Comments on: Free Online Writing Courses

By: Kateleader

Kateleader — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:56:42 +0000

There are free resources on itunes u. Download pod casts from universities and listen to them on your mp3 player. There are also useful interviews with authors on the Guardian website.

By: descargar java

descargar java — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:33:51 +0000

Great information. Keep up the great work. I love yahoo.

By: Gary Smailes

Gary Smailes — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:36:56 +0000

We me the key for writers is to try and shrink the gap in their knowledge between what they believe is need to get publsihed and the reality of the publishing industry. This is a tough quest but can be done…

By: Gary Smailes

Gary Smailes — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:33:26 +0000

Thanks Marie.

By: Kat

Kat — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:32:39 +0000

Yes, I think this is true. I did a mentorship program, and it was really helpful.

By: Kat

Kat — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:29:11 +0000

Oh, absolutely, they have their place! A good foundation is 100% necessary for steady progress, whether it’s in writing or other trade.

By: Vanessa O'Loughlin

Vanessa O'Loughlin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:29:51 +0000

I would expect most free courses to cover the basics and not much more. For more advanced techniques courses require more experienced facilitors/programmers who have one foot firmly in the industry (like you Bubblecow). I firmly believe that the best faciliators are published authors with a proven track record of success. Ideally an online workshop should harness the facilitators expertise to guide each writer individually, to focus on problem areas and ways to improve – and these will be different for every writer. The best feedback I’ve had from workshop participants has been on courses that have done this – have identified the specific problem areas and suggested ways to fix them.

By: Marie Raven

Marie Raven — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:09:40 +0000

I read a lot of tips and ‘lessons’ about writing even if they start out seeming like the same old grind of dos, do-nots, and encouragement for comparably ‘new’ writers. Having done this all my life and grown up watching my father complete a novel, there are some things that I’m a step ahead on, I find, instinctively. However, there are always things I don’t know, or things I never thought about that way, or things that make me think of something else so I always figure hey, if it’s free, I’ve nothing to lose. My time is not so full these days that I am offended sitting down to read something for thirty minutes even if I don’t feel like I come away with a jewel.

Thank you for the list – I intend to sift through some of these at least and see what they’re about, as well as pass the post along to my crew of fellow writers.

By: Gary Smailes

Gary Smailes — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:56:57 +0000

This is a fair comment and I agree that specialist help certainly has a place. I would add that the raise of the Creative Writing MA is filling a hole and this is being used by many writers as a route to bigger thing. At BubbleCow we still spend a lot of our time teaching ‘basics’ to writers. This just the way of things and I feel ’101′ type writing courses do a have a place…

By: Kat

Kat — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:28:39 +0000

The problem with most of the basic courses is that you already know 90% of the information. The “101″ type class is usually designed for people who haven’t completed a novel yet. Is it worth sorting through for that extra 10% edge? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

I’m an educational writer, not a fiction writer, but it’s the same situation. In my own case, I usually hire a consultant to help me with my own specific issues. I can always use a refresher course in the basics, of course, but my personal weak links are rarely addressed in basic courses. To progress, I’ve needed focused expertise — whether it’s an online class, writing partner, book, or tutor — not general basics.