Do you love cookbooks, cooking, or reading anything about food? This food writing course is for you. With award winning writer Jennifer Billock.

Creative Nonfiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Personal Essay

Creating the Visual Journal

With lissa jensen.

Only 3 seats left!

Go beyond narrow definitions of “journaling" to include visual images and let writing give what is seen a new voice. Surprise yourself.

Creative Nonfiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Personal Essay

Telling the Stories Your Body Holds: Writing and Shaping Strong Personal Essays

With sarah herrington.

Where do essays come from? In this course, they come from the body. Learn how to start—and finish—powerful essays that begin inside the self.

July Courses

Starting to write, with gloria kempton.

For those who want to kick start their writing into high gear.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story

Writing Our Grief: How to Channel Loss into Creative Expression

With rudri patel.

Writing about grief is a powerful healing tool. Turn pain into power in this personal essay course, with instructor Rudri Patel.

Story Lab: The Story-Subplot Connection

With jeff lyons.

Subplots are key to maintaining narrative pace and tension in a story. Drive your story forward with this deep dive into the elements of good storytelling.

August Courses

The art of storytelling.

It’s an age-old art form—storytelling—and you can learn the craft.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Observing What’s Vivid in Prose and Poetry

With marc olmsted.

Learn how to spotlight beauty through fresh, vivid, and surprising language, in this four week mindfulness writing course.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

September Courses

Finding confidence in the braided essay: a craft and empowerment workshop for literary nonfiction, with margo steines.

Weaving your story with facts and research can help you craft a stronger essay. Tell your story with confidence in this empowering essay writing course.

Discover Your Writing Niche

Fiction or nonfiction? Article, short story, or how-to book? Do you want to write for children, teens, adults? There is a type of writing that is best suited for you, and the discovery process can be an adventure.

Writing Autobiographical Fiction

With jack smith.

Learn to depart from "what really happened," and write compelling fiction from your own life experiences.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story

November Courses

Getting started marketing your work.

Solve the mystery of marketing and get your work out there in front of readers in this 4-week online class taught by Instructor Gloria Kempton.

December Courses

Accessing your writer’s voice.

Voice: What is it and how do you find yours? Instructor Gloria Kempton offers feedback on assignments in this 3-week online class.

Unscheduled Courses

These online writing classes don’t currently have a next session on our calendar, but will soon. If you see a course you’re interested in, use the “I’m Interested” button to let us know, and we’ll follow up with you when the course is on our calendar next.

Want to reach us or our instructors with questions about our online writing courses? Contact us at [email protected] , or visit the contact form .

(Live Workshop) Dream Writing

With zining mok.

How can writers harness the power of dreams? Let your slumber supercharge your creativity in this three hour dream writing workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Personal Essay

(Live Workshop) Get Clear on Your Story and Voice

With nadia colburn.

What is your story about? What is your voice? Whether you write poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, hone your writing in this 3 hour workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

(Live Workshop) Starting Off Right: How To Build A Blog, Grow An Audience & Make Money

With jessica festa.

When planned right, a blog allows you to share your passion and make money in the process. Learn how to build a blog in this one-day webinar.

Creative Nonfiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Personal Essay

(Live Workshop) Writing Beginnings and Endings

With sarah aronson.

How do you write a story that's compelling to start and satisfying to finish? Sarah Aronson explains in this comprehensive one-day workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story

*Private Class | Discover Your Writing Niche

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

*Private Class | Embodied Writing: Improve Your Writing with Full-Body Creativity

With rosemary tantra bensko.

Have a grand time with specific physical exercises that honor your health, generate imaginative ideas, explore deeply and make your creative writing entertaining.

*Private Class | Embodied Writing: Somatic Practices to Improve Your Work

*private class | finding confidence in the braided essay: a craft and empowerment workshop for literary nonfiction, *private class | food writing: meals and manuscripts, *private class | from pitch to publication: writing narrative journalism.

Explore literary journalism as a powerful means to share fascinating characters, stories, and perspectives. Learn all you need to start pitching, landing, and writing reported essays and features.

*Private Class | Getting Started Marketing Your Work

*private class | shadow writing.

Your unconscious can drive your writing or block it. Gloria Kempton will guide you in coaxing your shadow out of hiding.

Creative Nonfiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story

*Private Class | Story Lab: Writing Loglines That Sell

Your logline helps you query agents, market your book, and figure out the story itself. Hone your logline and set your book up for success in this two-part private Zoom workshop.

*Private Class | Telling the Stories Your Body Holds: Writing and Shaping Strong Personal Essays

*private class | the anti-hero’s journey for storytellers.

Throughout her writing career, Gloria Kempton has met many anti-heroes. In this course, you’ll receive feedback on your story antagonists.

*Private Class | The Art of Storytelling

*private class | the literary essay, with jonathan j.g. mcclure.

Course full. Contact us to join waitlist.

Explore the literary essay - from the conventional to the experimental, the journalistic to essays in verse - while writing and workshopping your own.

*Private Class | Using Bullet Journaling to Achieve Writing Goals

Looking to keep your writing goals organized? Make it happen in our bullet journaling course. Learn the art of the BuJo with Rudri Patel!

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

*Private Class | Write Your World: Express Your Creativity through Article Writing, Blogging, and Essays

Want to write your world, your way? Join us for this six-week program on article writing, blogging, and essays.

*Private Class | Writing Our Grief: How to Channel Loss into Creative Expression

A writerly life: develop a writing routine that works for you, with shelby hinte.

What does a writer's life look like? Build a productive writing habit in this course for writers of all backgrounds.

Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Use Story and Premise Development for Writing Success

The premise line is the only reliable tool that can tell you, BEFORE you start writing, whether or not your story will “work.” In this class participants will learn how to master the process of premise line development—the essential first step in any book or screenplay’s development process.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Stage and Broadcast

Block Buster: Turbocharge Your Creativity with Breakneck Writing

With gretchen clark.

Banish writer's block, unearth fresh ideas, and sharpen your storytelling ability with the practice of fast, timed writing.

Boost Your Imagination and Reap the Literary Rewards

With giulietta nardone.

It happens to all of us: life gets in the way and our creativity falters. Get back on track with this four-week creativity boosting class!

Branches of Creative Nonfiction

With tess fahlgren.

What are the different types of creative nonfiction? From the personal essay to the hermit crab, learn the ropes of CNF in this 8 week class.

Creative Nonfiction , Memoir , Personal Essay

But What Is Your Story Really About? Finding the Core of Your Short Memoir, Story, or Personal Essay

Take a four-week writing adventure deep into the core of your story, to find the true theme of your personal essay, short story, or short memoir.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Personal Essay , Short Story

Character Transformation Workshop: How to Write Stories that Emotionally Resonate

Learn how to write emotionally resonant journeys that stick with the reader, using the power of character transformation.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Claiming Our Stories: Autobiography, Memoir & Autobiographical Fiction

With anya achtenberg.

Turn your experience into fiction, autobiography, or creative memoir. Bring forward stories with a powerful truth at their core. Instructor Anya Achtenberg.

Craft Your Story: Short Fiction and Memoir Live Workshops

With margo perin.

Get tailored advice and inspiration for your fiction or nonfiction stories, in this weekly live workshop with award-winning instructor Margo Perin.

Crafting the Poetry Novel: Advanced Workshop

With kelly bingham.

Want to make headway on your poetry novel? This workshop offers the structure and resources to get it done, with instructor Kelly Bingham.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Poetry

Creating Narrative in Comics

With aubrey hirsch.

Art and storytelling have a rich relationship to one another. Explore that relationship in this class on writing narrative comics. Open to all artistic skill levels!

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Personal Essay , Short Story

Creative Nonfiction and the Personal Essay

Gretchen Clark pick axes her way into the volcanic marriage of real life and fiction. Weekly writing with incisive feedback.

