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Has anyone here been on a writing course?
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E.J.
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Feb 23, 2013 02:31AM
I'm wondering how useful writing courses actually are? Costs seem to vary wildly from £600 to £2,000 plus, which is a LOT of money... are they simply a way for some people to get rich or are they actually useful to a would-be author looking to get published?
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Hi Elaine - I did a couple with the Open University that were really good - they provided a lot of good materials and the forum with other participants and the tutor was really helpful. I think they do some that are around 12 weeks, so they were a bit cheaper (from what I remember, I did mine around 2007/2008 I think)
Thanks for your input, Melanie - I've just signed up to a course with Faber for £600 (their most expensive is over £2500!) and am hoping that it will help me to improve on my writing technique. It didn't occur to me to look at the OU!
Hopefully the Faber one will be good - definitely look at OU in future, I've done a couple of academic courses with them and the materials and remote support were excellent. Best of luck :)
I am thinking about studying with the OU, and gather from friends that thier English/ writing based courses are really good. I shall be looking into it nearer the time.
I did an online course with MediaBistro, it was around $500 and the instructor was hugely generous with her time and feedback. Discussion with other class members was also really valuable. I'd say this gave me the courage to keep writing beyond Chapter 1 :)
My friends who have done such courses have wildly different stories to tell, but the common thread is that they're very useful for getting you into the habit of writing a lot, and regularly.
Andrew wrote: "My friends who have done such courses have wildly different stories to tell, but the common thread is that they're very useful for getting you into the habit of writing a lot, and regularly."I did a few by correspondence many years ago, both in fiction writing and journalism. I think that mine gave me sound advice, and useful feedback. I would therefore see them as positive.
Elaine wrote: "I'm wondering how useful writing courses actually are? Costs seem to vary wildly from £600 to £2,000 plus, which is a LOT of money... are they simply a way for some people to get rich or are they a..." I've been on two Arvon courses (UK) cost c £600 each - though fortunately one was a gift and one a prize in a short story competition - but both were really useful - the first one was an advanced fiction course and I went with 70,000 words of a novel. After discussion with the tutor I changed my mc which meant ditching 67,000 words!! But it was so liberating and the result was a novel which has just been mainstream published. The second one was last summer when I was totally stalled in my writing and the combination of atmosphere and the other folk there jump started me - I'm now 1/2 way through the sequel to the first novel. They are expensive, but I'd say if you can get one as a combined Christmas present from all your family as I did - go for it.
PS These were 5 day residential courses - and totally dedicated writing time.
I also studied with the OU and my tutor was an award-winning novellist himself, full of lots of great tips and advice on a publishing level. Some of the short stories I wrote through the course ended up being published in various magazines, and it also gave me the impetus to write a novel. There was loads of good stuff in the workbooks about how to go on after the course, getting an agent etc., which I'm sure helped me to get an agent. I seem to remember it was fairly reasonably priced at the time (it was about five years ago though, so things might have changed) but I would wholeheartedly recommend it.
I don't think you can go wrong in taking an approved writing course of any kind. The one I took at my local college was not only fun, but valuable most of all in the classroom critiques. Any writing seminars you attend can also greatly help with networking as well.
I offered a six-week course locally in writing and publishing, for $35. The rules for publishing have changed so dramatically, it's hard to keep up. But writing well, and consistently, is still the standard. Writing as a habit will allow you to improve. As you read more, you begin to notice what other writers are doing, and how they do it. Transferring that knowledge to your own writing allows you to continue to learn.
I have taken a couple of writing courses, but apart from being enjoyable,I did not learn much. I learned so much more from going to a local evening class and from peer criticism. One very successful visiting writer told us that in his opinion, the OU teaches you to write to a formula which kills creativity. Listen to the voice in your head, and create. You are an individual - formulas should not excist in any form of art.
I don't think any writing course is wasted. No matter how naturally talented a writer is, the words must be presented to appeal to readers. The only way to improve is to write, continually trying out what you keep learning.
You can also check out ed2go and they have many courses that are inexpensive and are good. I did take a writing class through them and they helped me with querying agents and publishers.
Elaine wrote: "I'm wondering how useful writing courses actually are? Costs seem to vary wildly from £600 to £2,000 plus, which is a LOT of money... are they simply a way for some people to get rich or are they a..."I know this is late but you can try this:
http://www.writers-village.org/publis...
I've taken a couple, some at university some at 'adult learning' centers. A couple were very good. A couple were of little value. Most had teachers interested in teaching the writing of 'literary fiction' and had little help for most of the students that were more interested in action/adventure, SciFi, or Romance. The best courses had teachers teaching what I might term 'word smithing'
Talk to students that took the courses before you lay down your money.
I have an opportunity to participate in a writing course later this month, im still considering it. Admission is $10.
