One of the best ways to improve your writing is to workshop. A lot of writers say, simply write, and you'll get better. This is true, however it helps to get together with other writers and talk about your work. You can see how others write and they can provide insight that only a third party could provide.
Some people are wary of online activity. I was unsure of signing up for it at first myself. I had read from others that it was actually helpful. I finally bit the bullet and signed up for their creative writing class. I didn't regret it as the classes turned out to be as helpful as the quotes on the main page say they are. I actually found these classes to be more effective than the creative writing classes I took at college.
The lecture is in all text, which you think would be boring and tedious, but the lectures are actually well written. A lot of writing exercises seem superfluous and just come off as busy work, but these were actually relevant and help you get a better sense of a strong writing voice.
I then signed up for the Fiction I class and had similar results. The workshops were helpful and the other students had unique insights that helped me to revise my work on the second go through.
There are classes for everyone, magazine writers, fiction writers, romance writers, there's even an article writing class. One class I look forward to signing up for is the novel writing class. I've always harbored dreams of writing a novel and I think that that class may help me to realize it.
The classes aren't terribly expensive, only a couple hundred dollars each. It adds up over time, but it's well worth the cost. The classes either last six or ten weeks so you get several lectures worth of material. There are some books that are recommended reading for aspiring writers but there are no text books needed.
There are no grades, but the site says that it offers some sort of credit. You can also get a certificate for completing certain courses. I aim to acquire the fiction certificate in due time. One of these days I will sign up for another class. I've been meaning to, but haven't been able to for a variety of reasons.
If you want to improve your writing, or just enjoy workshops and discussing the craft of writing, I highly recommend these online courses, they're helpful, convenient, and not too overwhelming in regards to workload.
Even so, you don't want to procrastinate. The classes are usually once a week, so you'll think that you have time. Life kicks in and then you realize the night before that you have a short story or exercise to do. It's designed with some wiggle room for people who are busy and have jobs, but you don't want to keep your mind off of it for too long.
If you put in the effort and energy, you will get a lot out of these classes. You can slack off, again, there are no grades, but if you were going to do that, you shouldn't have signed up and saved your money. For those who are on a tight budget, you may have to space it out, but in the long run it's well worth the cost as I have found it very effective in improving my writing.
You can read a review I wrote for Reviewstream in regards to the site here.
Check out said site at writingclasses.com
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