by Jennifer Gibbs

Created on: September 30, 2010   Last Updated: July 04, 2011

Are you already working a full-time job?

Do you have a family to support and interact with?

Is the traditional classroom simply impossible when it comes to your life and your schedule?

If so, you're not alone. When you find yourself in one of these situations, you don't have to give up on your educational dreams. When all is said and done, online learning is the way to go. With the rising popularity of online colleges and universities, another online education venue is growing in reputation: taking writing courses and classes online. If you’ve been considering making the switch from the hobby writer to becoming a seasoned pro, one of the best ways to accomplish your goal is to begin an in-depth study of what it means to be a writer. Better still, with the Internet at your side, you can easily find a number of online writing courses that span a multitude of different genres and specialties.

Where to Start Your Search:

Undoubtedly, Google is one of the best places to start your search. With a little planning and keyword thinking, you can easily hone the results to those which are highly specific to your personal writing needs. For example, if you’re looking for free writing courses in the fantasy genre, you can simply look up “free writing courses fantasy”. Or, if you’re just cheap and want free writing lessons, period, you can use “free writing courses” or “free writing lessons” or “free writing courses” as the meat of your query.

Don’t Forget YouTube:

Since YouTube now makes up over 28% of search engine queries on the Google Network, you’d be silly to overlook YouTube videos as you earnestly begin your own search for online writing courses. Simply go to YouTube and start typing in relevant search terms into the search box and see what comes up.  While you may have to dig through some irrelevant results, you’d be amazed at the free resources you’ll be able to locate with minimal effort!

Join Forums & Discussion Boards:

One of the greatest ways to learn more about online writing courses and opportunities is to get involved with a community of other writers that share similar interests. This could be through places like UseNet or Yahoo! Groups or any other groups that tickle your fancy. The point is to see what people are saying and listen to honest reviews of free and paid online writing courses that are available. This can help you to save time and money that might otherwise be wasted on below par performing digital classrooms.

Finally, here are a few links that should serve as a spring board to success in locating and registering for your own online writing courses and classes:

http://education-portal.com/articles/10_Universities _Offering_Free_Writing_Courses_Online.html

http://www.writers.com/

http://www.writersvillage.com/

http://www.universalclass.com/i/subjects/writing-gen re.htm

http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/2009/08/31-free- online-writing-courses/

http://idratherbewriting.com/2008/02/19/50-free-onli ne-writing-courses-from-top-universities/

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