Creative Nonfiction: The Art of Telling True Stories

With nicole hardy.

Only 2 seats left!

How do you tell your stories beautifully and authentically? Learn the fundamentals of creative nonfiction with Nicole Hardy.

Creative Writing & Storytelling Techniques For Business Professionals

Good writing helps business connect deeply with the clients they're hoping to work with. Learn how to hone the power of story in your professional career.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness

Deepening and Organizing Our Stories: Memoir/Creative Nonfiction and Autobiographical Fiction

For writers of memoir, creative nonfiction and fiction, with some experience. Particularly helpful to writers in the midst of a longer work.

Discovering the Lyric Essay

With derek jg williams.

The lyric essay challenges us to tell authentic stories without concrete forms. Learn the ropes of the genre in this 3 hour workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Live Workshop , Personal Essay

Embodied Writing: Improve Your Writing with Full-Body Creativity

Embodied writing: somatic practices to improve your work, find your brave: publishing as an act of courage.

In this fun, transformative four-week program, get tips and techniques to bring out your courage to publish a story in print or online.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Personal Essay , Short Story

Finding the Real Story: Essential Elements of Story in Fiction and Memoir

Address the larger issues of writing story through a look at the essential elements of narrative in fiction and memoir.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Short Story

Food Writing: Food-Focused Memoir

The food we eat and enjoy tells volumes about our lives and experiences. Write it all down in this food memoir course, with Jennifer Billock.

Free Panel Discussion: Memoir Secrets

With brad wetzler.

Join us for a free Zoom panel discussion with Brad Wetzler on his top secrets for writing a great memoir.

Free Community Event , Live Workshop , Memoir

From Pitch to Publication: Writing Narrative Journalism

Fundamentals of travel writing.

Take to the skies in this online travel writing course. We'll discuss the market, different types of travel writing, and pitching your piece!

Get Your Book Done Intensive! 4 Weeks to Measurable Progress

The summer is the best time to get the ball rolling on your book. Join us if you really want to get your book into the world.

How to Firm Up the “Mushy Middle” of Any Story

Ensure a strong middle throughline for any story. Say goodbye to the "mushy middle," and hello to stories that work.

How to Pitch

With rachel krantz.

Learn the ins and outs of pitching your work to print and online publications from Rachel Krantz, a full-time writer and formerly the Senior Feature Editor at Bustle.

How To Start A Blog

Create your blog, brand it, create engaging content and successfully promote posts. Taught by journalist, writer and photographer Jessica Festa.

How To Turn Your Blog Into A Career

From branding to search engine optimization and advertising, this course puts bloggers on the path to earning an income through their blog.

Humor Is The New Black!

Ready to add a splash of fun to your writing life? Join us for a four-week humor writing class. We’ll read. We’ll laugh. We’ll write. We’ll experiment.

I’ve Drunk Your Poisoned Nectar: Writing with the Goddess

With shankar narayan.

Dig deep into the rich mythology of South Asian goddesses to find new inspiration for your work in this generative, open-genre writing class.

In Your Own Words: Transforming Life Into Memoir and Fiction

Learn how to draw inspiration and material from your life experiences or those of people you know, or want to know, to craft compelling, publishable memoirs, personal essays, autobiographical novels and short stories, and/or narrative poetry.

Let It Rip: The Art of Writing Fiery Prose

You'll write prose that gets folks so hot and bothered they won't be able to put it down, even if it isn't about sex.

Let’s Get Personal: The Art and Craft of the Personal Essay

Draw inspiration and material from your life experiences or “real life” people you know to craft compelling, publishable personal essays. With author Margo Perin.

Make Your Prose Sing

With leslie lawrence.

Enrich your prose with techniques from poetry. Bring paper and pens; leave with a better ear and lots of ideas about how to make your prose sing.

Next-Level Creative Nonfiction: Elevating Essays, Memoir, Travel Writing & Literary Journalism

With wendy call.

Elevate your memoir, travel writing, literary journalism, & lyric and personal essays.

No More Excuses! Four Weeks to Finish and Submit Your Personal Essay or Short Memoir

Join us for this insightful four-week “get the writing done” program, give and receive thoughtful comments from your fellow writers and the instructor, and enjoy heaps of encouragement and writing wisdom along the way.

Ordinary to Extraordinary: Turning Everyday Experiences into Poetry

With tina barry.

No experience is too small or mundane to serve as a foundation for extraordinary poetry and short fiction.

Creative Nonfiction , Personal Essay , Poetry

Overcome Writing Anxiety: Boost Your Storytelling Confidence in Four Short Weeks!

"Who are you to want to write?" Someone great, that's who! Politely ask Mr. or Ms. Fear to step aside while you sign up for this fun, freeing and functional adventure.

Plumbing the Past: Turning Life Experience into Poetry, Flash and Creative Non-Fiction

Dig deep into personal ritual while studying narrative poets, short fiction and non-fiction authors, and food writers.

Creative Nonfiction , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Rapid Story Development: A Master Plan for Building Stories That Work

In this 10 week story writing class, Jeff Lyons pairs the Enneagram with story development techniques to revolutionize your writing practice.

Revision Strategies for Novels

With randy susan meyers.

You've finished your novel. Now what? Develop in-depth revision strategies for your book in this two-part workshop series.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel

Show and Tell: How to Write Captivating Memoir and Nonfiction

Your true story of healing or transformation can captivate and empower your readers. Learn how to balance showing the vivid details of your own journey with telling the broader themes for readers to apply in their own lives.

Style and Sense: Bring Your Writing to Life

With john gottberg anderson.

How do we transport our readers to vivid worlds? In this course, learn the skills that evoke the senses and bring your writing to life.

Suspense Sells! Power Up Your Writing With Conflict, Tension and Emotion

Inject suspense into your stories to keep readers turning pages. For writers of all kinds of fiction: thrillers, mysteries, romance, humor, literary and memoir. A four week class with Giulietta Nardone.

Tales From The Memory Palace: 6 to 250 Word Memoirs

If you want to be an in demand storyteller in the digital age, you need to get in, get out and get going. In this "short" four-week memoir writing adventure, you'll learn to scope out, swoop down and snatch up important memories from your life then speed write them into miniature masterpieces.

Techwashed!: Writing with AI, Data, and Surveillance

Raise a mirror against society's relationship to technology in this two part workshop series where we will learn how to write about tech.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Telling Your Food Story

With hannah howard.

Let's write at the kitchen table together, as we explore using food as a lens to tell our stories.

The Chronology of Mind: From Journal to Poem or Prose

With barbara henning.

Gather material through writing and experimenting with journaling, researching and taking notes to develop into poems or prose works.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

The Hero’s Journey For Storytellers

Structure your story and give it meaning with Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel

The Literary Essay

The lyric essay.

Explore non-traditional and imaginative ways to tell your stories with this ten-week writing course online. Creative nonfiction teacher Gretchen Clark provides detailed feedback on weekly writing assignments that emphasize creative freedom.

The Soundtrack of Your Life: Writing About Music, Memories and Mix Tapes

In a song inspired class, write several essays about the music that has moved you through life: the emotions, the relationships, the events, the outcomes.

The Wandering Heart: Tales of Connection

Wander through the rooms of your own life to discover stories of deep connection, reconnection or loss of connection and fashion your findings into stories suitable for blog posts, essays, short memoirs, short plays, scenes in screenplays, or chapters of novels.

Creative Nonfiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir

Using Bullet Journaling to Achieve Writing Goals

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Poetry

Using Your Poetry Skills to Write Memoir

With freesia mckee.

How do poets tell their stories in prose? Take the leap from poetry to memoir in this hybrid writing workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Poetry

Word Flashes & Eye Snapshots: Sketching Your Life Awake

For any writer wanting to root writing in vision and vision in the body: for poetry, fiction, essay, memoir & pleasure.

Write from the Untamed Mind: Find Your Voice

With susan vespoli.

