Let’s face it writing a book is tough! Having a good idea is one thing but wrestling that idea into a readable novel is another story. Writing courses are increasingly becoming part of many writer’s route to publication. In fact, the rise in popularity of writing courses means that writers are overwhelmed with choice. It is now possible to attend traditional writing courses or even join up to a free online writing course.

Many writers will argue that writing can’t be taught. They will tell you writing is an ‘art’ that is natural and not learned. To be honest, this is pretty much rubbish. Like any other skill writing has a set of rules and techniques that produce the best possible results. Yes, it is true that world changing writing goes above and beyond these rules, but for the rest of us mortals writing rules are something to be learned. So what better place to start then a free online writing course?

A List of Free Online Writing Courses

Here are some examples I came across of free online writing courses:

Writing what you know (Open University)

Start writing fiction (Open University)

Approaching prose fiction (Open University)

What is poetry? (Open University)

Approaching poetry (Open University)

What is good writing? (Open University)

Introduction to Fiction (MIT)

Steven Barnes’ Free Writing Class

Cleaning Your Copy

Proofreading Your Writing

Conquering the Comma

So has anyone had experience of these free online writing courses? Worth the money/time?