You used to have to attend a university to learn from a smart professor. And pay a lot of money. And get dressed and go to class. Now you can access all sorts of experts from the comfort of your couch — at a fraction of the price. No need to Google “writing courses near me” and drive across town. Instead, sign up for an online writing course you can take on your own schedule.
We recommend these online writing courses
When it comes to online writing courses, there are so many options to choose from! You can really drill down into the niche you’re interested in, whether that’s proofreading, fiction, memoir, freelancing, or blogging.
Take a course on how to make a living as a freelance writer. Or add to your skillset with a transcription or proofreading course. Or learn all the grammar rules you should’ve learned in school, so your writing will be squeaky clean. Or get really good at writing compelling essays so you can finally get published in your dream publication.
If you’re ready to invest in becoming a better writer, we’re prepared to help. We’ve vetted each of the online writing courses on this list. We trust each instructor and the experience they bring, and we’ve reviewed the lessons and supplemental materials to ensure they’re high quality. We feel confident that if you put time and energy into one of these courses, you’ll come out a better writer.
Here are some online writing classes we recommend (these also make great gifts for writers!).
Online courses on freelance writing
#1 – Freelance Writers Den
Focus: Freelance writing
What you’ll learn: The “Den” isn’t billed as a freelance writing course, but it pretty much functions like one. When you join the membership site, you get access to nearly two dozen courses (they call them “bootcamps” and most are designed to be studied over the span of 4 weeks) that cover all aspects of building a freelance writing business, including how to find clients, how to make more money writing, how to market your business, and niche topics, like SEO and more.
Membership also includes a resource library with 300+ hours of webinars and podcasts, direct job referrals, and a very active forum. With 1,200+ members and hundreds of threads, you can get answers to anything and everything related to freelance writing. It’s a great place to get support and advice from seasoned pros while also networking and possibly landing more gigs.
Instructor: “Den Mother” Carol Tice has been working as a freelance writer for more than 15 years. In addition to earning a six-figure income from her trade, she also has a lot of experience teaching others; she launched the Den in 2011. She plays an active role in the forum, so you’ll have direct access to her there.
Schedule: Enrollment only opens a few times each year, but if you get on the waitlist, you’ll be notified when there’s an opportunity to join.
Cost: $40/month
Our full review: The Freelance Writer’s Den
#2 – Come Write With Us
Focus: Freelancing
What you’ll learn: This course teaches you how to make a full-time salary as a freelance writer. It was created for people who dream of being a writer but lack confidence, knowledge or skills. Come Write With Us touches on everything from choosing a niche and launching a website to setting rates and pitching.
Over nine modules, you’ll learn to build your writing habit, create a personal brand for your writing and approach editors and publications.
Instructors: Full-time writers Kristin Wong and Alex Webb bring their diverse experiences in writing, publishing and freelancing. Wong has written for the New York Times and published her first book, Get Money, in 2018. Webb has contributed to books published by National Geographic, the Financial Times and Skyhorse.
Schedule: This course is available on-demand, so you can enroll and take the course anytime.
Cost: $197
#3 – Freelance University
Focus: Freelancing
What you’ll learn: This is way more than one course; instead, you’ll get access to 80+ courses. They’ll help you with all aspects of running a freelance writing business, and if you want to expand your skills, you can also learn about social media management, content management, web design, digital media and more.
Instructor: Freelance University was created by Craig and Kelly Cannings, a married couple who have background in freelancing and virtual assistant work. Some of the courses, including those about the business side of freelancing, are taught by Craig, while other classes are taught by instructors who specialize in those topics. They’ve helped 14,000 students through this program over the last decade.
Schedule: Enrollment opens three times each year. It’s closed now, but you can get on the waitlist so you get an alert the next time enrollment opens.
Cost: Join on a monthly basis for $59/month, or commit to 12 months of training at a significant discount: $597/year, which works out to roughly getting two months free.
Our full review: Finally! A School for Freelancers
If you’re still trying to decide which book you should write and publish first, this assessment will help.
#4 – 38 Expert Tips for Writers on Medium
Focus: Writing (and making money) on Medium
What you’ll learn: Dave Schools says Medium was the best thing that ever happened to him. His course shows you how to use Medium’s Partner Program and what types of content tend to resonate on Medium. You’ll also hear stories of writers who have been successful on the platform and what worked for them. As a bonus, every purchase includes an audio version of the course, so you can learn during your commute or while you clean the kitchen after dinner.
Instructor: Dave Schools is a writer who has contributed to CNBC Make It and Smashing Magazine. He also founded a top-50 Medium publication called Entrepreneur’s Handbook and earned a six-figure income writing for the platform — so when it comes to Medium, he has walked the walk.
Schedule: This course is available on demand, so you can enroll and begin whenever you’d like.
Our full review: We haven’t written a review of this course (yet). We have, however, vetted the course and were impressed with Schools’ instruction. To get a feel for his expertise, read this (free) post on how to make money with the Medium Partner Program.
Cost: $49. Also offers upgrades for coaching or consulting.