Join Susan in two writing circles each week: intimate spaces for writers to free-write together, saying yes to whatever shows up, followed by group read-arounds. These writing sessions are spontaneous, intimate, freeing, and transformative.

Write Your Memoir in 12 Weeks

With blaise allysen kearsley.

Writing can be a solitary experience, but writing a full memoir takes energy, momentum, and moral support. Find all three in this memoir writing intensive.

Creative Nonfiction , Memoir

Write Your World: Express Your Creativity through Article Writing, Blogging, and Essays

Writing chronic illness.

Creative nonfiction offers a container for the sharing and exploration of illness. Tell the story of your body in this healing-oriented workshop.

Writing Circle Workshop: Writing for Happiness, Healing, and Health (Monday/Friday)

Expressive writing can be a powerful elixir for what ails you. Learn and practice tools for writing expressively, including two virtual writing circles each week, turn raw writing into poetry or prose, and come away with a better understanding of how writing can lead toward wellness.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Writing Circle Workshop: Writing for Happiness, Healing, and Health (Tuesday/Saturday)

Writing cross genre.

On March 9th at 10 AM, Writers.com instructor Nicole Hardy will lead a workshop on writing cross genre at independent publisher Chin Music Press. Using Chin Music Press’s title, A Commonplace Book Of Pie by Kate Lebo, Nicole will demonstrate how poets can write nonfiction, novelists can tackle screenplays, graphic novelist can compose short stories, or any combination of writing in a…

Writing Place in Creative Nonfiction

In Creative Nonfiction, place is a character in itself. Deeply explore a narrative and a place of your choosing, and make weekly progress on your essay or memoir.

Writing with Consistency and Courage

With tamara dean.

What makes a successful writer? It's not talent, craft, or even the right connections—it's consistency and courage.

Unscheduled Online Creative Nonfiction Writing Classes

Browse our full creative nonfiction offerings below. Let us know which creative nonfiction writing courses you're interested in, and we'll contact you with dates when we're ready to put them on our calendar.

Articles on Creative Nonfiction Writing

Get Back to the Book

What is the Plot of a Story?

Imagery Definition: 5+ Types of Imagery in Literature

Logical Fallacy Definition: List of Logical Fallacies

Onomatopoeia Definition and Examples

Writing Without Limits: Understanding the Lyric Essay

Fiction vs. Nonfiction: What is the Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction?

What is Purple Prose? The Case Against Overly Ornate Writing

Writing Styles: What is Style in Writing?

Character Development Definition: A Look at 40 Character Traits

Why take an online creative nonfiction writing course with writers.com.

• We welcome writers of all backgrounds and experience levels, and we are here for one reason: to support you on your writing journey.
• Small groups keep our online creative nonfiction writing classes lively and intimate.
• Work through your weekly written lectures, course materials, and writing assignments at your own pace.
• Share and discuss your work with classmates in a supportive class environment.
• Your course instructor will offer you direct, personal feedback and suggestions on every assignment you submit.
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• CHANGE CERTIFICATE: When a student wants to change their lower-level certificate to a higher-level certificate (or vice versa) prior to the completion of the program. There are no additional fees for this option other than the cost of additional courses, and you will only earn one certificate upon completion.
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• Attained at least a 2.70 cumulative GPA in concentrate courses
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00
• Fulfilled all program requirements AND completed a minimum of 120 credits for a single major or 165 for a dual major
• Completed a minimum of 60 institutional credits for a single major or 105 institutional credits for a dual major
• Fulfilled all financial obligations to the college

Transfer Credits

Online undergraduate-level course, creative writing: poetry.

Authored by Pat Pattison

Course Code: OLART-215

Next Semester Starts June 26, 2023

3-credit tuition, non-credit tuition.

Creative Writing: Poetry is a course for writers—songwriters, poets, and anyone who wants to write more effectively. The course—authored by Pat Pattison, who developed the curriculum for the only songwriting major in the country at Berklee—will give you specific tools to help you craft and control your writing. You will be taken through a step-by-step process, each step handing you another tool to give what you say more power. You'll learn how to enhance your ideas through arranging lines into odd or even numbered line groups and creating either a feeling of tension or resolution with the composition itself, independent of the poem's meaning. You'll learn placement, timing, focus, and especially how to use rhythm in language expressively.

• Write clearly and strongly
• Precisely control form and composition
• Counter-point lines against phrases to create musical effects
• Use language rhythms to create tension and resolution
• Understand the relationship between poetry and music
• Deeply understand prosody, the fundamental principle underlying not only poetry, but art in general

Need guidance?

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Lesson 1: Prose vs. Poetry

• Prose: Phrase Lengths
• Sentence Construction: Simple Sentences
• Compound Sentences
• Sentence Types
• Lines with Multiple Phrases
• Units of Composition

Lesson 2: Managing End-Stops 

• Creating Subordinate Clauses
• Stable and Unstable Groupings
• "Days" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Instability
• Student Poetry Examples
• Switching Line Order

Lesson 3: Managing Caesuras 

• Frontal, Medial, and Terminal Caesuras
• Creating Tension
• Emerson's Handling of Caesuras
• Creating Motion

Lesson 4: Managing Enjambment

• Moving from Light to Heavy
• Other Movement
• Managing Enjambment

Lesson 5: Writing in Iambic Pentameter

• Stressed and Unstressed Syllables
• Iambic Pentameter
• Blending Languages
• Why Pentameter?
• English Poetry
• Groove and Variation
• "Distractions" by Emma Joy Hanley
• "The Woman with Fire Engine Nails" by Caroline Harvey
• Learning your Craft

Lesson 6: Substituting in Iambic Pentameter

• Substituting in Iambic Pentameter
• Themes and Variations
• Creating Emotion
• "After Long Silence" by William Butler Yeats
• Substitutions in "After Long Silence"
• Going Against Expectations

Lesson 7: Writing in Blank Verse 

• Writing in Blank Verse
• "Birches" by Robert Frost
• "Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• Compositional Tools
• "Spring" by Elisa Lomazzo
• "Christmas Cheer" by Ian Henchy

Lesson 8: Blank Verse Again 

• More on Blank Verse
• Blank Verse and Substitutions
• "A Wake" by Ryan Toll
• "Still" by Rachel Borovik

Lesson 9: Using Rhyme

• Using Rhyme
• Sound in Poetry
• Rhyme Schemes
• Perfect Rhyme
• Consonance Rhyme
• More on Consonance Rhyme
• Rhyme Schemes Revisited
• "Ode to the West Wind" by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Lesson 10: English (or Shakespearean) Sonnet

• English or Shakespearean Sonnet
• "When I Have Fears" by John Keats
• Modern Sonnets
• "Putting in the Seed" by Robert Frost
• "Baby Running Barefoot" by D. H. Lawrence

Lesson 11: Italian (or Petrarchian) Sonnet

• The Italian (or Petrarchian) Sonnet
• The First Eight Lines
• "In Memoriam" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• The Italian Sonnet Road Map
• "Mezzo Cammin" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• "Grief" Elizabeth Barret Browning
• "Design" by Robert Frost
• The ccdeed sestet
• e. e. cummings
• e. e. cummings Variation

Lesson 12: The Terza Rima

• The Terza Rima
• Robert Frost
• The First Quatrain
• The Second Quatrain

Requirements

Prerequisites and course-specific requirements .

This course does not have any prerequisites.

English Proficiency Requirements

All students enrolled in this course must know English well enough to:

• Easily understand recorded videos and written class lessons
• Participate successfully in written and oral class discussions
• Read, write, and study without being hindered by language problems
• Possess intermediate or advanced grammar skills related to punctuation and verb conjugation

Though the course uses a rudimentary musical vocabulary, no musical training is required.

Required Textbook(s)

• None required

After enrolling, please check the Getting Started section of your course for potential deals on required materials. Our Student Deals page also features several discounts you can take advantage of as a current student. Please contact [email protected]  for any questions.

