How can you get the most out of writing courses online or in-person? (2024)

Choosing wisely is probably the most important part in my opinion. There are so many options, and every "yes" response is inherently a countless number of "no" responses. I have been the person who signed up for too many things and now am much more intentional about only signing up when I know I can pour in.

I would definitely start with researching the needs and expectations of the target group. As a rule, the person who studies determines the content and the methods to be used.

Active engagement is a key to success! By asking questions and expressing the point of view a student becomes a collaborator and a creator rather than a passive recipient.

Of course, once you have paid and enrolled, you will have to do the heavy lifting. That starts with clearly understanding what all is required. Some courses are theory-heavy. Some might ask you to start writing right away. There definitely will be a lot of reading recommendations, so you might have to arrange the books.

As a 28- year writing instructor, I have to emphasize the importance of practice. The cliché “Rome wasn’t built in a day” applies here. A few tips I have on the wall in my high school classroom: Stay the course. Trust the process. Take risks. Vary your point of view. Vary sentence structure for effect. Introductions are hard, so skip until the end. The more you like it (“oh yeah- this is really good” smug smile), the more it is bloviating garbage. Start a new document. Set your ego aside. Ask for feedback from neutral sources before you submit to your instructor. Just write, knowing no piece of writing is perfect : there is always more to learn.

Prolific author James Michener once clarified, “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” And that right there is what made him exceptional. The very best advice I offered the thousand-some-odd students that I had the pleasure of teaching while a university English instructor was to read Anne Lamott's famous essay on first drafts--and then apply it! Yes, I made them fully write out a work, save it, ... and then open a new document and start all over, re-writing it wholly again from the blank page. And, as a graduate student of screenwriting, I vividly recalled how much doing this really sucks. And yet, each time my students or I did it, the writing was better: more cohesive, more elegant. (I even applied this advice here.)

As much as I agree with the comments made regarding networking and brainstorming, I would add, remain confident in your abilities and your work. It's easy to receive so much constructive feedback that it starts to feel like criticism or can make you lose track of your projects true vision and direction. Be open minded, without losing yourself to someone else's vision.

Yes, networking is important but I'd refrain from exchanging your writing for critiques, yet. Share your challenges and discuss what works for you and what doesn't. Having a community of people working towards a common idea is fascinating and empowering.

To be great in any area, you have to commit to lifelong learning. When it comes to writing, especially in digital spaces, the second we feel we have mastery the landscape will change again! Write with an open mind and unquenchable curiosity and there will be no limits.

Try to avoid the belief that once you've "mastered" a skill or gotten an A in your writing course, you have no more room for improvement. Complacency is a great way to stop improving and evolving. Writing styles and expectations change all the time, and you, as a writer will change all the time, too. The style and voice you use in a writing class today will probably not be the same as the style and voice you will use in a class a year from now, or even a few months from now, because you won't be the same writer. Keep playing with your writing, trying new things, and looking for ways you can turn good into great. Getting too comfortable in your abilities and talents can really hold you back.

For a decade, I taught first-year freshman English to students who overwhelmingly did not want to learn writing. Instead, they wanted to skip ahead to courses that mattered to their major. As such, my first job was to convince them that writing is important to everyone. My favorite example of this was when I had to present to artists that if they ever wanted their work featured in galleries or in magazines, they would need to WRITE an artist statement about their collections. If I could convince a room full of photographers, sculptors, etc. that they needed to write, then all the rest of us should definitely embrace writing as part of our lives as well. Heck, I'm writing right now! As such, let's enjoy it as much as we can whenever we can.

Before you take a writing course you should write as badly as possible. Pick a few topics you're interested in and just start writing. Take note of your bad habits (mine is trying to go too fast and losing all structure). Set a goal that at the end of the course you will rewrite those articles and that they'll be improved enough to publish. Some can't find fault with their writing, and don't improve. Others can't see the good in it, and avoid it. Accept that if you were so good you wouldn't need a course. Then, let yourself write as badly as you have to.

Diversify the types of courses you take to keep your skills sharp in an ever changing world and career.Take lots of notes and keep all your notes. You never know when you will need to remind yourself of something you forgot about and they are a good source of inspiration when inspiration is lacking.