Beginner writers, particularly those wanting to learn about writing a book such as a novel, a collection of short stories, or a personal poetry anthology, often wonder about the value of taking some type of creative writing course.
There is a misconception that the concept of “creative writing” only applies to books of fiction. Actually creative writing techniques can also be applied to improve the writing of non-fiction and make it more interesting to read.
There is a debate among writers as to whether or not the art of creative writing can be taught. Or stated another way; Is the craft of creative writing is a skill that can actually be learned?
My personal view is that it can be taught; and it can be learned.
Although some people seem to have a natural in-born talent for writing, most of us have to learn the required skills; particularly when it comes to learning how to write a book, such as a novel, or assembling a group of our short stories or poetry into a book.
Although raw talent cannot be taught, what can be taught are the established, recognized creative writing techniques. As a beginner writer you can use these techniques to improve your book and make it more professional.
However, if someone has difficulty with the basic rules of grammar, sentence structure, spelling, and other basics, they should first take instruction in these subjects before attempting to benefit from a course in creative writing.
Courses in the basic fundamentals of writing (rather than creative writing) can often be obtained as a credit through a local school attended in person at a night course for example, or through online courses offered by various educational institutions. There are also lots of helpful books available for learning the basics of writing.
Creative writing courses are offered by many colleges and universities and are available in a variety of formats, including on a part-time study basis.
Such courses are available in a variety of presentation formats:
- Courses you attend in person,
- Courses by correspondence
- Courses you take online.
Correspondence courses involve working with traditional mail and perhaps e-mail for the submission of writing assignments and communication with teachers.
Here are some examples of the type of creative writing courses offered by Humber College, located in the Toronto area:
- Writing Fiction
- Writing for Young Adults
- Writing a Compelling Short story
- Drafting a Blueprint for Your Novel
- Poetry workshop
As another example of the type of courses that could suitable for writing a book or writing a compilation of material for a book, here are some of the topics on creative writing offered by the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies:
- Creative Writing Introduction
- Writing the Novel
- The Poetic Process
- Mystery Writing
- Writing Fantasy
- Writing the Memoir
- Writing Short Fiction
In addition to learning the particular writing techniques you will need to write at a professional level, there are three main benefits you may realize from taking a creative writing course.
(1) You will have an opportunity to understand what the whole process of writing creatively is all about. You will be able to better appreciate what it is to be a writer, what the life of a writer involves, and what it takes to develop yourself into a professional book author.
(2) If you take a course that you attend in person, you will benefit from the give and take and dialogue with other students who are attending the course. The interchange of ideas between you and other people in your same experience range can be productive, invigorating, and inspiring.
(3) If you live in an area which is too distant or expensive to travel to frequently for a personal-attendance course, you can still work with good teachers on your creative writing skills by doing it online, and/or by working through traditional mail or e-mail or a combination of both in a correspondence-based course.
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