General Course Requirements

Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Chats. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course. 

• macOS High Sierra 10.13 or later
• Windows 10 or later
• Latest version of Google Chrome
• Zoom meeting software
• Speakers or headphones
• External or internal microphone
• Broadband Internet connection

Instructors

Pat Pattison is a professor at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches lyric writing and poetry. In addition to his four books, Songwriting Without Boundaries  (Penguin/Random House), Writing Better Lyrics, 2nd Edition (Penguin/Random House), The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure (Hal Leonard), and The Essential Guide to Rhyming (Hal Leonard), Pat has developed several online courses for Berklee Online. He has written more than 50 articles for various blogs and magazines, including American Songwriter , and has chapters in both The Poetics of American Song Lyrics (University Press of Mississippi) and The Handbook on Creative Writing (Edinburgh University Press).

Eric Leva is a songwriter, singer, producer, and classically trained pianist from Massachusetts. Leva has studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and Berklee College of Music. Following his studies, Leva spent time in New York City to hone his craft and develop his writing. A songwriting award from the ASCAP Foundation eventually sparked a move to Los Angeles to pursue more collaborations. His recent releases include Kesha, DNCE, Wes Period, and Rozzi.

Sarah Anne Stinnett is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator. Since 2017 she has served as Teaching Assistant for Harvard Extension and Harvard Summer Schools in the subjects of speech, communication, and social media. At Lesley University she is Teaching Assistant for Musical Theater Writing and instructs curriculum in collaboration, voice, and performance. Her core tenets in teaching are as in life: employ unparalleled curiosity, to do is to discover, and a life of learning and imagination is impelled by the study of the masters before.

What's Next?

When taken for credit, Creative Writing: Poetry can be applied towards these associated programs:

Associated Certificate Programs

• General Music Studies Advanced Professional Certificate
• General Music Studies Professional Certificate

Associated Degree Majors

• Bachelor's Degree in Music Production
• Bachelor's Degree in Music Business
• Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games
• Bachelor's Degree in Electronic Music Production and Sound Design
• Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Music Studies (Create Your Own Major)
• Bachelor's Degree in Songwriting
• Bachelor's Degree in Guitar Performance
• (Pre-Degree) Undeclared Option
• Bachelor's Degree in Songwriting and Producing Music

Related Music Career Roles

Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:

Music Journalist

Proofreader

Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at [email protected] .

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Best Online Writing Courses: 18 Top Options (2023)

Discover the best online writing courses to help you take your career and craft to the next level.

I spent a year taking a traditional in-person writing class. We covered topics like writing short stories and personal essays. It was fun to meet other writers, but a conventional writing class involves traveling to a location at a set time each week. It’s often hard to do this with a job and family commitments.

New and experienced writers can choose from a plethora of online writing classes. You can learn a specific topic related to the craft at your own pace. No matter what you write, write books, articles, blog posts, and so on, there’s an online writing course for you.

Online writing courses provide valuable lessons for new and established writers. No matter your skill level, you can continually improve and build new skills with the help of industry experts. Some of my most valuable skills have been gained from online classes.

Using online writing courses can open up opportunities to further your career. This could include launching your online blog with articles, publishing your non-fiction or fiction book, beginning a copywriting career, or delving into journalism. Whatever your passion is, online courses are a great way to develop your skills and start your next adventure.

Learn from the world's best teachers and instructors about writing, business, creative pursuits and more. It's affordable and includes dozens of hours of high-quality lessons that you can't get anywhere else.

What to Do Before Starting a Writing Course?

The best online writing courses , 1. the successful writers’ club, 2. masterclass, 3. the novelry, 4. creativelive, 6. storylogue, 7. writers village university, 8. your first 10k readers, 9. self-publishing formula/ads for authors, 10. authority pub-academy, 11. brandon sanderson’s writing lectures at brigham young university, 12. accelerated program for six-figure copywriting, 13. skillshare, 14. coursera, 15. writer’s digest university, 16. bookfox, 17. grammar lion, 18. litreactor, why you can trust us, best online writing courses: the final word, faqs on the best online writing courses, masterclass resources.

Establish Your Goals for an Online Writing Course

The first step towards  improving your writing skills  is to understand online writing classes vary widely in price, content, and theme. Before picking a class, decide what part of the writing process you want to learn more about and your budget.

Before spending money on a course, it’s a good idea to reflect on what you write, who it’s for, and your ideal learning goal. For example, a non-fiction writer probably has different creative goals than a novelist. The former may want more clients, whereas the latter may be interested in world-building. So here are several questions to ask yourself before handing over your credit card details:

• Are you a new writer looking for something to inspire you to start writing?
• Do you need help with writer’s block?
• Are you trying to hone your writing style?
• Would you like to write your first book?
• Or perhaps you want to pen and publish a personal essay?
• Do you need help with novel writing?
• Do you want to increase revenue by self-publishing your book on Amazon?
• Are you a freelance writer who wants to develop better business writing skills?
• Would you like to improve your brand storytelling skills?
• Or do you want to hone everyday writing skills, like  self-editing ?
• Do you need help launching and marketing a potential best-seller?

Online writing courses exist for all types of creative and business pursuits! These courses can help you improve several aspects of your writing skills. Some of these classes are available today, whereas others only open their doors several times a year.

Set Your Course Budget

Next, you must determine how much you are willing to invest in a course. For example, if you are new to online learning, you might want to try free online courses like Brandon Sanderson’s lectures for genre fiction writers.

You can check out affordable courses like Udemy or The Successful Writers’s Club. Then, once you have covered the absolute basics of the writing format through free online courses – step up to a more advanced paid class like Masterclass.

Remember, set your budget for what you can afford now and what is suited to your skill set. You can always note down interesting courses and add them to your wishlist to revisit at a later time. It is better to start small and build up to more comprehensive courses than pay for something above your skill level out of pocket.

I teach new writers how to share their stories, make an impact and get paid to write. With a plethora of experience, I share my insights into what makes a great book and how you can achieve your writing goals. By pulling from my writing, I share skills that will help you write online, get paid and make an impact. I also delve into popular topics like publishing a book, blogging and SEO for writers. The club comprises a series of mini-courses for writers and comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. 

Key Concepts:

I cover topics like

• What it takes to go from the blank page to a finished book
• Conquering writer’s block once and for all
• Editing that messy first draft like a pro!
• Getting paid as a freelance writer
• How to find readers using blogging and SEO
• Lots more… I record new mini courses regularly

Instructor(s):  Yours truly

Course Schedule:  Self-paced

Recommended for:  This course is suitable for bloggers, aspiring non-fiction authors, and freelance writers.

Pricing: It only costs $20 per month

With thousands of courses to choose from, Masterclass provides a professional platform for acclaimed experts to share their knowledge. In addition, Masterclass  offers writing classes focusing on the craft and theory of fiction and non-fiction writing. Where else will you find talented authors talking about their writing process and style in such great detail? Click here to read our detailed  Masterclass review .

Each lesson is between five and ten minutes long, and you can watch them on your mobile or desktop. They also come with downloadable materials like PDF worksheets and notes. You can also engage with other writers and students. If you’re lucky, one of the celebrity tutors may even workshop your piece!

Instructor(s):  Masterclass superstar writing tutors include: James Patterson, Malcolm Gladwell, Margaret Atwood, and David Mamet. You might want to consider Patterson’s class if you write fiction and Gladwell if you write non-fiction. In addition, students can pick from over a dozen  Masterclass courses for writers .

Course Schedule:  The course is self-paced.

Recommended for:  From fiction to creative non-fiction to script-writing – Masterclass has courses for every kind of writer, including novelists, bloggers, and aspiring authors. You’ll learn about everything from character development to getting published.

