One of the best ways to learn anything is by listening to those who have already been there, done that.
Skillshare is a great tool for doing just this. The site allows anyone to teach their own course and share their skills with the online learning community. By signing up for a subscription, users can access over 25,000 courses on just about everything related to business, technology, hobbies, and creative work.
The Best Skillshare Courses for Writers
For writers, there’s no shortage of wonderful Skillshare classes to choose from. We’ve compiled a list of 20 of the best Skillshare courses designed specifically to help writers succeed and improve their craft.
This list includes courses taught by experienced and qualified professionals who share their advice on creative writing, editing, pitching stories, getting published, and so much more.
You don’t need to enroll in an expensive university course to learn the best writing tips. By signing up with Skillshare, you can get started today right from your living room!
1. Storytelling 101: Character, Conflict, Context & Craft
In this course, urban fantasy writer Daniel José Older walks students through the 4 C’s of storytelling—character, conflict, context, and craft—using his short story Salsa Nocturnaas an example.
Students will learn the necessary tools and questions to ask themselves in order to develop their own unique style. This course is perfect for creative writers who are just starting out, as well as more seasoned writers who want a deeper understanding of storytelling.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 42 minutes (9 lessons)
What students love: Engaging teacher, helpful examples, clear instruction
2. The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit
Best-selling author and screenwriter Simon Van Booy uses this course to help new writers get into a routine of regular writing.
Ideal for beginners or writers looking for a little extra practice, this course will teach students how to find their inspiration in order to develop a daily writing routine.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 38 minutes (9 lessons)
What students love: Engaging teacher, actionable steps, clear instruction
3. Creative Nonfiction: Write Truth With Style
Susan Orlean, staff writer for The New Yorker, teaches her students to“transform ordinary subjects into exceptional stories” through the art of creative nonfiction. This course will help students find inspiration in everyday, real-life events.
Lessons include: “Finding Your Topic,” “Reporting,” “Elements of a Story,” and “Revising.”
Level: Appropriate for all levels
Duration: 1 hour, 49 minutes (15 lessons)
What students love: Helpful examples, engaging teacher, clear instruction
4. Creative Writing for All: A 10-Day Journaling Challenge
Author Emily Gould leads this course designed to unlock creativity by making students notice details about their world. Gould designed the exercises when she became stuck in the middle of a long project—keeping a daily journal about whatever was on her mind helped turn her thoughts into inspiration.
Students will receive tips for noticing more details in their surroundings, finding inspiration, and revising their work through helpful examples.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 26 minutes (6 lessons)
What students love: Actionable steps, engaging teacher, helpful examples
5. Going Freelance: Building and Branding Your Own Success
If you are looking to turn your passion for writing into a full-time freelance business, this course is for you.
Justin Gignac, co-founder of Working Not Working (a network of high-profile creatives in the freelance business), teaches students how to create a strong portfolio to catch the eyes of recruiters and market their brand on social media.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 51 minutes (9 lessons)
What students love: Helpful examples, actionable steps
6. Kickstart Your Freelance Writing Career
Another course aimed at teaching writers how to launch a freelance career, this class teaches students how to think of great ideas and pitch them, as well as where to find a supportive writing community. Freelance copywriter Jillian Richardson leads lessons on brainstorming, establishing credibility, and using job boards and social media to find steady gigs.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 14 minutes (8 lessons)
What students love: Engaging teacher, actionable steps, helpful examples
7. FiveSecrets to Developing the Blogging (and Writing) Habit: How to Beat Writers Block Forever
Whether you’re a blogger or a novelist, no one likes being stuck with writer’s block. Author and blogger Rebecca Livermore uses this course to help aspiring writers write more consistently and boost focus in order to overcome writer’s block. She’ll also teach users why sometimes “writing crap” is the best thing you can do to get out of a creative rut.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 27 minutes (13 lessons)
What students love: Clear instruction, actionable steps, helpful examples
8. Creative Writing Project: Write Great Dialogue
Authors Steve and Dani Alcorn use this course to teach key techniques from their bookHow to Fix Your Novel. They’ll guide students through steps to make their dialogue more interesting, engaging, and purposeful.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 14 minutes (5 minutes)
What students love: Clear instruction, organization of lessons, actionable steps
9. Writing for Online Engagement: Fiction in a Digital World
Young adult author Rebecca Sky teaches students the framework, techniques, and strategies for growing a community around their work. This course is ideal for anyone who is curious about self-publishing in today’s digital world.
