Are you passionate about writing? Whether you’re aiming to start a career as a writer or looking to improve your existing skills, online writing courses could be for you.
This guide will explore different writing styles and we list some of the ways you could boost, or begin, your writing career plus some of the benefits of writing courses online, for your personal growth.
Writing genres
By deciding which genre of writing to learn or enhance, writers can improve their versatility and broaden their appeal to a wider audience. Here are some considerations for when you are selecting writing courses online plus some likely content for each course:
Fiction writing
Novel writing and getting published: navigating the literary labyrinth
- Developing a unique voice:
Every great novel is driven by a distinctive voice written to captivate readers. - Plotting and pacing:
A well-structured plot with the right pace is essential for keeping readers engaged. Training in this area can help avoid common pitfalls like plot holes or sluggish narratives. - Character development:
Learning character development teaches you how to create believable, multi-dimensional characters to resonate with readers. - Navigating the publishing world:
Understanding the publishing process, from query letters to literary agents, is as important as writing the novel itself. Knowledge about the industry can make the difference between a manuscript gathering dust and a successfully published one.
Children’s writing
- Age-appropriate content:
Learning to tailor your narrative for specific age groups ensures relevance and engagement, whether you’re writing for toddlers or teenagers. - Educational and entertaining:
Children’s writing can entertain while subtly educating, whether it’s through morals, lessons, or simply stimulating curiosity. - Visual storytelling:
Courses can provide insights into how to work effectively with illustrators to bring stories to life visually.
Creative writing
- Crafting compelling narratives:
Online courses will help refine your storytelling techniques to create narratives with the potential to linger in your readers’ minds. - Expressive techniques:
Creative writing courses explore stylistic elements like tone, mood, and figurative language to enhance expressiveness.
Short story writing
- Economy of language:
Learn the skill of saying more with less. - Structural finesse:
Understanding how to construct a short story can help create a strong impact within a shorter narrative. - Character and plot integration:
In short stories, there’s little room for elaborate character backstories or complex plots. Courses teach how to integrate character and plot, ensuring each word serves multiple purposes.
Scriptwriting
Film and television writing
These courses are designed to provide a broad range of skills necessary for success in the industry.
- Storytelling briefs, formats, and target audience:
Understanding the diversity of storytelling formats and tailoring content to engage specific audiences. - Plot and story structure:
During your course, you will dissect the mechanics of plot construction, ensuring a solid structural basis for your scripts. - Dialogue and characters:
You will explore the nuances of character development and the art of using dialogue to reveal character and advance the plot. - Point of view and setting:
Scriptwriting courses teach how to effectively choose and utilise various points of view and create vivid settings. - World building and themes:
Building immersive worlds with thematic depth is a skill script writing courses aim to refine, providing the skills and knowledge needed to create coherent and engaging universes for the characters. - Genre-specific writing:
Understanding audience expectations is essential. Courses will provide specialised knowledge in crafting genre-specific narratives, from horror to comedy and beyond​​.
Business writing
The ability to communicate clearly and effectively is vital in business. Plain English and business writing courses help ensure your message is not simply heard but understood.
Emphasising clear communication
- Avoiding jargon:
These courses teach you how to strip away industry-specific jargon to reduce the risk of alienating or confusing readers who are not specialists in a particular field. - The art of brevity:
You’ll learn to write concisely, eliminating unnecessary words to ensure your main points stand out.
Professional writing for the business world
- Tone and style:
Your training helps you adjust your writing to suit formal reports, casual emails, and persuasive sales materials. - Target audience analysis:
You will learn the importance of tailoring your writing to your intended audience, ensuring the message resonates and achieves its purpose.
Drive action
- Call to action:
Business writing is often geared towards prompting an action or response. You’ll learn how to write calls to action to prompt readers to follow through. - Persuasive techniques:
The ability to persuade and influence is a key focus, enabling you to argue a point or sell an idea through your writing.
Structuring for clarity and impact
- Organising content:
Courses in plain English and business writing emphasise the importance of writing in a logical, easy-to-follow manner. - Use of visuals:
You’ll discover how to enhance your writing with appropriate visuals like charts and graphs.
Technical skills for professional writing
- Document formatting:
From memos to business proposals, you will learn the various formatting standards expected in professional environments. - Editing and proofreading:
You’ll gain skills in self-editing and proofreading, helping you to ensure your final product is polished and free of errors.
How Writing Skills Could Boost Your Career
By enhancing their writing skills, writers can significantly improve their employment opportunities:
Staying relevant
- Adapting to new media formats:
With the proliferation of digital platforms, writers need to adapt their styles to fit various formats, from blogs and social media posts to e-books and online articles. This versatility can open doors to a wider range of writing positions.
Use writing skills across industries
- Cross-functional writing expertise:
Strong writing skills are highly transferable and can be a significant asset in industries beyond traditional publishing. From crafting compelling product descriptions in e-commerce to developing clear and effective communication in the corporate world, writers can find a role in virtually any sector. - Technical writing for specific sectors:
Specialised writing, such as technical writing for IT, medical, or legal industries, requires not only a deep understanding of the subject matter but also the ability to convey complex information. By mastering this, writers can secure positions in high-demand and lucrative roles.
Higher earning potential
- Developing a strong personal brand:
A writer with a distinctive voice and style can establish a personal brand commanding higher rates for their work. - Expanding service offerings:
By developing skills in related areas such as editing, proofreading, or content strategy, writers can offer a broader range of services. This not only increases marketability but also allows writers to negotiate better rates for their comprehensive skill set.
The Impact of Writing Courses on Personal Growth
Writing courses online can help with personal development. While you are learning and improving your writing skills, you are also engaging in a process of self-discovery and growth:
Self-expression
- A unique voice:
Writing courses provide a platform for individuals to discover and develop their unique voices. This form of self-expression is a vital aspect of personal growth, as it allows for the exploration of thoughts, emotions, and perspectives in a structured, supportive environment. - Exploration of personal narratives:
Through writing assignments and prompts, learners have the opportunity to explore their personal narratives, crafting stories to reflect their experiences. This can lead to a deeper understanding of self and a stronger sense of identity.
Boosting confidence
- The fear of sharing:
A significant hurdle for many is the fear of sharing their work. Writing courses create a safe space for sharing and receiving feedback, which can gradually build one’s confidence in their ideas and their ability to articulate them effectively. - Validation through accomplishment:
The completion of writing projects and the mastery of new techniques serve as milestones, validating the writer’s effort and skill, further boosting their self-assurance.
Enhancing creativity
- Stimulation of imaginative thinking:
Creative writing challenges learners to think outside the box and to view the world from different angles, nurturing creativity. - Development of storytelling skills:
As participants craft narratives, they learn to weave imagination with structure, which can enhance their creativity in writing as well as in problem-solving and other areas of life.
Contributing to overall well-being
- Therapeutic benefits of writing:
Engaging with writing can have therapeutic benefits, as it offers a form of catharsis and a way to process emotions and experiences. - Mindfulness and focus:
The act of writing encourages mindfulness and focus, drawing the writer into the present moment and providing a break from the stresses of daily life.
Personal fulfilment
- Achievement of personal goals:
For many, the goal of writing courses online is personal fulfilment. The completion of a course can represent the achievement of a personal ambition, such as writing a novel or starting a blog.
Why Choose Australian College’s Writing Courses?
The online writing courses provided by Australian College are designed and developed to cater to the aspirations of budding writers, the skill enhancement of experienced authors, and staff skill development for forward-thinking employers.
Check out our flexible and comprehensive curriculum and take your first step towards a better career. Join our community of writers and begin the journey of becoming a professional writer.
