10+ Free Online Creative Writing Courses Canada

12/10/2020

Here featured are 10+ free online creative writing courses in Canada to help and guide when writing your book, novel, script, poetry or short stories. These are some of the best free online writing courses for new writers or authors wanting to study from home.

The following free creative writing courses aim to enhance your writing skills, improve career prospects, reach your writing goals, and explore writing techniques and styles. Study fiction and creative fiction writing today from professional distance learning providers, tutor-led writing workshops and published authors.

If you’re looking for creative writing courses online, free writing classes or writing workshops to develop your writing skills, check out these 10+ free online creative writing courses in Canada.

1. Write Fiction Like a Pro – Toronto Public Library

The Write Fiction Like a Pro course is available from Toronto Public Library via course provider Gale. To become a professional author, this course helps students master "how to structure novels and stories for maximum dramatic effect".

The course instructor is Steve Alcorn, who is a published author of many fiction and nonfiction works.

This free online writing course will help you to understand how the theme, premise, and characters create your story structure. Also, you will learn the techniques required to build scenes, and how to craft a story from start to finish.

Duration: 6 weeks (24 hours in total).
Certificate: A certificate of completion is available.
Course overview: How to create a story structure, mapping out characters, how to hook readers, how to provide a backstory for characters, how to construct the story outline, how to plan and plot like a pro, and much more.
This course has set start dates.
The course provider is Gale, who offers free courses via public libraries for library card holders in Canada and beyond. The courses last 6 weeks, and new sessions start each month.
- Log onto your registered library website and search for "online courses" or "Gale courses" to find free courses via your local/city library.

View course: Write Fiction Like a Pro

More creative writing courses from Toronto Public Library:

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2. Free Writing Courses and Tutorials for Beginners

Try a free Udemy online writing course for beginners. The course content is the same quality as their paid courses, but you don't receive a certificate of completion or have Q&A access to instructors.

Udemy is a popular and recognised e-learning platform providing 130,000 courses for millions of students around the world. Course subjects include programming, business, marketing, health and fitness, and much more.

Here are a few of Udemy's free online writing courses for new writers:

Secret Sauce of Great Writing – Ex-Wall Street Journal Editor Teaches How To Make Your Blogs, Books & Business Writing Sparkle.
On Writing – The 20 Minute Jumpstart for Novices and Writer-Blocked Writers
Starting to Write – Be a more creative you. Take small steps and start writing today.

Once you've tried any of Udemy's free courses, you can decide to undertake a more in-depth paid course with low prices during flash sales.

3. Free Writing Courses and Tutorials for All Levels

Also, you can try a free Udemy online writing course for all levels of writers.

Here are some of Udemy's free online writing courses for all writing levels:

Creative Writing Sample Lesson – Video lectures and plenty of activities about setting, character and plot with best-selling novelist K.C. Finn.
Let’s Write a Basic Story – A step-by-step walkthrough. Write your own story.
Use Show Don't Tell to Improve Your Writing – A free mini-course about one of the most important skills in writing.

You can find a full list of Udemy's free online writing courses here.

4. Start Writing Fiction

Learn creative writing for free from The Open University via FutureLearn, where you "get started with your own fiction writing, focusing on the central skill of creating characters, with this hands-on course".

The course tutor is Derek Neale, who is a short story writer and novelist. Start writing fiction is a course that requires no prior studying of a particular subject or experience.

Anyone who wants to learn about writing fiction can join this course, from a beginner to a writer who has already written a script but wants to bring some much-needed improvement or would like a thorough review.

Duration: 8 weeks (3 hours per week).
Certificate: A certificate is available when updgrading this course for a fee.
Course overview: On this creative writing course you will learn how to write fiction and generate stories through the creation of characters, how to develop ideas and increase your observation of the world around you to use in your writing, tips and advice on editing and presenting your work, and more. You will also carry out peer reviewing and provide feedback on fellow students' writing.
This course has set start dates.

View course: Start Writing Fiction

5. Write Your First Novel

If your writing goal is to produce a novel but you’re not sure where to begin, this online free creative writing course from Michigan State University via Coursera could help you. On this course you will be guided on how to write and finish a 50,000-word novel.

So don’t put off any longer writing your first novel! On this beginner-friendly course "you will learn how to form a basic idea, any idea, into a structure and discipline that will allow you to create, write and complete a fully-realized novel ready to submit for publication".

Duration: 127 hours study time.
Certificate: A certificate of completion is available for a fee.
Course overview: Create the idea for your novel, create your character profiles, outline your first chapter, you will go through a step-by-step process to write each chapter, you'll submit your finished novel, and you will also write a prologue for your book and a synopsis to submit to agents.

