What Are the Best Online Writing Courses in 2025?

Whether you’re dreaming of finally finishing your novel or hoping to level up your short stories from “Okay” to “Heck yes,” the right online writing course can be a game-changer. But let’s be real: with hundreds of courses out there promising plot perfection and bestseller status, how do you know which ones are worth your time?

We’ve compared the best online writing courses of 2025 for you, examining everything from flexibility to affordability. By the end of this post, you’ll know which courses are most suited for your needs, schedule, and requirements.

Our top picks

If we could only take three online writing courses, we would choose the ones offered by Reedsy, Gotham Writers, and Curtis Brown Creative.

Reedsy's How to Write a Novel course comprehensively guides you through every stage of the novel-writing process — and will help you finish a first draft in three months. Gotham Writers Workshop's Creative Writing 101, meanwhile, is a strong introduction to the foundations of creative writing. And for writers who want to start by building a daily writing habit, Curtis Brown Creative's 30-Day Writing Bootcamp gets the job done.

Course	Price*	Best For	Format/Duration	Why We Love It
Reedsy: How to Write a Novel	$499	Writers looking for a comprehensive guide to writing a novel	101 lessons, self-paced	Clear structure and professional insights
Gotham Writers Workshop: Creative Writing 101	$354	Writers who want variety and flexibility	6 weeks	Covers both fiction and nonfiction, no specific project required
Curtis Brown Creative: 30-Day Writing Bootcamp	$54	Writers aiming to establish a daily writing practice	30 days	Highly structured; designed by an established literary agency
Faber Academy: Writing a Novel (Online)	$3,680	Writers looking for an immersive course with peer feedback	14 sessions over 7 months	Rigorous, with a focus on in-depth workshops
MasterClass writing classes	From around $120 per year	Writers who want advice from bestselling authors	10+ lessons, self-paced	Learn directly from writers like Margaret Atwood and James Patterson
Stanford: Sentence by Sentence – Create Your Style	$735	Writers who wish they could go back to the classroom	10 weeks	University-level rigor and feedback
Coursera: Wesleyan University – Creative Writing Specialization	Free	Writers who are on a budget	3 to 6 months, self-paced	Covers elements of short story, narrative essay, and memoir

*Prices correct at time of writing (October 2025).

Best comprehensive novel-writing courses

Reedsy: How to Write a Novel

Format: 101 lessons, self-paced
Price: $499
Best for: Writers looking for a comprehensive guide to writing a novel

Reedsy’s flagship writing course, designed by publishing veteran Tom Bromley, hand-delivers you a blueprint for turning your book idea into a complete manuscript. In 101 lessons, it breaks down the entire novel-writing process, from building believable characters and shaping your plot, to navigating tricky mid-draft slumps and revising with purpose. The best part is that it’s entirely self-paced, so you can learn and write on a timeline that suits you.

Writing a novel (well, a good one, at least) can’t be done overnight, so we also love that this course gives its students access to a community of writers who can help you stay accountable. And if you add a Learning Membership to the mix, you’ll be able to attend weekly live masterclasses about writing craft from bestselling authors, top editors, and writing coaches.

All in all, a past student called it a “mini MFA in fiction writing,” and we agree: what makes this course distinctive is how much content you get for the price. At $499, it offers everything you need to know to write a book. And unlike an MFA, you won’t need to mortgage your future to afford it.

Why it stands out: It’s rare to find a course this comprehensive and flexible. You get serious depth, and you’re always in control of the pace.

