You can never go wrong by becoming a better writer. Whether you’re preparing for university studies, drafting resumes and cover letters, writing sales emails, or trying to preserve your own memories, you need to be able to communicate through writing. Fortunately, free courses abound to guide you in your writing journey.

Want to start writing fiction? There’s a course for that, several actually. There are also courses that will teach you to write better business emails, create compelling blog posts and social media updates, and prepare technical reports. English language learners, teachers, and grammar nerds, you’ll also find a few courses on this list. In short, whatever it is that you’re writing, chances are you can improve your craft with one or more of the courses below.

And for more resources, take a look at How to Learn English Online.

Quick note: While many of these courses do come with fees, all of them are available to audit in full or in part. If you’re new to MOOCs and want to learn more (including how fees work in these courses), check out our Beginner’s Guide to Massive Open Online Courses.

Basic Writing and Composition Courses

Journalism and Blogging Courses

Creative Writing Courses

Business Writing Courses

Resume Writing Courses

Applied and Technical Writing Courses

Basic Writing & Composition

English Composition

Arizona State University via edX

Improve your writing skills in this comprehensive introduction to English composition credit-eligible course.

★★★★★ (2 ratings)

Perfect Tenses and Modals

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

In this course, you will learn about important intermediate verb tenses, including present perfect, present perfect progressive, past perfect, and past perfect progressive. You will also learn about common modal verbs used in English.

★★★★★ (3 ratings)

Grammar and Punctuation

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

After completing this course, you will be able to: – identify the correct verb tenses to use – use commas effectively – utilize several different sentence types – write more effectively in English

★★★★☆ (28 ratings)

English Grammar and Style

University of Queensland via edX

Learn key concepts and strategies in grammar and style to help enhance your writing and confidently respond to the demand of high levels of literacy in the 21st century.

★★★★☆ (30 ratings)

Tricky English Grammar

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

While it’s easy for non-native speakers to get overwhelmed by confusing grammar rules, in this course, we’ll provide you with tips that will help you understand the rules more easily and give you lots of practice with the tricky grammar of everyday English.

★★☆☆☆ (2 ratings)

Adjectives and Adjective Clauses

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

Adjectives and adjective clauses are very common in English, so students need to be able to understand them when they see them or hear them.

★★★☆☆ (4 ratings)

English Composition I

Duke University via Coursera

You will gain a foundation for college-level writing valuable for nearly any field.

★★★☆☆ (18 ratings)

Effective Writing

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee via Swayam

The present course on writing aims at familiarizing learners with the nuances of effective writing which can help them know the subtle art of writing, enabling them to write with clarity, precision and at the same time with the subtlety to express their ideas on different occasions with the notions of appropriateness and accuracy.

Just Reading and Writing in English | 生活英语读写

Tsinghua University via edX

Learn how to read and write in English in the context of lectures and academic texts.

Advanced Grammar & Punctuation Project

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

In this course, you will create a grammar portfolio of the difficult or interesting English grammatical structures that you studied in the previous courses.

Conjunctions, Connectives, and Adverb Clauses

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

In this course, you will learn about a lot of different ways to join ideas to make more complex and interesting sentences.

Noun Clauses and Conditionals

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

In this class, you will learn about the advanced grammar concepts of noun clauses and conditionals.

Verb Tenses and Passives

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

In this course, you will review the verb tenses that you learned in beginning English classes and learn about a few tenses you may not know very well.

Just Reading and Writing English 2

Tsinghua University via Coursera

The course consists of 6 units with different topics: education, manners, personal communication, purpose of living, cultural studies, life science. From this course, you will have a good knowledge of intermediate English reading and writing skills.

Just Reading and Writing English 1

Tsinghua University via Coursera

The course consists of 6 units with different topics: feelings, staying healthy, learning, university, cultural differences, and cities. From this course, you will have a good knowledge of primary English reading and writing skills in your daily life.

English Composition: Research and Writing

Arizona State University via edX

Learn how to design, develop, research, and execute a writing project from inception to completion in this credit-eligible course.

Journalism and Blogging

Journalism for Social Change

University of California, Berkeley via edX

Learn how to use solution-based journalism to impel positive social change.

