Pros and Cons of Online Creative Writing Classes
Things to Consider Before Enrolling in Internet Writing Studies
Oct 26, 2009
Joining an online creative writing class is an excellent way for writers to connect with other writers and to gain some peer feedback on their work. Yet not receiving what is expected from a writing course can leave a writer disappointed. Knowing what to expect and choosing courses wisely can help the writer be prepared to improve their writing skills via Internet classes.
Peer Feedback Important in Online Writing Courses
Online writing courses with multiple participants provide a safe forum for giving and receiving critiques. Pam Mytroen, a freelance writer, says that “constructive criticism by other writers taking the same course was the very best component of the course. ... It's one thing to show your assignment to your family or friends to read but it's another thing to show it to an unbiased student who you're only dealing with over the Internet. You get really honest criticism and encouragement.”
Having a fresh, unbiased eye look at a writer’s work is always valuable. Other writers in an online course can do this without fear of hurting feelings. For Pam, that was “worth every single penny right there.” She adds, “I discovered exactly what needed work. Their insights were surprising. I would have never gotten this help from people close to me.”
More Pros of Online Writing Classes
Online offers an atmosphere of immediacy. Rather than waiting weeks for mail to travel in a traditional correspondence course, writers can receive feedback from their peers and instructors within hours or days. Those enrolled in online courses guided by an instructor benefit from the wealth of the instructor’s experience. Pam found her instructor “practical and discerning and encouraging.” The instructor can also set deadlines which can help motivate the writer; as Pam says, “It was like a kick-start to writing. After that course I wrote for an entire year.”
Disadvantages of Online Creative Writing Courses
Peer feedback depends upon the other writers in the group. As Pam explains, what writers gain from an online writing class “depends upon who your fellow students are and how much they're willing to give you.” Pam had several good experiences with fellow writers in online courses, but then, “in one course I took, one of the students dropped out early and that only left two others to critique me. Of those two, one was defensive about everything I tried to help her with and I discovered in return that when she critiqued my work, it was poorly done.”
Writers who pay for an online writing course, expecting to get great critiques from their fellow students, may be greatly disappointed in such situations. Before starting an online writing class, consider asking the instructor or the institution about critiquing guidelines for participants, what will happen if a participant drops out, and the policy on students failing to participate in the critique process.
Choosing Online Writing Courses
Consider whether you wish to receive peer feedback and an instructor's guidance. Look for a course that is relevant to what you need to learn. If you are just starting out, choose one or two topics to focus on and take a course or two in that area.
Look for a course that seems manageable to you. Consider how much time you can commit to this course (for your own writing and in giving critiques) and whether you will be able to meet the deadlines (if there are any).
Some classes on how to improve writing skills are offered for free as work-at-your-own-pace courses; there is no instructor, no deadline, no peer feedback. Consider working through such courses with another writer so you can set deadlines for each other; or, if you are self-disciplined enough to work through the course and do all the suggested exercises on your own, give it a try yourself.
In the end, what a writer learns from the course is up to them, not to the others in the class. Do a bit of research to help decide which course to take, then dive in and take one.