Pros	Cons
✅ Affordable compared to MFAs or long-term workshops; has received praise about being a “mini MFA” without the cost	❌ $499 upfront cost
✅ Self-paced flexibility (learn anytime)	❌ Requires self-discipline to complete
✅ Extremely comprehensive (101 lessons); step-by-step structure is clear and easy to follow	❌ Not a workshop course, but peer feedback can be requested via Reedsy’s Discord
✅ Designed to be accessible for writers at any skill level
✅ Lessons have real-world examples, demonstrating how published authors have applied the concepts taught

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Faber Academy: Writing a Novel (Online)

Format: 14 two-week sessions over 7 months
Price: $3,680
Best for: Writers looking for an immersive course with peer feedback

Faber Academy is an established name for a reason: it’s helped tons of authors find their footing in the industry, and this particular course comes recommended for serious writers who want to write a book in a structured, immersive experience. Spread over seven months, it’s a sustained deep dive into the process of writing, revising, and polishing a full-length novel. Each session includes detailed critiques, group workshops, and one-on-one guidance from experienced tutors to ensure that every piece of feedback pushes your work further (you’ll be expected to write and share 1,000 words of your novel for every single session!).

The big drawback, however, is the price: at $3,680, this isn’t a casual investment. It’s best, therefore, for students who are not only committed to studying the art of novel writing, but also ready for the intensity of its mentorship. Faber Academy is also part of iconic publisher Faber & Faber, so students also get the benefit of learning from industry insiders with decades of experience — but you must pay the price for doing so.

Why it stands out: Its structured approach is well-suited for those seeking in-depth, workshop-style learning.

Pros	Cons
✅ Highly structured, immersive 7-month course	❌ Most expensive of the courses listed in this post
✅ Taught by tutors connected to a well-known publisher	❌ Time-intensive commitment
✅ Provides community and peer interaction	❌ Best suited for novelists (less flexible for other forms)

Best creative writing foundation courses

Gotham Writers Workshop: Creative Writing 101

Format: 6 weeks
Price: $354
Best for: Writers who want variety and flexibility

For those who aren’t yet sure what kind of writer they want to be, Gotham’s Creative Writing 101 is a popular gateway into the world of creative writing. For $354 (+ a $25 registration fee), you get six weeks of instruction covering fiction, memoir, personal essay, and narrative nonfiction — a multi-pronged approach that’s ideal if you’re still experimenting with genres and want to see where your voice feels most natural.

The course is deliberately structured to be flexible: the exercises are adaptable to different genres so that you can get a taste of a wide variety of forms before you decide which one to pursue more seriously. However, keep in mind that you won’t be workshopping any projects or getting highly detailed feedback every week from your instructors, like you would with some of the other previously listed courses.

Why it stands out: A broad intro to fiction and creative nonfiction with weekly exercises — suitable for beginners still finding their footing.

Pros	Cons
✅ Structured 6-week course with weekly exercises (built-in accountability)	❌ More expensive ($354 + $25 registration fee) compared to many entry-level options
✅ Emphasis on regular peer and instructor feedback	❌ Not a workshop course; limited peer critique by design
✅ Good for beginners unsure of their focus	❌ Six weeks may feel short if you’re hoping for a long-term or in-depth course

Curtis Brown Creative: 30-Day Writing Bootcamp

Format: 30 days
Price: $54
Best for: Writers aiming to establish a daily writing practice

Another entry-level course, Curtis Brown Creative’s 30-Day Writing Bootcamp is a low-stakes way to gain your bearings when it comes to creative writing. Each lesson introduces a new skill — whether that’s crafting dialogue, sharpening description, or overcoming writer’s block — and provides an exercise to put it into practice right away.

You can also rest assured that Curtis Brown Creative is directly tied to a leading literary agency, so the people behind the course know what they’re talking to (note: this doesn’t mean you’ll be getting any direct contact with literary agents from Curtis Brown, so if that’s what you’re mainly interested in, then look elsewhere!).

But do note that you won’t be working on a long project like an entire book over the span of this course. As this is still a beginner level course, you’ll get to do creative writing in some shape or form, but the focus here is on habit-building rather than advanced craft.

Why it stands out: It’s simple, affordable, and confidence-building. Ideal for absolute beginners who want to finally make writing a consistent habit.