★★★★☆ (2 ratings)

Media Writing and Editing

Ohio State University via Canvas Network

In this virtual newsroom, you will learn reporting, writing, researching and multimedia techniques for all news media platforms, and then dig deeper into how social media, community-centered journalism, and multimedia elements can enhance coverage.

★★★★☆ (2 ratings)

English for Journalism

University of Pennsylvania via Coursera

This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in developing the skills needed for a career in modern journalism.

★★★★☆ (6 ratings)

Digital Culture and Writing

University of Burgundy via EMMA

It provides an overview of the potentialities of digital writing and culture, for publish, share and communicate. The approach is first of all practical, but also with reflective and critical aiming.

Writing for Social Justice

University of California, Berkeley via edX

Learn to harness the power of writing to bring about about personal, social, and political changes that matter.

English for Journalists, Part 2

University of California, Berkeley via edX

Improve your English grammar, vocabulary and writing skills through topics in journalism including free speech, sports, humor and broadcast writing.

English for Journalists, Part 1

University of California, Berkeley via edX

Improve your English grammar, vocabulary and writing skills through exciting topics in journalism and world news.

Creative Writing

Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop

California Institute of the Arts via Coursera

We’ll cover key poetic terms and devices by studying poems by a handful of modern and contemporary poets and then get a chance to try our own hand at writing new poem drafts from a select number of prompts.

★★★★☆ (16 ratings)

Creative Writing: The Craft of Character

Wesleyan University via Coursera

We will study the choices a writer makes to bring all characters to life on the page, and we will perform written exercises in order to develop a variety of writing and pre-writing techniques, in order to create a variety of characters.

★★★★☆ (7 ratings)

Start Writing Fiction

The Open University via FutureLearn

Get started with your own fiction writing, focusing on the central skill of creating characters, with this hands-on course.

★★★★☆ (20 ratings)

Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest

Commonwealth Education Trust via Coursera

This course is for curious students and aspiring authors with a passion for writing for young readers. Participate in a dynamic online community of writers as you experiment with your own writing and develop your voice.

★★★★☆ (12 ratings)

Creative Writing: The Craft of Style

Wesleyan University via Coursera

In this course we will introduce aspiring writers to the art of putting pressure on written language. We will study the use of metaphor and imagery, and demonstrate how clarity, grace, and inventiveness in word choice are imperative to a story’s success. Writers will emerge with the revision skills essential to all writers of good stories and good prose.

★★★★☆ (8 ratings)

Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot

Wesleyan University via Coursera

In this course aspiring writers will be introduced to perhaps the most elemental and often the most challenging element of story: plot. We will learn what keeps it moving, how it manipulates our feelings, expectations, and desires. We will examine the choices storytellers make to snag our imaginations, drag them into a fictional world, and keep them there.

★★★★☆ (15 ratings)

Creative Writing: The Craft of Setting and Description

Wesleyan University via Coursera

In this course aspiring writers will be introduced to the techniques that masters of fiction use to ground a story in a concrete world. From the most realist settings to the most fantastical, writers will learn how to describe the physical world in sharp, sensory detail.

★★★★☆ (12 ratings)

Adventures in Writing

Stanford University via Stanford OpenEdx

Welcome to Adventures in Writing, a series of graphic-novel style learning modules designed to help you learn more about and practice a range of effective written communication skills.

★★★☆☆ (14 ratings)

Script Writing: Write a Pilot Episode for a TV or Web Series (Project-Centered Course)

Michigan State University via Coursera

What you’ll achieve: In this project-centered course*, you will design a series bible and write a complete pilot episode for your own unique television or web series, be it drama or comedy or something in between. You’ll learn to break down the creative process into components, and you’ll discover a structured process that allows you to produce a polished and pitch-ready script in just a few weeks.

★★☆☆☆ (3 ratings)

Transmedia Writing

Michigan State University via Coursera

Do you have a desire to write a novel, write a screenplay, design a video game? In this project-centered course you will develop your own, original, intellectual property (IP) into a transmedia project containing written versions of your IP on various platforms.