Pricing:  These classes are relatively affordable and cost approximately $100. You can access digestible materials from great writers who are usually inaccessible.

The Novelry supports writers from the twinkling of an idea to submission to their literary agency partners. In addition, the Novelry  offers online creative writing courses for the budding author keen to complete a novel. Founded by award-winning Booker-listed novelist Louise Dean, The Novelry supports writers from the twinkling of an idea to submission to their literary agency partners. I recently interviewed  Louise Dean  for my podcast, and she has a great approach that helps writers finish a draft in 90 days.

Course Schedule:  Self-paced.

Recommended for:  Fiction writers. Aspiring novelists.

CreativeLive  is an exciting alternative to Masterclass. Rather than featuring celebrity writers and authors, many of CreativeLive instructors are entrepreneurs, bloggers, and online personalities.

Having taken several of these classes, I found them more practical than Masterclass offers. However, if Masterclass provides the theory, CreativeLive provides the steps you must take to succeed at blogging or book writing.

Click here to read my detailed  CreativeLive review .

These writing classes are recorded in a live studio by instructors teaching or presenting to other writers. It’s an exciting way to learn because you can see the audience’s reactions and get ideas from their questions for the writing instructors.

Again, the materials are readily digestible. With some exceptions, the lessons are between five and 15-minutes long. The CreativeLive writing classes also include downloadable PDFs, exercises, and worksheets. You can watch the materials on your desktop or through the CreativeLive app on your mobile device.

If you’re unsure where to start, consider  Wired for Story: How to Become a Story Genius  by Lisa Cron.

Instructors:  Notable instructors include New York Times  best-selling authors  Ramit Sethi and Tim Ferriss.

Recommended for:  CreativeLive has classes for bloggers and fiction and non-fiction writers.

Pricing:  The cost varies depending on the class. Classes start from $20.

Master your craft, your passion, or something new

with creative classes taught by the world’s best.

These Udemy classes cover everything from critical concepts like basic grammar and punctuation to freelance writing, self-publishing, and blogging. Udemy is the supermarket of online learning. It also has courses on hundreds of topics other than writing. You can choose from dozens of different writing classes of varying standards. These Udemy classes cover everything from critical concepts like basic grammar and punctuation to  f reelance writing , self-publishing, and blogging.

Typically, these writing classes involve the instructor recording a video from their office, sometimes supported by a PowerPoint presentation. However, the quality of the lesson materials varies widely from class to class, so make sure you read the reviews before buying one. In addition, consider taking the Secret Sauce of Great Writing by former  Wall Street Journal  editor Shani Raja. His other course writing with flair is popular.

Instructors:  Many of the instructors on Udemy are less well-known than CreativeLive or Masterclass.

Recommended for:  Udemy is an excellent place to start if you’re new to online learning, as the classes don’t cost much, and you can buy them anytime.

Pricing:  Udemy online  writing classes are cheap to start with and often sold at a discount . The cost varies depending on the class. Classes start from $9.99.

Run by screenwriter, author, and creative instructor Robert McKee, Storylogue is one of the lesser-known online writing classes available today. It’s based on what McKee teaches in person and his excellent book Storynomics.

Robert McKee’s in-person workshops cost several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on where and when you take them. However, the online writing class Storylogue distills what McKee knows about storytelling, emphasizing screenwriting and business writing. These lessons typically involve McKee speaking straight to the camera from his office.

The materials aren’t as well-organized as those in a Masterclass or CreativeLive. I had to use the search feature to find suitable lessons. They’ve updated the user interface since I was a member. The slight emphasis on screenwriting may also deter some writers.

Instructor(s):  Robert McKee is an author, lecturer, and story consultant. He consulted on business storytelling for companies like Microsoft, Nike, Hewlett-Packard, Time Warner, and Siemens. I attended Robert McKee’s in-person business writing class several years ago in Kerry. He was an engaging and inspiring instructor. At one point, McKee became so passionate about a story that his eyes watered.

Recommended for:  This course is suitable for screenwriters,  content marketers , and anyone who wants to improve their storytelling skills.

Pricing:  You get access to all lessons for $19.97 (paid monthly) or $197 (paid annually).

Writer’s Village University is a popular online writing class and community aimed at fiction writers. The emphasis here is on the community. So consider Writer’s Village University, an online version of your local creative writing group. It’s been around since 1995, too, making it the oldest writing class in this review. I joined for two months out of curiosity, even though I don’t write much fiction.

The website contains an active forum. There are over 200 different short classes you can take at your pace. They cover topics like writing poetry, crafting thrillers,  essay writing , and more. There’s less emphasis on video learning than in other classes featured in this review. Instead, you receive a series of writing assignments via email.

You can then submit your homework assignments to your online writing tutor and other students to the workshop. I joined this website for three months before moving on. That said, it struck me as a valuable resource for fiction writers who hunger for a community.

Instructor(s):  It is a community of writers.

Course Schedule:  Click  here  for more upcoming courses.

Recommended for:  These courses are suitable for fiction writers who want the support of other writers.

Pricing:  It costs $30 for a 30-day trial. After the trial period, a one-year Writers’ Village University membership costs $99.

Try Writers’ Village University

This online writing class is aimed at fiction and non-fiction authors who want to self-publish and sell more books. The instructor is Nick Stephenson, an author from the United Kingdom. Self-publishing is an underrated pathway to becoming a successful author. Nowadays, self-publishing has become the new normal. With the influx of social media, it is possible to self-publish, self-promote, and self-market.

I took this course in 2017. It walks you through some basic and more advanced book marketing strategies that work. For example – It teaches you the process of self-publishing a short book that you offer for free. This book serves as an introduction to your series or a reader magnet. The goal of this free book is to encourage people to buy your next book.

Instructor(s):  The course is offered by British indie author Nick Stephenson, known for his thriller novels.

Course Schedule:  Stephenson only opens this course several times a year, so you’ll need to join his email list first.

Recommended for:  This course suits authors who want to earn money from self-publishing books.

Pricing:  This course, in its entirety, costs around $595. However, you can sign up for a free training session.

Both of these courses are taught by bestselling author Mark Dawson, a noted indie author from the United Kingdom. He’s also an expert in book marketing through paid advertising.

Self Publishing Formula  teaches the basics of writing, publishing, and promoting a book on Amazon and other stores. Dawson’s second course,  Ads for Authors , will help you sell more copies of your book. He explains how to use various ads to sell your books, including Facebook, YouTube, and Amazon ads. In 2016 and early 2017, I struggled to earn a profit from selling my books on Amazon. But, thanks to Dawson’s second course, I learned how to run profitable Amazon ads, making me an excellent monthly return on my books.

Instructor(s):  Mark Dawson is a British thriller author. He has reportedly  earned $450,000 a year  by publishing books on Amazon!

Course Schedule:  Dawson only opens the doors to his courses a few times a year, so join his email list first.

Recommended for:  This course is suitable for aspiring indie authors or established authors who want to increase their profits.

Pricing:  This course, in its entirety, costs around $497.

Authority Pub-Academy  is an online learning class run by noted indie authors and entrepreneurs Steve Barrie and Barrie Davenport over at  Authority Pub .

I haven’t taken this writing class, but many other indie authors recommend it. I have browsed the curriculum, and it’s similar to what Bolt, Dawson, and Stephenson teach. In other words, this course walks you through the basics of writing and self-publishing a book that sells. The course contains six lessons, with multiple lessons in each one. Some lessons include:

• The Current State of Self-Publishing
• How to Research and Pick A Winning Niche
• How to Create A Bestselling Topic
• Ten-Day Free Book Launch Strategy
• How to Create a Facebook Ad For Your Books

This writing course has been around for nearly ten years, which is encouraging. I will update this online writing course review when I take it.

Instructor(s):  Steve Barrie and Barrie Davenport have published nearly 100 books.

Recommended for:  It’s suitable for aspiring writers who want to learn about self-publishing.