Level: Appropriate for all levels
Duration: 1 hour, 8 minutes (11 lessons)
What students love: Engaging teacher, helpful examples
10. Writing and Editing: Polishing a Manuscript
Author Ali Novak uses this course to explain the process of polishing a manuscript for publication. Lessons include tips on how to strengthen each part of a story, examine plot holes, perfect pacing, and develop character structure.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 24 minutes (4 lessons)
What students love: Helpful examples, clarity of instruction, organization of lessons
11. How To Write A Novel in 100 Days
John Coyne has published 25 books and served as Dean and professor of creative writing at SUNY Old Westbury. In this course, he offers his step-by-step method for writing a novel in three months or less based on techniques he has developed himself. These lessons teach students how to choose the right genre, establish point of view, reveal characters, and edit their manuscripts.
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 1 hour, 11 minutes (8 lessons)
What students love: Clear instruction, engaging teacher, helpful examples
12. How to Get Published: A Step-by-Step Guide to Submitting Your Writing
In this course, Rachel Mindell (content strategist at Submittable), teaches students to choose and prepare their strongest pieces, find and research publications that fit their writing, and write and format a cover letter and biography.
She also offers users advice on how to track their submission histories and deal with rejection.
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 59 minutes (11 lessons)
What students love: Clear instruction, actionable steps, engaging teacher
13. Demystifying Poetry: How to Use Lyrical Language for More Powerful Creative Writing
Poet, essayist, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib makes poetry more approachable by teaching his students to identify and create language that connects with readers. This course is ideal for writers who are interested in personal essays, poetry, and literary fiction.
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 47 minutes (8 lessons)
What students love: Engaging teacher, helpful examples, clear instruction
14. The Creative Writer’s Toolkit: Writing a Character Study
Wattpad author Lindsey Summers uses this course to inspire writers to use everyday encounters as helpful starting points for developing unique characters.
Summers teaches students that by creating a character study, they will have a starting place for the rest of their stories and can use it to write any kind of fiction.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 28 minutes (5 lessons)
What students love: Clear instruction, engaging teacher, helpful examples
15. Creative Writing: Using Your Mistakes to Power Your Personal Essays
Emily Gould once again offers quick and easy tips in this course on how to write a solid personal essay. By examining three examples of her favorite essays, Gould also offers editing tips to improve writing at every stage of the process.
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 48 minutes (8 lessons)
What students love: Organization of lessons
16. Growing Your Creativity
Need help unleashing your creativity? Teacher and photographer Nicole York offers helpful tips on finding inspiration, building confidence, and flexing those creative muscles. Lessons include “Scheduling Time for Creativity,” “Letting Go of Fear,” and “Finding Your Voice.”
Level: Appropriate for all levels
Duration: 36 minutes (13 lessons)
What students love: Engaging teacher, actionable steps, organization of lessons
17. Dreams vs. Goals: Setting Goals to Make Your Writing Dreams Come True
Author and editor Kaye Dacus teaches students how to turn their dreams into specific goals and then take action to reach those goals. In this course, students will learn to make tangible goals on a timeline and evaluate risks and rewards. Dacus also offers tips on how to formulate goals that are specific, measurable, and achievable to ensure success.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 36 minutes (7 lessons)
What students love: Actionable steps, clarity of instruction, organization of lessons
18. Creative Writing Essentials: Writing Stand-Out Opening Scenes
Daniel José Older teaches students how scenes and stories are deeply connected by breaking down the anatomy of a scene. In this course, Older offers clear examples and useful exercises to help students analyze character, movement, and structure.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 43 minutes (9 lessons)
What students love: Engaging teacher, clarity of instruction, helpful examples
19. Outlining a Best-Selling Novel in 5 Steps
Self-published author Perrin Briar offers tips on boosting efficiency and productivity in this course on creating the right outlines. Lessons explore the outlining process and its purpose, the three-act structure, and how to create round and static characters.
Level: Appropriate for all levels
Duration: 1 hour, 17 mins (14 lessons)
What students love: Helpful examples, actionable steps
20. The Creative Art of Pitching Stories
Columnist and author Alana Massey teaches writers how to develop confident and well-targeted pitches in order to increase their chances of publication. In this course, Massey explains how to create a pitching plan, find the right editors, and edit a pitch in real time.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 43 minutes (7 lessons)
What students love: Engaging teacher, helpful examples, actionable steps
Start Learning Today
Whether you need a refresher on some writing basics or just want to find inspiration from other writers, there are dozens of online courses that can help you get started.
By joining an online community like Skillshare, you can also build connections with other talented writers to exchange ideas and feedback. Join a course today!
What skills would you like to learn? Tell us in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
- 5 Best Places for Free Online Publishing Courses
- The Best Self-Publishing Courses: Top 6 Online Programs for Do-It-Yourself Authors
- The Best Free Online Writing Courses for Creative Writers, Fiction, and Nonfiction
- 10 Tips for Writing a Great Story
Kaelyn Barron
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