Writing Stories About Ourselves

Wesleyan University via Coursera

In this course, creative nonfiction writers will explore traditional storytelling methods, especially those which overlap between fiction and memoir. By looking at examples from a wide range of genres, including film, song, painting—even the theme music for Jaws!—we’ll practice exercising the creative muscle that sees ourselves as characters and the experiences we’ve had as tales

Memoir and Personal Essay: Managing Your Relationship with the Reader

Wesleyan University via Coursera

The blank page can be the most daunting obstacle in writing. In this course, aspiring writers will assemble a “starter kit” for approaching the blank page by developing constructive ways to think about the writing process as a whole. While subsequent courses in this series will focus on the mechanics of good writing, this course offers ways to think about the writer’s relationship to her material, and ultimately develop a writing style that is uniquely her own.

Writing in First Person Point of View

Wesleyan University via Coursera

If you have always wanted to tell your own story—in a memoir, first-person essay, or any other form of autobiographical non-fiction—but felt you lacked the tools or the framework, this is the class for you. We will learn how successful first-person writing is structured to offer the reader a sense of propulsive motion, and is guided by a narrator who is deliberately crafted.

Writing a Personal Essay

Wesleyan University via Coursera

This class is the chance to create your personal essay or extend into a full memoir — from planning and structure to bold narrative brushstrokes to the layering of significant detail. You will develop the opportunity to find your voice and see it come alive, amplified and improved, on the page.

How To Make A Poem

Manchester University via FutureLearn

Learn how to ‘make’ your own poetry by exploring different poetic techniques and styles.



Business Writing

How to Succeed at: Writing Applications

The University of Sheffield via FutureLearn

This free three week course will help you produce a perfect CV, application and online profile when applying for a job or course.

★★★★★ (163 ratings)

Academic and Business Writing

University of California, Berkeley via edX

An introduction to academic and business writing for English Language Learners, focusing on grammar, vocabulary, structure, editing, and publication.

★★★★☆ (7 ratings)

Writing Professional Email and Memos (Project-Centered Course)

University System of Georgia via Coursera

At the end of this course, you will be a more confident writer, able to create higher quality professional documents more quickly. This course is at the introductory or beginner level and focuses on mastering the basics of email etiquette and communication.

★★★★☆ (2 ratings)

Business Writing

University of Colorado Boulder via Coursera

This course will teach you how to apply the top ten principles of good business writing to your work, how to deploy simple tools to dramatically improve your writing, and how to execute organization, structure, and revision to communicate more masterfully than ever.

★★★★☆ (5 ratings)

Write Professional Emails in English

Georgia Institute of Technology via Coursera

This is a course to help you write effective business emails in English.

★★★☆☆ (2 ratings)

High-Impact Business Writing

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

Effective writing is a powerful tool in the business environment. Learn how to articulate your thoughts in a clear and concise manner that will allow your ideas to be better understood by your readers.

★★★☆☆ (8 ratings)

English for Effective Business Writing

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology via Coursera

This course aims to improve your Business English writing skills by developing your use of vocabulary, grammar, understanding of different business writing genres, and your ability to write professional business documents.

Better Business Writing in English

Georgia Institute of Technology via Coursera

Do you need to write more easily and effectively in English? This course will provide the tools to help you do just that.

The Writing Process

University of California, Berkeley via edX

A guide to the writing process. Learn and practice strategies for writing and revising effective business documents.

Grant Writing and Crowdfunding for Public Libraries

University of Michigan via edX

Learn how to increase your impact, innovate, and overcome often static funding through various fundraising and grant writing approaches.

Effective Business Writing

University of California, Berkeley via edX

Learn best practices and approaches to writing effective business letters, emails, and reports. Format, composition, and clarity are emphasized.

Resume Writing

Writing Winning Resumes and Cover Letters

University of Maryland, College Park via Coursera

This course will give you answers to those questions. You will learn how to convert a boring resume into a dynamic asset statement that conveys your talents in the language that an employer understands.

