Thinking Of Becoming A Writer? Here’s Where You Can Seek Help

Whether you are an aspiring writer with a great idea but no direction, or are an avid blogger thinking about becoming a professional writer, there is help at hand. Writing coaches, academics and bloggers from India and abroad conduct a wide range of in-person workshops and online courses on creative writing. These aim to equip you with the exact tools and techniques for writing what you want, including ways to build imagination, improve expression and develop characters.

However, it is not just writers of novels and poetry who can use these workshops. Skills with expression can make you a versatile writer in general, capable of handling a wide variety of texts. A large number of work and internship profiles involve elements of creative writing.

Given below are six workshops or online courses you can choose from. Where the cost was in dollars, it was converted to their approximate value in rupees as per rates applicable in the third week of February, 2022.

Certificate Course In Creative Writing

This is a short-term course started by Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication, in Delhi. Participants have been from diverse professional backgrounds, including engineers, doctors and pilots. The course emphasises on “developing imagination, building interesting characters, and improving communication and expression”, its webpage says. The course runs over three months although classes are held only on weekends. Applicants must be over 18 years of age and class sizes are limited to 25.

Cost: The fee structure is given below:

• Application fee: Rs 1,200
• Online course fee: Rs 22,000 plus taxes
• Offline course fee: Rs 25,000 plus taxes.

Website: sac.ac.in

Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication (SAC) (Image: Official website)Himalayan Creative Writing Workshop

It is a three-day workshop conducted in small groups by Chetan Mahajan, a professional coach, author and award-winning blogger. Writers with intermediate-level skills can attend the workshop. The workshop requires participants to complete “pre-work” in the form of readings and that is followed by discussions and analysis. Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis and each group is limited to 10 participants only. The workshop is held in Nainital District, Uttarakhand and also in online mode. The cost of the

Cost: Offline, Rs 32,000; Online, Rs 18,000

Website: himalayanwritingreatreat.com

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The Creative Writers Workshop

Irene G started the Creative Writers Workshop in Los Angeles around three decades ago and it became completely digital in 2005. The workshop equips budding writers with the right tools by relying on “left and right brain learning techniques”, as the website says. Along with creative writing workshops, there are writing retreats for different types of writing – fiction, memoirs and more. Each has a different duration and fee structure.

Cost: Approximately Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.2 lakh

Website: thecreativewritersworkshop.com

Creative Writing Workshop

This workshop is led by Pune-based Chetaan Joshii. He conducts creative writing workshops in collaboration with the British Library and Living Bridge, a platform which provides workshops on a variety of themes. There is a basic two-day course on creative but a host of interrelated courses are also on offer with separate fee ranges for each. These are online workshops.

Cost: Rs 30,000

Website: livingbridge.net

Creative Writing Course

Wesleyan University is offering a creative writing course. A single subscription provides access to five specialization courses on plot, character, setting and description, style and story and conceptualising three genres – short story, narrative essay, and memoir. This course is taught by the faculty of Wesleyan University and is completely online. Completing a project leads to a certificate.

Cost: The fee structure is given below. Financial aid is available.

Website: coursera.org

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Writing For Young Readers; Opening The Treasure Chest

This course is offered by the Commonwealth Education Trust. The classes last five weeks with a different set of modules for each week. The total time span can vary. After enrollment, students can access the complete syllabus and lectures. A certificate is provided to the students upon completion of the course without any assignments. Three course instructors will be involved

Cost: Approximately Rs 2,000. Those who cannot afford can apply for financial aid.

Website: coursera.org

Universities And Creative Writing

A host of Indian educational institutions offer courses as well, some even substantial degree programmes. Those are listed below.

• Ashoka University, Haryana: BA English and Creative Writing
• Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Delhi: Diploma in Creative Writing in English
• Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Hyderabad: Diploma Course in Creative Writing
• Xavier Institute of Communication, Delhi: Creative Writing Course