#5 – Creative Class
Focus: Freelancing
What you’ll learn: This class covers the business side of freelancing, so you can make a living from your writing. It was built for creators who need guidance on how to land and service clients, how to use value-based pricing (instead of hourly) to earn more, and how to set up systems to make running a business easier.
You’ll get access to more than a dozen video lessons, plus templates and an online forum.
Instructors: Successful freelancers Paul Jarvis and Kaleigh Moore, who together bring 25 years of freelancing experience lead Creative Class. Jarvis has a popular blog and is the author of “Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business.”
Schedule: Readers of The Write Life can join anytime and get access to all the course materials at once. Public enrollment only opens a few times each year, so be sure to use this link to join.
Cost: $274
Special offer: $30 OFF, which brings the cost to $244. Use discount code THEWRITELIFE.
Online writing classes: Transcription and proofreading
#6 – Transcribe Anywhere
Focus: Transcription
What you’ll learn: This course teaches the ins and outs of transcription, so you can land a transcription job. Most of these positions allow you to work from home on your own schedule, so they’re a good income option for writers who want flexibility.
You’ll also learn what equipment you need to succeed, tips for increasing your transcription speed and accuracy, and how to find transcription jobs.
Instructor: Janet Shaughnessy has served clients through her transcription business for more than a decade. She teaches general, medical and legal transcription, and she’s passionate about turning typists into transcriptionists.
Cost: $597
Special offer: Try your hand at transcription with their free transcription mini-course.
Our full review: We haven’t written a full review for Transcribe Anywhere yet. However, we have vetted the course, and you can read about how one student used the course to launch a freelance transcription career in this post about transcription jobs.
#7 – Proofread Anywhere
Focus: Proofreading
What you’ll learn: This course covers everything you need to make money as a proofreader. Not only will you learn the nuts and bolts of proofreading, but you’ll also walk away prepared to find freelance work in this field.
Instructor: Caitlin Pyle started proofreading academic papers while in college and turned it into her main money-maker through court transcript editing in 2012. Now she teaches others to turn their love of reading and grammar into a freelance income.
Schedule: Available on-demand, so you can start whenever you want.
Cost: $497. Before you invest, take advantage of their free 76-minute workshop to see if it’s truly a fit.
Our full review: One of our editors reviewed this course, and she said it made her want to start a proofreading business! Here’s our Proofread Anywhere review.
Creative writing courses
#8 – Personal Essay Writing Course
Focus: Personal essays, creative non-fiction
What you’ll learn: This course covers both how to write a compelling personal narrative and how to pitch editors to get your essay published. It includes writing and revision prompts, practice integrating vulnerability and dialogue, and examining examples of hard-hitting essays.
As a parting gift, students get contact information for 130+ editors who accept personal essays. We nearly fell over when we heard that! Quite frankly, this list in itself is worth the cost of the course.
Instructor: Amy Paturel is a journalist who writes widely in the health and nutrition spaces; her essays have been featured in outlets like The New York Times and Parents. She has taught this writing course for about a decade and helped many of her students land impressive bylines.
Schedule: The course is six weeks long and available on-demand, so you can enroll whenever is best for you.
Cost: $325. Paturel also offers an upgrade for students who want a personalized critique.
Our full review: Write better personal essays
#9 – Masterclass: Variety of Options
Focus: None
What you’ll learn: You can learn about how to write screenplays, youth fiction, novels, thrillers, and more.
Instructor: Varies based on course. For a list of writing courses, see this page.
Schedule: Join at any time. Go at your own pace while you have access.
Cost: $15 per month, cancel any time
Our full review: We haven’t written one yet, but it does have incredible instructors who have “been there, done that.”
Online courses on writing well and grammar
#10 – Grammar Lion’s Grammar Refresher Course
Focus: Grammar
What you’ll learn: Writing well starts with good grammar, and this course will give you the foundation every writer (and editor!) needs. It covers commonly misused words, contractions and possessives, punctuation, run-on sentences and so much more.
Instructor: Editor Ellen Feld has been teaching this course for years, serving 43,000 students. Your tuition includes access to Ellen for questions as you work through the material.
Schedule: Go at your own pace during your 12 weeks of course access.
Cost: $139
Our full review: We haven’t written one yet, but we did join the course and the Facebook group to check for quality. While this course could use a design refresh, the information included is excellent.
Bonus: A Free Book on Self-Publishing
#11 – Published.: The Proven Path From Blank Page To Published Author (Ebook)
Focus: Self-Publishing
What you’ll learn: Are you tired of trying time and time again to successfully, write, market, and publish a book and not being successful? Are you looking for a map that will take you from blank page to published author as quickly as possible? In this conversational and action-oriented book, Chandler Bolt presents a simple solution to the writing, marketing, and publishing process through a tried, tested, and proven book launch formula: The SPS 90-Day Way
Cost: $23 Now Free. Download by filling this form below!
Ready to enroll in some writing courses online?
No need to commute to the closest college or give up all your weekends to take a writing class.
These online writing courses with knowledgeable instructors provide the training you need, and in many instances, a community of students to connect with as well.
If you know of other online writing courses we should add to this list, let us know!
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This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.
Photo via Oleksii Didok / Shutterstock