★★★★★ (2 ratings)

How to Write a Resume (Project-Centered Course)

State University of New York via Coursera

What you’ll achieve: In this project-centered course*, you will craft an essential cornerstone of the modern-day job or internship search: the resume. You’ll review resume best practices and explore current trends with guidance from a professional career counselor and recruiter, and you’ll exchange structured feedback with your peers as you work to polish your own resume.

★★★★☆ (5 ratings)

Craft Your Cover Letter

via Udacity

Write a compelling narrative that showcases your value to the company.

★★★★☆ (1 rating)

Refresh Your Resume

Grow with Google via Udacity

Create a targeted resume that gets the attention of recruiters and lands you an interview in tech.

★★★☆☆ (2 ratings)

Academic Writing

Academic Writing

UGC via Swayam

This course aims to fill this gap by providing the fundamental knowledge required for effective and result oriented academic writing. It is a foundation course and the application of this knowledge completely depends on an individual learner and his or her area of research.

★★★★★ (226 ratings)

Getting Started with Essay Writing

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

By introducing you to three types of academic essays, this course will especially help prepare you for work in college classes, but anyone who wants to improve his or her writing skills can benefit from this course.

★★★★☆ (12 ratings)

A Beginner’s Guide to Writing in English for University Study

University of Reading via FutureLearn

Learn how to use English for study at university or college and develop your writing skills, vocabulary and grammar.

★★★★☆ (22 ratings)

Writing your World: Finding yourself in the academic space

University of Cape Town via Coursera

In this course, we provide practical insights into how to write an academic essay. We show you how to develop the academic skills needed to be a competent academic writer.

★★★★★ (1 rating)

Writing for Graduate School

Barry University via Canvas Network

This course serves as an introduction to Writing for Graduate School. The course will cover MLA and APA style, citing sources, the Writing Process, various writing activities you may encounter in graduate school, and how to improve your writing.

★★★★★ (1 rating)

Academic Writing Made Easy

Technische Universität München (Technical University of Munich) via edX

Struggling with writing an academic text? This MOOC will ease the pain – and make your writing shine.

★★★★★ (1 rating)

Introduction to Research for Essay Writing

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

After completing this course, you will be able to: – choose appropriate research topics for college classes – write detailed outlines for research papers – find source material for research papers – take and organize good notes for research – use appropriate academic tone and language – document sources by creating a Works Cited list in MLA format – avoid plagiarizing your sources

★★★★★ (2 ratings)

Advanced Writing

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

After completing this course, you will be able to plan and write a more sophisticated argument essay.

★★★★☆ (5 ratings)

An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study

University of Reading via FutureLearn

Improve your academic English skills further, learning about critical analysis, using sources, avoiding plagiarism and more.

★★★★☆ (1 rating)

How to Write an Essay

University of California, Berkeley via edX

An introduction to academic writing for English Language Learners, focusing on essay development, grammatical correctness, and self-editing.

★★★★☆ (26 ratings)

Academic Literacy

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology via Coursera

You will learn practical tools and effective strategies for increasing your academic vocabulary and grammar so that you will write well-structured coherent academic texts.

★★★☆☆ (2 ratings)

Project: Writing a Research Paper

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

This project lets you apply everything you’ve learned and gives you the practice you need for college classes by having you write a research paper. You’ll have several due dates throughout the capstone to help you stay on schedule.

Academic and Research Report

NITTTR via Swayam

This course intends to introduce the learner to the principles, techniques and tools of academic and research report writing. After successful completion of this course the learner will be able to write reports on various academic activities including research effectively and efficiently.

Writing in English at University

Lund University via Coursera

This course aims to give you an understanding of the conventions of academic writing in English and to teach you the components and benefits of what is called process writing.

College Composition

Modern States via Independent

This course will prepare you to pass the College Board’s CLEP College Composition exam

Writing in the Disciplines Professional Development Course (HE)

Excelsior College via Canvas Network

This course on Writing in the Disciplines offers a modular curriculum that explores the meaning of genre, why and how to develop genre-based writing assignments, and effective techniques for using writing to enhance learning.

Academic writing for clarity and meaning

University of the Witwatersrand via edX

Learn principles and practices to improve your academic writing

Discovering Your PhD Potential: Writing a Research Proposal

via FutureLearn

Learn how to research and write a high-quality research proposal for postgraduate applications.