Pricing:  The course, in its entirety, costs around $797.

In 2016, Brandon Sanderson recorded a course focused on writing fantasy books. Then, he uploaded these classes and published them as a  YouTube playlist . Now, you can take Sanderson’s curriculum online in the same sequence as his students.

I don’t write fantasy stories (at least, not anymore), but I watched nearly a dozen of Sanderson’s writing classes. I was fascinated to hear him describe his world-building techniques and genre fiction writing.

Some of the classes are hard to follow because of background noise. Also, the classes were typically between 30 and 60 minutes long, and it took me a long time to go through them. Still, Sanderson’s classes are free and an excellent introduction to learning online for aspiring fiction authors.

Instructor(s):  Brandon Sanderson is a famous American fiction author specializing in fantasy. Notable works of his include the Mistborn series and his conclusion to the Wheel of Time series.

Course Schedule:  You can watch all of his videos at your leisure.

Recommended for:  These lectures are a great introduction to online writing courses. It is suitable for fiction writers (specifically fantasy).

Pricing:  You can watch all of his lectures for free!

Copywriting is a specialism for non-fiction writers that involves writing words that sell. In the past, I’ve taken several types of copywriting classes and enjoyed reading many books about this art. Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting is the most popular online writing class for copywriters. Many noted online writers recommend it.

I haven’t taken this online writing class yet, but it’s on my list. I will update this writing class review with more information when I complete this class.

Instructor(s):  American Writers & Artists, various copywriters

Recommended for:  Suitable for bloggers, freelance writers, and copywriters who want to improve business writing skills.

Pricing:  The course in its entirety costs $497.

Students can take a class on almost anything by participating in nearly 30,000 classes. You can watch unlimited lessons while your subscription lasts, but when it expires, you lose access. With unlimited access, this course is brilliant if you want to scale up your skillset in multiple ways. Read our  Skillshare review

Key Concepts: Writing, coding, graphic design

Instructors : Varies

Recommended for:  This course is suitable for bloggers, freelance writers, and creative entrepreneurs.

Pricing : Free trial available

Explore your creativity with classes in illustration, photography, design, content writing and more.

By partnering with established colleges and universities, you can gain access to valuable certificates by completing specializations.

Key Concepts: The Creative Writing specialization contains multiple courses you can participate in, including short stories, narrative essays, and memoirs. Coursera is a fantastic option for writers seeking official qualifications and certificates and learning from industry leaders.

Instructors: Coursera’s Creative Writing course includes Brando Skyhors (Visiting Assistant professor of Creative Writing), Amy Bloom (Distinguished University Writer in Residence and Director of the Shapiro Centre for Creative writing, Amity Gaige (Visiting Scholar in Creative Writing), and Salvator Scibons (Frank B. Weeks Visiting Professor of English).

Course Schedule : This course is self-paced and lasts 3-6 months.

Recommended for: Those who want to get a headstart on their writing career or to achieve college-level coursework and qualifications

Pricing: $49 per month

Writer’s Digest University provides a creative writing crash course for those beginning their writing career. With a fantastic reputation of being an established magazine since 1920, you can get the best start to begin your first exciting writing project.

Key Concepts: The class teaches common concerns, such as deciding on the point of view and beating writer’s block.

Instructors: Ran Walker, winner of the 2019 National Undie Author of the Year Award.

Course Schedule: This is a 12-week course

Recommended for: Those who are ready to take the next to begin their writing career.

Pricing: $579.99

Bookfox is created by John Matthew Fox, a former college professor, editor, and writer. His course is packed with helpful information for writers looking to create an excellent children’s book. This course has 14 lessons, which take as long as you want as it is self-paced.

Key Concepts: 

The content provides you with everything you need to know to write and publish your book. This includes writing, proofreading, editing, finding an illustrator and agent, and getting your book on the shelves! It’s a must-have course for serious writers.

Instructor:  John Matthew Fox

Course Schedule:  This course is self-paced

Recommended for:  Children’s book writers

Pricing:   $149

This Grammar Lion course is perfect for those looking to upgrade their grammar skills or learn the art of proofreading and copyediting. The course material involves:

• Identifying parts of speech.
• Reviewing sentence structure.
• Discovering different verb forms.
• Learning about the different tenses.

This course allows one-on-one discussions with the lecturer to learn new skills. As well as this, you have access to 12 comprehensive lessons, each delving into a different topic that will improve your grammar.

Instructor:  Ellen Field

Course Schedule:  This course is self-paced and lasts 12 weeks.

Recommended for:  Beginners looking to elevate their grammar schools

Pricing:  $67

With interesting elements weaved into the coursework, this writing experience is like no other. For example, the course “Writing the Weird” features assignments that look at surreal and bizarre literature to find and examine the writing within these novels that makes them stand out.

Key Concepts: This course examines humanity, structure, setting, and resolution within a story’s plot.

Instructor: J.S. Breukelaar (finalist for the Ladies of Horror Fiction Award).

Course Schedule: 4-week schedule that you can work through at your leisure.

Recommended for: Writers within niche genres.

Price : $350

I’ve written and published dozens of articles for newspapers, magazines, and online publications, including Forbes and Lifehacker. I’m also a best-selling non-fiction author, a trained journalist, and a copywriter.

I’ve spent thousands of dollars taking writing courses in college and online. I consider writing courses a crucial part of my development as a writer. I also sometimes commission other writers to review these courses to get another point of view.

What other online writing classes would you like me to feature in this review? How do you plan to develop your English writing skills? Please let me know in the comments section below.

Please note the cost of some of these writing classes varies depending on when they are launched.

Do creative writing courses help?

Creative writing courses help if you complete the course and also write and share your short stories or pieces. In addition, it helps if you can take a course alongside other students and an experienced teacher.

Are writing-intensive courses hard?

If you haven’t written much before, they can be a challenge as you’ll have to cultivate a regular writing habit and adapt to getting feedback from other writers, even if it’s negative.

Are writing courses worth it?

They are if you pick a course from a reputable instructor that solves a particular problem. For example, I took a book marketing course that doubled my book sales and earnings over time.

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Creative Writing

Study creative writing with ACS Distance Education - write more interesting fiction, more convincing advertising, more inspired poetry. Develop your creativity to write better more engaging work of all types.

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All prices in Australian Dollars.

• Description
• Course FAQs
• Meet the Academics
• Related Ebooks

Learn Creative Writing - write for profit or pleasure

This stimulating course will develop your ability to write a good story and to think more critically about your writing.

• You will learn the basics of different kinds of writing - magazine and newspaper columns, short stories, books - while improving your basic writing skill.
• Your development will be guided by qualified and experienced tutors.

No matter what your current writing ability, if you put in the effort, you will become a better and more confident writer. Some students have been published even before finishing the course!

Develop passion, creativity and writing technique

Discover what publishers and readers want

Become a successful, creative writer.

Self Paced, 100 hour, creative writing course

If you love writing and want to improve your skills, network with other writers, and get personal guidance from a team of professional writers, this course is for you. 

