4 Best Creative Writing Courses for Aspiring Authors
You have a couple of good chapters down, but completing the whole book is another story. Then editing and submitting bring further challenges.
Find a course that will assist you where you need help. Some will teach you how to write fiction, others offer editorial feedback, deadlines and publishing knowledge.
Here are four courses that can help aspiring writers, particularly novelists.
In This Guide
- Find a Course to Suit Your Book
- Jericho Writers: Best for Completing Your Book
- National Centre for Writing: Best for Course Structure
- Arvon: Best for Retreats & Time to Write
- Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford: Best if you want an Academic feel
- At a Glance
- Points to Consider Before You Take a Course
- Final Thoughts
Find a Course to Suit Your Book
Match the course to your stage.
- Do you have an idea? Try some easy lessons to help you with plotting, characters and building your habit of writing.
- Are you in the middle of your book? Then you need a course with deadlines that can give you feedback on your book.
- Finished your book? Look for a course that will look over your whole manuscript or teach you how to edit and submit to an agent.
- Need to find your inspiration again? Maybe a workshop will help you.
Check whether feedback covers exercises or full manuscripts, and whether agent-submission guidance is included.
1. Jericho Writers: Best for Completing Your Book
Ideal for: Writers seeking guidance from first draft to next steps.
Jericho Writers is a company set up by a novelist, Harry Bingham. It is taught by a team of authors, publishers and other specialists within the industry. Their courses teach you how to write a novel, edit it and prepare yourself for publishing.
Their creative writing courses have a wide variety to choose from.
- Learn from videos that will teach you how to write a novel, the genre, how to edit your work and how to find an agent.
- There are tutored courses that cover areas such as novel writing, self-editing, publishing and particular genres. These will give you feedback on your work.
- They also have an Ultimate Novel Writing Programme which will last for 8 months or 12 months. You will be assigned a tutor and receive feedback on your manuscript. The 12-month program will teach you how to submit to an agent and allow you to showcase your work to agents.
Writers can progress from introductory videos to tutored courses and help prepare a submission pack.
There are many success stories on Jericho Writers website of people who have gained an agent, published a book or self published.
They offer great help from authors and publishers, teaching you the skills to write your book and can give you lots of feedback when you are ready. Jericho Writers is the best place to start if you want to complete your book and learn how to publish.
2. National Centre for Writing: Best for Course Structure
Ideal for: If you like having a course to follow and being given tasks to help you with your writing.
The National Centre for Writing offers a range of Academy courses and longer tutored courses. Their online tutored courses are in conjunction with the University of East Anglia. They offer a wide variety of subjects, including fiction, poetry and non-fiction.
Their tutored courses combine exercises, discussion and tutor feedback.
For example, suspense exercises can help writers develop tension. They offer many academy courses such as writing Sci-Fi, how to write characters etc.
The range suits specific craft goals more than an end-to-end publishing plan.
3. Arvon: Best for Retreats & Time to Write
Ideal for: If you need time away from your daily life to concentrate on your writing.
Arvon is a charity that offers both residential and online writing courses. Its courses and workshops are led by established writers and other experienced tutors. You will be able to write, have tutorials and workshop time when taking one of their residential courses. Their online course allows you to attend a Masterclass or spend time writing at home.
Residential courses provide time to write and discuss work with tutors.
If you’re stuck in the middle of your book, maybe a retreat could help you find your way back to writing.
Arvon is great if you want to spend time on your writing and be around others who enjoy it too. But it may not be long enough to help you with your entire manuscript.
4. Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford: Best if you want an Academic feel
Ideal for: If you like to be taught through lessons, discuss your work with others and have an academic background to your course.
Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford, has many courses to learn how to write; they cover fiction, finding your voice, plotting, dialogue, editing and more. Some online short courses offer home study, weekly exercises and tutor feedback on assessed work. Certain courses may also offer academic credit.
Introductory courses can lead towards longer fiction and editing study.
These suit craft study rather than a direct route to publication.
At a Glance
| Provider | How you can learn | Strengths | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jericho Writers | Videos, Online Courses, Extended Courses | Manuscript development and publishing guidance | If you want to learn how to write a book and publish it |
| National Centre for Writing | Videos, Online Courses | Learn how to write from a variety of topics | If you want to learn from a tutor |
| Arvon | Residential Courses, Online Courses | Learn from successful authors and spend time writing | If you need time to focus on your writing |
| Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford | Online Courses, Credits | Syllabus-led study and tutor assessment | If you want to learn from courses |
Points to Consider Before You Take a Course
Look at what you can expect to learn from each course.
- How much of your work will the tutor look over? They could mark your work, your entire book or just a few pages.
- What will you finish: a craft exercise, a manuscript or a submission plan?
- What comes after the course?
Always make sure your book is edited and sent to an agent that fits your genre.
Having access to agents doesn’t mean you will gain one.
Final Thoughts
The National Centre for Writing helps writers strengthen particular craft skills, Arvon will allow you to spend time on your book and Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford can help you study how to write.
But if you want to learn how to write a book, then Jericho Writers is your best bet. With the wide range of courses available, you can build your craft and progress through different stages of writing a book, receiving feedback and learning how to publish your work. Many reviews about Jericho Writers say that the staff are helpful and provide good information to their students