Scholarly Communication

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology via Coursera

Scholarly Communication is a concise but comprehensive course on how to write research papers in English.

Research Writing: How to Do a Literature Review

University of Wollongong via FutureLearn

Learn how to write a strong literature review with this course designed for research students, at any level, in any discipline.

Applied and Technical Writing

Technical Report Writing for Engineers

The University of Sheffield via FutureLearn

Get an introduction to technical report writing. Find out how to communicate your ideas through well-written engineering reports.

★★★★★ (39 ratings)

Writing in the Sciences

Stanford University via Coursera

This course teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical examples and exercises. Topics include: principles of good writing, tricks for writing faster and with less anxiety, the format of a scientific manuscript, peer review, grant writing, ethical issues in scientific publication, and writing for general audiences.

★★★★★ (8 ratings)

Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics

Berklee College of Music via Coursera

There’s a songwriter lurking somewhere inside you, peeking around corners, wondering if it’s safe to come out. Now it is. This course is an invitation to let your inner songwriter step into the sunlight. All it takes is a simple “yes” and you’ll be climbing that windy hill, marveling at the view.

★★★★★ (19 ratings)

Writing in the Sciences

Stanford University via Stanford OpenEdx

This course teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical examples and exercises.

★★★★☆ (17 ratings)

An Introduction to Screenwriting

University of East Anglia via FutureLearn

This online course explores the key concepts and fundamental principles involved in the process of screenwriting.

★★★★★ (4 ratings)

Copywriting: Improve User Experience One Word at a Time

via openSAP

In this course, you’ll learn why copy is so important for your users’ experience and how copywriting fits into the design-led development process. Domain experts provide insights and best practices, and by participating in the exercises, you’ll get practical experience in writing copy.

★★★★★ (1 rating)

How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper (Project-Centered Course)

École Polytechnique via Coursera

What you will achieve: In this project-based course, you will outline a complete scientific paper, choose an appropriate journal to which you’ll submit the finished paper for publication, and prepare a checklist that will allow you to independently judge whether your paper is ready to submit.

★★★★★ (1 rating)

Technical Writing

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology via Coursera

The course develops technical writing skills necessary to communicate information gained through a process of technical or experimental work. The course highlights the factors that determine the degree of technicality of the language and concepts involved.

★★★★★ (1 rating)

Discovering Science: Science Writing

University of Leeds via FutureLearn

What science discoveries will you choose to write about?

★★★★☆ (6 ratings)

Writing READMEs

via Udacity

Documentation is an important part of the development process. Learn to write READMEs using Markdown so your code can be used by other humans!

★★★☆☆ (2 ratings)

English language for Competitive exams

Indian Institute of Technology Madras via Swayam

The course aims to help participants develop their English language skills, particularly those planning to appear for competitive exams that test their English language abilities.

Requirements Writing

University of New South Wales via Coursera

The course takes you step by step through the rules for writing requirements statements in accordance with the “Guide for Writing Requirements” published by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). This course welcomes anyone who wants to find out how to write requirements.

Writing Skills for Health Care Providers

Concordia University Wisconsin via Open Education by Blackboard

This MOOC offers a short study of writing skills designed especially for those in health care professions. If you’re looking for valuable tips on written communication and using APA formatting in the health care field, this is the course for you.

Writing Case Studies: Science of Delivery

Princeton University via edX

Learn how to write “science of delivery” case studies, which help us understand how practitioners implement complex policies or programs.

Writing, Presenting and Submitting Scientific Papers in English | 英文科技论文写作与学术报告

Tsinghua University via edX

Learn how to properly write a scientific paper, based on international standards, and effectively make a presentation to submit proposals for funding.

Writing for Social Media

University of California, Berkeley via edX

This course provides a framework for writing for social media by focusing on purpose, content and audiences, helping you be more effective at using these powerful platforms to deliver your messages.

Writing Skills for Engineering Leaders

Rice University via Coursera

In this course, you’ll learn essential writing skills that you can apply in your daily activities on the job as an engineering leader.