Tutors and Course Developers include:

Published Poets and Fiction Writers

Published Biographical Writers

Published Magazine and Newspaper Writers (Our principal and staff have authored over 2000 magazine articles and 150 books)

Travel writers, course writers, business writers, web bloggers, marketing copywriters and others

Tutors are exceptionally well qualified, with university degrees in writing or journalism and most have more than 10 years experience in writing and publishing. Our faculty are diverse in their background, come from across the world, and are at your disposal, to help you too get started as a professional creative writer -before, during, and after your studies.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

• What is creative writing
• What’s different about creative writing
• Information and creativity
• Creative genres
• Forms of Writing
• Creative Writing resources
• What is needed for success
• The business of writing
• Getting published
• Self publishing
• Vanity publishing
• Terminology.
• Words and their proper use
• Types of language
• Informative language
• Persuasive language
• Imaginative language
• Literal language
• Figurative language
• Formal language
• Colloquial language
• Parts of language (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, plurals, possessive nouns & pronouns, gender, adjectives, articles)
• Common grammatical errors (fragmented sentences, run on sentences, comma splices, dangling modifiers).
• Run on sentences
• Irregular verbs
• Whom or who
• Pronouns and Antecedents
• Punctuation
• Creating and critiquing
• Generating ideas
• Developing ideas
• Narrative theory
• Narrative structure
• Settings or scenes
• Mood or atmosphere
• Point of view
• Creative reading.
• Slice of life fiction
• Conciseness and Succinctness
• Understanding ambiguity
• Causes of ambiguity
• Doubt and ambiguity
• Hinge points and ambiguity
• Defamiliarisation.
• Writing routine
• Establishing a theme
• Organising ideas
• Paragraphing
• Writing a synopsis
• Developing objectives.
• Common errors
• Scope or Range
• Theme problems
• Authenticity problems
• Tone problems.
• Creative non fiction
• Classical Development
• Chronological development
• Cause and effect
• Classification
• Comparison and contrast
• Developing a profile
• Interviews.
• What to write
• News values
• Writing guidelines
• Regular columns
• Scope of magazine writing
• What publishers want
• Magazine articles
• Travel writing
• Writing for public relations
• Selling your work.
• Consistency
• Believability
• Getting started
• Getting a contract
• Book publishing
• Non fiction books
• Fact finding.
• Organising a portfolio to sell yourself.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

• Describe elements and forms of creative writing.
• Develop skills that will help you generate, evaluate and communicate ideas. Discuss the functions of clear writing, and the art of revealing and concealing in writing.
• Establish theme and structure as planning tools.
• Identify and discuss various forms of fiction writing and publishing opportunities.
• Analyse different non-fiction genres to determine key elements and strategies.
• Analyse different forms of creative writing commonly found in newspapers.
• Analyse magazine articles to determine what makes a good feature article.
• Discuss the main elements of book writing, including theme, organisation, and weaving different narrative threads into a unified whole.
• Prepare a portfolio of creative writing ready for submission and of future ideas.

What You Will Do

• Analyse three texts to identify their genres, describe their layout, and any key elements.
• Locate a vanity publisher and a well-known publisher and obtain information on their submitting requirements.
• Write part of a newspaper feature article in three different ways, using three different types of language to create different impressions.
• Critique a piece of your own writing (250 words or more), noting its good points, its weaknesses.
• Develop one short scene for three different storylines, letting the setting, characters, dialogue and action show what is happening, what might have gone before, and what might follow.
• Make notes on two authors' uses of concealing and revealing (transparency and ambiguity), and analyse their effectiveness in each case.
• Describe a place or person in your life from two completely different perspectives.
• Rewrite an assignment in a different voice.
• Use defamiliarisation to make a common object appear mysterious, or dangerous, or alien.
• Discuss the organisation of texts, considering why the authors might have organised their texts this way, and discuss how the structures contribute to the overall effectiveness of the text.
• Write a first draft in 3 hours, without editing.
• Edit the draft for structure, clarity, flow of ideas, content, mood, voice etc.
• Edit 3 items of your writing (include one short story) for clarity and succinctness; explain your changes.
• Research likely publishers for one of your stories and submit it.
• Construct outlines of fiction stories using the first and last sentences of published works.
• Conceive different non-fiction writing projects for specific publishers, and explain your choices.
• Write three outlines for non-fiction pieces, modelled on the outlines of your three creative writing readings.
• Interview someone in preparation for writing a profile on that person. Explain why you think that person might be of interest to others.

The Scope of Creative Writing

Creative writing is often defined as the writing of fiction, where the author creates events, scenes and characters, sometimes even a world. In reality, aside from instinctive utterances like the yelp of an injured child or a delighted ‘Oh!’ all expressions are creative.

For the purposes of this course, ‘creative writing’ is any writing that expresses events and emotions in an imaginative manner and whose primary intent is to arouse emotions. Creative writing can therefore be fiction, using imaginative narration, or non fiction, based on facts and events. The common ground of fiction and non-fiction writing is the creativity the writer uses to express his or her thoughts and emotions.

Creative Writing can be applied in many different situations, including:

poetry of all kinds

short stories

novels, including westerns, romances, science fiction, detective stories, mysteries, fantasy, etc.

advertising and marketing

film and television screenplays, stage plays and scripts

lyrics  

Other genres that we may not think of as creative writing are:

magazine articles, e zines, blogs

newspaper feature stories

biographies

advertisements

card greetings

books or articles on science, history etc.

Writing Tips - How to Establish a Theme

Every piece of writing, no matter whether it is a novel or a business letter, should have a dominant theme or underlying idea. In a business letter and in technical writing, the theme should be immediately obvious and clear and should be stated. In a piece of creating writing it might be gradually revealed through the development of the work and may only be fully apprehended by the reader at the very end. Nevertheless, the theme should be present from the beginning, and should exist as a unifying thread through every chapter or paragraph. Every piece of the writing should, in some way, relate to that theme. It is what unifies a piece of writing and lets it stand alone as a meaningful expression.

The theme of a creative piece may never be directly stated. For instance, the underlying theme of Boris Pasternak’s Dr Zhivago is personal integrity, being true to one’s self in thought and action. This is never stated, but is exhibited in the behaviour of the main characters, each of whom draws upon hard-won inner truth for the strength and courage to maintain integrity in a vicious, chaotic, and seemingly unprincipled world.

In a novel, we often find that a theme branches out into several sub-themes. Because of its length, the novel allows for this kind of interweaving of themes and ideas. So, in Dr. Zhivago, there is plenty of room for developing a critique of the rise of Communism, of war and aggression in general, of different kinds of power, and of love. But these must and do return in some way to the dominant theme, to enrich our understanding and experience of that dominant idea.

In comparison, the short story or poem might focus entirely on one theme, though even then, there are usually subtle or even overt references to other ideas and themes, for no one idea or experience is self-sufficient, but inevitably relates to and rests on other ideas and experiences. We can develop themes any means, and often from or through a variety of means, such as:

images of places, events or characters

thoughts and speech of characters

actions of characters

contrasting societies or generations within a society

identifying shared values and experiences between groups or generations

ways to dealing with and coping with the environment

symbolic use of landscape and nature

repetition of ideas in different forms

repeated symbols or cultural items

contrast of values

One way to plan your writing is to establish a central theme, then consider how to develop it, and how to display its complexity and facets through different sub-themes. Ask yourself, “What do I want to say?”, then ask yourself over and over, “What else do I have to say about that?” This constant meditation on a theme can yield a rich trove of ideas.

To understand how themes are developed, read several short stories and novels that you really like. Notice how the theme is introduced, and how it is developed. Also, do some exercises with free association. This process requires you to simply observe what thoughts, images, memories, people, events etc. come into your mind when you focus on an idea. For instance, let us say that you are thinking to write on the theme of personal responsibility. Rather than trying to consciously develop that theme at first, just jot down every image or word than comes into your head. Everybody will come up with a completely different and personal collection of items, for no two of us have lived the same life or experience it in the same way. The results of a free-association exercise like this can give you the seeds with which to ‘grow’ and express your theme.

Creative Writing Resources

Writers can draw on two levels of support for their writing and writing careers:

• inner resources, such as creativity, persistence, self-discipline, good skills, experience, knowledge, empathy, and a real interest in the world around them;
• outer resources, which are the people and environments that constitute the writer’s support system.

What is Needed for Success?

Success as a writer means different things to different people. For some, success is to simply have people read and appreciate what they write; and the readers might be no more than friends and/or family.

For others, the goal may be far more ambitious: to have books or articles published and sold, and read by tens of thousands of people.

Writing is a Business

Writing is only part of the business of being a writer. If your aim is to be published, and be read by the “masses”; you need to understand and recognise what is involved in the publishing business as a whole.