A self-paced course that can be started and accessed at any time.
Click on the “Enroll for Free” box and select the “Full Course, No Certificate” option to undertake this course for free.

View course: Write Your First Novel

6. Finding Your Voice as a Playwright

On this free online creative writing course from the University of Cambridge via edX, students "will be looking in depth at how to find your own distinctive dramatic voice as you develop as a playwright".

Participants will understand how to choose themes that resonate with the audience, the qualities that create impacful and powerful characters, how to structure scenes so they move the dramatic action and story forward, and much more.

Duration: 4 weeks, 8-10 hours per week.
Certificate: A certificate of completion is available for a fee.
Course overview: On this instructor-led course, you will learn the forms and traditions when writing for performance, understand the market demands of entertainment industries, discover the essential performance components within this discipline, script-editing skills, how to create effective structure within scenes, and much more.

There are set start dates for this course.

View course: Finding Your Voice as a Playwright

More FREE screenwriting courses via edX include:

7. Stand Up! Comedy Writing and Performance Poetry

This is another free online creative writing course from the University of Cambridge via edX. Here you can "prepare to perform your comic writing and/or poetry to a live audience, as well as develop transferable writing skills and communication expertise that will be relevant in any profession".

If your dream is to write and perform your own material as a comedy routine or performance poetry, this is the course for you. Learning how to communicate effectivley to your audience provides the solid foundation for skilful communication in any professional capacity.

Duration: 4 weeks, 8-10 hours per week
Certificate: A certificate of completion is available for a fee.
Course overview: This is an intermediate, instructor-led course where students will discover the specialized aspects in writing for stand-up comedy and performance poetry, the key performance components required for this writing discipline, script-editing skills, and much more.

There are set start dates for this course.

View course: Stand Up! Comedy Writing and Performance Poetry

8. How to Write a Suspense Novel

If suspense is your preferred writing genre, check out this free writing course from Reedsy. On this course "you'll learn how to write a perfectly crafted, twisty suspense novel with the help of award-winning suspense novelist, book editor, and author coach, Christina Kaye".

In the short and easy-to-digest lessons delivered to your inbox, you will be guided through all the steps needed to take you from the start of your suspense novel to the end, producing an engaging and impactful story.

Duration: 10-day course, 5 minutes each day.
Course overview: You will learn the different subgenres of suspense, how to create the ideal characters for this genre, the suspense elements to incorporate in your story, how to handle the main conflict and climatic scene, and then how to nail the twist/surprise reveal.
A self-paced course that can be started and accessed at any time.
Sign up to a free account is required to get instant access to the course.

View course: How to Write a Suspense Novel

9. Endless Story Ideas

A free online writing course from Creative Writing Now "will show you how to develop story plots and how to structure the beginning, middle, and ending of a story or novel. At the end of the course, you'll create a detailed story plan that you can use for your own fiction writing".

Struggling with writer’s block is a common issue, so this course could help you to overcome this obstacle. Here you will discover the essential tips to generate new ideas so you can progress your creative writing more quickly. You can also create a plethora of story ideas, and then use them in your writing in the future.

Course participants receive one lesson per day for three days by email.
You can also access their Story Starters and Where to Find Creative Writing Ideas sections to find creative writing ideas for an abundance of inspiration
There is free participation for their Creative Writing Contests and Free Poetry Contest where you have the chance to be published on their website and you could win Amazon or cash prizes.

View Course: Endless Story Ideas

10. Writing Science Fiction: World Building

A free online course from the National Centre for Writing is especially for writers looking to create stories in the sci-fi genre. Here you will find a lot of advice and information on world building and verisimilitude!

All authors need good settings to tell their stories, but science fiction has its own specific and distinctive needs, whether you're writing in the past, an alternate present or a future faraway. This course takes you through characteristic sci-fi settings and discovers ways to create your own.

Duration: Usually 1-2 weeks, but this course is self-paced so you can complete in your own time.
Course overview: On this sci-fi writing course you will learn how to use your setting to reveal and reflect your characters, using the mundane to your advantage, discover the difference between world building and exposition, find out what separates after the catastrophe from enclosed habitats, and understand why verisimilitude is key to any science fiction story
This course is self-paced and can be accessed at any time after enrollment. Sign up to a free account is required to gain instant access.

View Course: Writing Science Fiction

Conclusion

Now that you’ve decided to progress your writing skills, learning from an established e-learning provider, published author or professional tutor will help you to develop your writing further.

If you make time to write each day, even for just a few minutes, and apply the techniques and tips from a writing class, you will see the improvements and your growth as a writer.

Also, on some of these courses listed you can connect with other writers with the same interest and passion for writing, and you can discuss ideas or ask for advice and feedback.

All the best on the next step of your writing journey!