Pros	Cons
✅ Affordable ($54)	❌ 30 days (limited depth)
✅ Short, daily lessons that help build consistent writing habits	❌ No direct, professional feedback from tutors
✅ Designed by a leading literary agency with industry insight	❌ More focused on habit-building than advanced techniques or craft

Best specialized writing courses

MasterClass (various courses)

Format: Around 20 video lessons per class, self-paced
Price: From around $120 per year (varies by plan/region)
Best for: Writers who want advice from bestselling authors

Looking for big-name instructors without a syllabus to wrangle? A single annual subscription of MasterClass will unlock dozens of specialized writing classes for you on specific writing topics (think Margaret Atwood on voice, James Patterson on pacing, N.K. Jemisin on worldbuilding).

Just be clear on what you're signing up for. What you will get is a series of beautifully produced, inspiring lessons in which celebrity authors share the basics of their craft and creative process. What you won't get are structured assignments (à la a traditional course), tailored feedback, or in-depth teachings. You may also find some courses more comprehensive than others because the content will vary based on who’s instructing.

Why it stands out: The star power is undeniable — but keep in mind that you’d need to fork up around $120/year to keep your subscription running, and consider the level of depth you’d be getting for it.

Pros	Cons
✅ Access to multiple courses from world-famous authors	❌ No tailored feedback or critiques
✅ Good value via annual subscription	❌ Less structured than formal courses
✅ Covers a wide range of genres and styles	❌ Depth and detail vary depending on the instructor

Stanford: Sentence by Sentence – Create Your Style

Format: 10 weeks, Mondays 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM PT (recordings available)
Price: $735
Best for: Writers who wish they could go back to the classroom

This Stanford course lives up to its name by drilling into the building blocks of prose: the sentence. Over 10 weeks of lectures, assignments, and workshop discussions, students dissect the rhythm, clarity, and elegance of their writing line by line, with the goal of developing a more refined and deliberate style by the end of it.

Priced at $735, it offers serious academic weight without the multi-year commitment of a degree. It’s particularly suited to writers who already have projects underway but want to level up their prose — whether that means stripping out clunky phrasing, elevating their descriptive powers, or making their writing more precise and compelling.

Why it stands out: Its granular focus on style and clarity makes it unique among writing courses. Recommended for writers who want to refine their voice in an academic, workshop-driven environment.

Pros	Cons
✅ Academic rigor without a degree commitment	❌ High upfront cost ($735)
✅ Deep focus on prose style/clarity	❌ Narrow scope (style, not end-to-end book building)
✅ Workshop format (peer critique) with instructor guidance	❌ Best suited for novelists (less flexible for other forms)
✅ Ideal for writers with projects already underway	❌ Weekly participation required (scheduled meetings)

Coursera: Wesleyan University – Creative Writing Specialization

Format: Self-paced (typically 3 to 6 months to complete)
Price: Free (certificate and graded work available with a paid subscription)
Best for: Writers who are on a budget

For advanced writers who prefer a lighter price tag, Coursera’s Creative Writing Specialization from Wesleyan University might be what you need. This self-paced series of five courses, designed to be completed in just a few months (or shorter, if you can commit at least 10 hours per week), covers key aspects of fiction writing from narrative craft to character development.

What sets it apart is its final project: a capstone, where students submit a polished piece. So unlike other exercise-based courses, you’ll need to synthesize what you’ve learned into a tangible piece of writing at its end. And of course, the ultimate bonus is that the course is free to audit (with an optional fee for certification and graded work).

Why it stands out: The capstone project gives you a portfolio-ready piece of work, making this an appealing choice for writers seeking something concrete to show for their efforts.

Pros	Cons
✅ Free to audit (certificate available for a fee)	❌ Less personalized feedback than premium courses
✅ Covers key fiction and narrative techniques	❌ Peer reviews vary in quality
✅ Flexible pacing, accessible online	❌ Can take longer than a month to complete at a standard pace
✅ Includes a capstone project for a portfolio-ready piece

Whichever path you choose, the most important thing is that you’re writing — and all of these courses are designed to help you do exactly that. Good luck, and happy writing!