You should also recognise from the beginning that success does not always come to those who deserve it; and a certain amount of luck is probably going to be involved no matter how skilled or well educated you are.

Successful writers are not just those who write well; but more often than not, they are also people who happen to be in the right place at the right time.

If you hope to make a complete or partial living from creative writing, or to make it your career, you can improve your prospects by developing good sources of information and support.

These will help you achieve two main goals:

• To become a better, more effective writer, and
• To sell and/or publish what you write.

An important aspect of being a writer is the development of a network of relationships, contacts and resources to support your writing and career. Support from family and friends is invaluable, for they can offer nurturing, help create a suitable writing environment, and help you identify your writing strengths and weaknesses by giving honest opinions of your work.

Other resources include:

Writers’ guides, books and articles on writing and publishing. These can be found in most public libraries, in university libraries (where you may read them even if you are not a student there), in writing magazines, in local writing clubs, in the Arts sections of some newspapers, and in the occasional newspaper or magazine article.  

Publishing Houses and Publishers

Writing clubs, societies, professional or amateur associations, book shows and exhibitions, trade shows and exhibitions, commercial organisations and businesses, government departments, personal contacts.

Networking is a most effective way of letting others know what you can do, and that you are looking for writing or publishing opportunities. People with writing or publishing experience are important contacts, well worth nurturing, and will frequently help new writers. To avoid irritating or offending them, observe some basic rules of networking etiquette, such as:

• Establish a variety of contacts so that you are not over-dependent on one or two.
• Be sincere, honourable, and truthful in all your dealings.
• Respect others’ privacy and time in your words and actions.
• Look for ways to return favours and be of service – offer to do research or typing.
• Take a real interest in them and their work, not just in what they can do for you.
• Be humble and learn from others, even if you think you know it all.
• Contact busy people by letter or email first to avoid disruption to their schedules.
• Read an author’s work or a publisher’s products before you contact them.
• Acknowledge and say thank you for all assistance.

How To Get Your Career on the Right Path

You don't become a competent writer by undertaking a quick short course.

It does take time to learn anything properly and embed knowledge into your mind; and it takes a properly constructed learning experience supported by capable and knowledgeable educators. 

Even the best course can only take you so far though -if you have the proper foundation to build upon (through your studies); you will continue learning afterwards, through experience; and your learning is probably going to be faster, easier and more appropriate.

Over more than 30 years, our staff have written thousands of articles for magazines and newspapers; written over 150 books published by international publishers; and since 2011 we have been operating our own publishing business. We know writing -all genres; we know the industry and we can help you!

Who Can Benefit From This Course?

Amateur and aspiring writers seeking to build confidence in their abilities, or improve their fundamentals. This course is also well-suited to writers wanting a deeper understanding of genre, modes, and writing types, or an introduction to the theoretical underpinnings of creative writing.

At the end of this course you will:

Know the difference between several genres and types of writing

Understand the common errors and pitfalls in writing, and how to avoid them

Understand how to revise and improve your work

Understand how to apply good writing practice and theory to create well-written, engaging stories and other creative works

Draft a creative piece and develop a plan to move forward with it

ENROL or Use our FREE Course Advice Service to Connect with a Tutor

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines. Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete. If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

Simply click on the ENROL OPTIONS button at the top of this screen and follow the prompts.

You can see the course price at the top of this page. Click 'enrolment options' to see any payment options available.

You can pay by Credit Card, PayPal, Afterpay or bank transfer.

Yes! We have payment plans for most courses. Click 'enrolment options' to see the available payment plans. We also have Afterpay that will allow you to pay for your course or payment plans in four instalments (if you are in Australia).

What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone. If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

You don’t need to purchase any additional resources to complete our courses.

We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program. We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

Yes, if you are enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate, you might be eligible for credits if you have evidence of your previous studies or relevant experience. More information is here.

We recommend that you are able to browse websites, send emails and conduct online research. You will need to be able to type and submit your assignments. If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later. There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

Yes, your tutor is here to help you. Simply post any questions you have in your login.training portal or contact the office and we can pass on a message to your tutor.

We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam. Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam. More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

When you complete the course work and the exam and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Statement of Attainment. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

Yes, our courses are built to be applicable for people living anywhere in any situation. We provide the fundamentals, and each student can apply their own unique flair for their own interests, region and circumstances with the one-on-one guidance of a tutor. There is also a bit of student directed research involved.

Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

ACS has an arrangement with OAMPS (formerly AMP) who can arrange Professional Indemnity from Australian and New Zealand graduates across all disciplines. Ph: 1800 222 012 or email [email protected].

Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years. We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future. We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience. You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace. We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.

How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

We can prepare an invoice, quote or proforma invoice. Simply complete your details on our Invoice Request form

We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.

What if I have any more questions or need more information?

We can assist you to find the right course for your needs. Get in touch with us via email ([email protected]) call on +61 7 5562 1088 or complete our course advice form.

Take a look at their testimonials here.

What if I change my mind?

Our terms and conditions of enrolment are here.

Please get in touch with studentservice[email protected] if you would like to be removed from our mail list.

If you would like ACS Distance Education to delete your information at any time (whether you are a customer or a prospective customer), please contact our privacy officer and we will process this ( [email protected] ).

Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

Tracey Jones

Widely published author, Psychologist, Manager and Lecturer. Over 10 years working with ACS and 25 years of industry experience. Qualifications include: B.Sc. (Hons) (Psychology), M.Soc.Sc (social work), Dip. SW (social work), PGCE (Education), PGD (Learning Disability Studies).

Writer, Manager, Teacher and Businessman with over 40 years interenational experience covering Education, Publishing, Leisure Management, Education, and Horticulture. He has extensive experience both as a public servant, and as a small business owner. John is a well respected member of many professional associations, and author of over seventy books and of over two thousand magazine articles.

Rachel Syers

Rachel has worked as a newspaper journalist for the past 15 years in a range of roles from sub-editor and social columnist to news reporter, covering rounds such as education, health, council, music, television, court, police, Aboriginal and Islander affairs, and agriculture. Her current role is Fashion Editor, features writer and features sub-editor with The Gold Coast Bulletin. She has co-authored a successful biography "Roma: From Prison to Paradise" about former prisoner-of-war turned yoga guru, Roma Blair, as well as freelanced as a writer, reviewer and researcher for Australian music and celebrity magazines such as WHO Weekly, Rave, Australasian Post and New Idea. Rachel has a B.Journalism.

Psychological Profiling

Psychological profiling is used to assess anyone from potential new staff and school children to serial killers. It helps you to determine someone’s personality, neuroses, mental health and career suitability. This book provides an excellent overview of psychological profiling techniques and pitfalls.

English Grammar

Grammar demystified -Learn the rules of grammar, punctuation, sentence construction; etc, for writing or editing. Grammar provides a coherent structure for the expression of thoughts and ideas. By following grammatical rules we are able to construct logical sentences that make sense to the receiver.

Creative writing can be applied not only to articles and books; but in everything we write, from marketing material to social media. Writing that is creative will usually be more interesting, communicative and effective. This book explores not only how to be more creative with your writing, but also expands your perspective on how and where to use it.

Unsure about which course is best for you?

In my role within a large Aged Care Facility a great deal of my employment is spent in the area of Turf management and garden care/refurbishment. With ACS I was able to study at my own pace allowing me to put into practise and thoroughly research the subject matter broadening my knowledge and study experience further. I enjoyed the way in which the subject matter was presented as it allowed you to study each subject further, allowing for greater depth, clarity and knowledge. Overall there are not many areas in which the course subject matter will not turn out to be invaluable, everything is covered to allow you to become successful within your own business or place of employment. A big thank you to Gavin Cole [tutor] and all at ACS. It was a pleasure to study with ACS, look forward to further study.

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