Creative writing can be taught online. All you need is a bit of imagination and an internet connection.
You might wonder how you can start a creative writing course online. Certainly, you can always find a tutoring service online and have one-on-one sessions with students, but there is so much more you can do. For example, you can develop a MOOC – Massive Open Online Course – on any subject and have hundreds or thousands of students worldwide participating simultaneously. Or, you can create a YouTube channel and teach creative writing as a stand-alone course. Or, you can create an online community of writers, where students can get tips from more experienced authors and have their work critiqued by experts.
What is Creative Writing?
Creative writing is a broad term that can refer to a variety of disciplines including creative fiction, creative non-fiction, and screenwriting. However, at its most basic, creative writing is the usage of language to describe thoughts, ideas, and emotions. This can be done for both professional and recreational purposes. Professional creative writers are those who have made a career out of it, while recreational creative writers are those who do it as a hobby or for their personal enjoyment. Generally speaking, the more experience you have, the more opportunities you will have in the industry. Being able to write creatively can be a great way to express yourself, whether you are trying to find a way to tell your friends how you feel about them or you just want to write a novel and see what happens.
Why Should You Teach Creative Writing Online?
The short answer is: because you can. You should definitely teach creative writing online because it can be done. However, there are several other reasons why you should teach creative writing online. For example, if you feel that writing is a valuable skill that your students will need in today’s world, then why not teach them? Or, if you are looking for ways to expand your own skills and learn new things, why not explore creative writing and see what you can teach yourself? Or, if you have a love for literature and feel that seeing the words on the page is an important part of improving as a writer, then why not teach them to be efficient while enjoying themselves? Creative writing is a valuable skill that can be taught online. All you need is a bit of imagination and an internet connection.
How Can You Start a Creative Writing Class Online?
Certainly, you can start a creative writing class online by simply going to a website that provides online tutoring services and having one-on-one sessions with students. There are, however, several more steps you can take to make it more professional and interesting for both you and the students. For example, you can:
- Create a fictitious literature club and write reviews of the plays, novels, and poems you have personally enjoyed the most.
- Encourage your students to participate in online communities such as Poetic Asides, where they can read and discuss poems with other established writers.
- Publish your own work on your site, whether it is short stories, flash fiction, or sample chapters from a novel you are writing.
- Offer interactive lessons that allow students to learn at their own pace while having fun. Provide options for students so that they can master the fundamentals of writing in an engaging manner.
- Use modern teaching methods such as flipped classrooms or online chats where you can engage with your students as much as—or more than—you would in a face-to-face lesson.
Making Creative Writing A Part of Your Classroom Activities
If you are already teaching in a traditional classroom setting, why not add a creative writing component to your activities? You can integrate teaching creative writing into many different subjects, whether you are studying literature or writing or even linguistics. It is often used as an elective in university courses so that students have the opportunity to learn more about fiction, non-fiction, or screenwriting techniques while also increasing their own skills. Even if you are teaching a class in a virtual setting, you can assign students essays, short stories, or playwriting tasks and have them express themselves creatively. Adding a creative writing component to your classroom activities can help to improve your students’ writing skills as well as expose them to a new form of creative expression. It can also help to increase their self-esteem as they enjoy creating something that is essentially a personal piece of art that they have produced through raw talent, application, and determination.
Enhancing Your Teaching Experience With Professional Development
One of the great things about the internet is that it allows us to develop ourselves professionally even when we are not physically in the same place. Therefore, one of the best things you can do for your students is to accompany your instructions with professional development opportunities. If your students live in a country where obtaining a passport is difficult, allowing them to travel to another country for a conference can help to improve their knowledge while also expanding their contacts in the industry. Or, if they are from a country where they do not yet have unrestricted travel, getting a master’s degree in a subject you teach can open doors for them in the future.
If travel is not really an option, then you can take advantage of the resources your students’ local library provides. Many libraries host workshops, seminars, and conferences where established writers, screenwriters, and directors can share their knowledge and experience with aspiring professionals. Attending even one such event can help to improve your students’ skills and get them excited about writing. As a teacher-librarian, you can help to expose your students to a new world of ideas and possibilities through literature and art while also increasing their self-esteem.
The Advantages Of Online Learning
If you feel that face-to-face teaching is paramount to your students’ skill development, then why not explore the many advantages of online learning? As a teacher, you can assign your students a reading list of classic works of literature that they must read and cite in their essays. Not only will this require good research, it will also develop their critical thinking skills. While some authors may prefer that their work be kept private, the advantage of online learning is that your students can access the works of famous writers, no matter where they are in the world.
If you want your students to develop their creative writing skills, but do not have the time to commit to one-on-one tutorials, then why not explore online tutoring services? Tutors can help your students develop their skills and provide guidance as they work through their assignments. Even when you are not available to help, online tutors can provide support and guidance through videos, documents, and forums. Sometimes, a simple explanation can help to clarify an issue and provide the guidance your students need to move forward successfully.
Additionally, if you feel that the concept of an internet connection is daunting for your students, particularly for those from more rural areas or developing countries, then why not explore telecommuting? This allows your students to learn while working and interacting with colleagues through video conferencing. Not only can this assist with the development of their critical thinking skills, but it can also increase their productivity and help them to enjoy learning.
Overall, the internet allows you to develop your classes online. It is a flexible, innovative tool that can assist with many different functions. The internet makes teaching creative writing and similar skills much more accessible to a wide audience and allows for more one-on-one interaction between students and teachers. What’s more, the internet can help you to enhance your teaching experience through virtual field trips, conferencing with colleagues, and more informal exchanges with students.