“Easy reading is damn hard writing.” I think writers on every level can find some truth in that quote . Writing is work. As writers and creatives, the time will come when we’ll want to ensure that we’re creating our best work. Taking an online writing class can help writers oil those tired, overworked creative muscles and release the frustration that comes with the territory of being a writer.
Here are five reasons to take an online writing class:
1. Convenience. Online writing classes fit into the busyness of your professional and personal writing calendar. You can easily plug into an assignment at the least stressful time of your day. Early mornings to midday afternoon works for me.
2.Think Like A writer- once you start your classes, your mind is focused on creating characters and you will be re-introduced on how to think like a writer, in that you’ll began to take notice of your surrounding and the people you come in contact with. You will, essentially, become a silent camera lens taking pictures of life happening all around you that are the conversations, mannerisms, languages and voices at work.
3. Class Participation is really a community of writers who come together for a common cause. There are Amazon bestseller writers, credentialed authors with MFA’s and English majors who teach at community colleges and institutions. There are newbies and established writers needing that ‘something’ extra to complete a WIP.
Online writing classes mesh writers of every caliber who come to enhance their work, participate in writer conversation and offer constructive criticism or feedback to their peers.
4.Understand the ‘Art” of storytelling- when I was a little girl, my parents would gather us all for family times. My siblings and I would pile excitedly into the small space of our parent’s bedroom at night to be regaled by their “Stories.” Some stories would be recalled from childhood; taken from special memories of times spent with their own parents. Some stories were traces of history, where they recounted early life struggles that came from living in the demographic of a racial South.
I loved the ‘ghost stories’ that only my mother could tell and make the telling so realistic. There’s an art to storytelling that reaches beyond plot,character, dialogue and conflict. My mother had that gift of telling stories that comes from the inside.
5.Personal Gratification and Self-Validation- Writers oftentimes look to other writers and the world at large to validate their work. Taking online classes at this stage in my career as a writer, only reinforces what I’ve known for many, many years. I am a writer! I might not be where I want to be in this writing arena, but I’m where I’m happiest, doing what I love to do. I grew up hearing stories and learning how to read and write them for myself. I am now writing them for others to read and hopefully enjoy. I’m so comfortable in this space of self-validation.
Creative folks wear many hats. I write from many genres and perspectives. I love that I can do that. Taking online writing classes is the cream that enhances my creative crop:)
‘Treat yourself special ” CF
Have you taken an online writing class? Feel free to chime in with your experiences or to ask questions that might concern you.
Clara54 Writer's Blog 