short stories for creative writing class

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10 Short Stories Every Young Writer Should Read

• March 6, 2015
• Daniel Schwabauer
• The Writing Life , Writing Tips and Tools

Tolstoy is always lecturing. Hemingway’s office door is always open. Bradbury offers private lessons in blocks of ten and twenty, at less than a buck a piece.

The title of this post is probably misleading. I don’t think any one list can be considered essential reading material for the aspiring novelist. But I’m convinced that great writers take the time not only to read great stories, but to study them .

Young writers probably know this instinctively. I don’t know which came first, the story or the writer, but it is safe to say that we are drawn to the sorts of stories we wish to tell , or at least, those stories we fear we aren’t capable of telling . I don’t admire Edgar Rice Burroughs for his literary style, but as a boy I loved him for his grasp of adventure . I learned at his feet, in an African jungle and on the great canals of Barsoom. Tarzan taught me about theme and danger and the law of apes , and John Carter of Mars showed me what it meant to long for home while trying to escape it .

Of course, it helps to recognize yourself as a student. You are more apt to learn if you enroll consciously , if you pay attention to the storyteller’s brushstrokes.

It also helps to narrow the scope of your subject. Short stories are excellent classrooms because they are confined. Their chalkboards are easily filled in an hour.

Thus, the following is a list of ten short stories every young writer should read , chosen not just because they are famous and important and brilliant, etc., etc., but because they clearly display a master’s technique . Each, in its own unique way, demonstrates something both universal and relevant, something worth emulating.

Two suggestions as you read. First, don’t accept the burden of mastery . O. Henry’s talent for irony was a sort of superpower few other writers have matched . Twain’s gift for making us laugh at human nature while simultaneously provoking a twinge of shame is something he spent a lifetime developing .

Instead, look at each story as a crash course in a single basic technique : irony, or revelation, or human nature, or descriptive imagery. Few painters will ever capture a smile like Mona Lisa’s, but that shouldn’t keep artists from practicing lips .

Second, begin by reading these stories the way their creators intended: as stories . That is, on first reading, don’t look for characterization or irony or setting. Don’t read with an analytical eye, as if in preparation for a five-paragraph essay. Instead, give each story the benefit of the doubt. Let it move you however it means to. Let it poke you in the eye or stomach or heart and pull forth tears or laughter or blood. Let it be, in the beginning, the voice of an old man spinning tales by firelight.

This may seem a contradiction. Which is it? I hear you asking. Should I or shouldn’t I read for technique?

Put simply, you won’t really understand the most powerful techniques an author uses until you feel the story as a story . It is one thing to study meter and rhythm, strings and percussion. It is another to let Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony wash over you. You can’t grasp Beethoven’s genius until his haunting, joyous melody inhabits your soul. And you can’t appreciate Kipling’s “Road-song of the Bandar-log” until the playful idiocy of his monkeys has made you smile.

In short, I loved every literature class I took in college, but I learned the most when, like Walt Whitman hearing the learn’d astronomer, I left the lecture-room and glided out into the mystical, moist night air and gazed up in perfect silence at A Princess of Mars .

Here then, are ten short stories that every young writer should read, first and foremost because they are great stories , but second and second-most because they are great lectures on at least one aspect of writing or storytelling .

1. Ray Bradbury – “All Summer in a Day”

Ray Bradbury is a short story master. In this science fiction tale about school children on Venus who are getting to see the sun for the very first time, his lush prose illustrates the pain of human loss. Pay attention to his descriptions and to what the story makes you feel at its resolution .

2. Ernest Hemingway – “Indian Camp” 

Hemingway too is a master of the short form, and in this subtly woven story about the pain of suicide, demonstrates his ability to say something profound in the simplest way , and to craft a whole story around something he never mentions .

3. Flannery O’Connor – “A Good Man is Hard to Find”

One of the great southern writers, O’Connor typically works with larger-than-life situations . This story puts truth in the mouth of its villain, and redemption at the end of a gun. Perhaps the best way to enjoy this story is by listening to the author’s 1959 audio recording .

4. Richard Connell – “The Most Dangerous Game”

Endlessly anthologized—and for good reason—this story embodies the adventure genre while somehow also reaching beyond it . This is a fast-paced tale with enough plot twists to satisfy Alfred Hitchcock. Well worthy of study and emulation.

5. O. Henry – “Gift of the Magi”

All of O. Henry’s stories are characterized by irony , but this one has a poignancy that seems to resonate with readers through cultural changes that have left the story’s setting and circumstances in the past. After you’ve read the story, ask yourself why the author picked this title . If the last paragraph doesn’t move you, your heart has grown roots. Dead ones.

6. Shirley Jackson – “The Lottery”

Though “controversial” is not always a compliment, in this case it points to an idea-driven plot that is powerful enough to provoke both positive and negative reactions from its readers .

7. “The Lady or the Tiger”

Fairy tales are especially important for grown-ups. This one exemplifies the power of dilemma , and highlights the frustration of being forced to choose not only our own fate, but that of someone else.

8. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. – “Harrison Bergeron”

Vonnegut’s voice and humor are always on display, though he rarely gives you what you expect. He’s a bit like a stage magician, and in this nifty literary trick he plucks some startlingly deep questions from a shallow—but funny—television hat .

9. Rudyard Kipling – “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”

Old-school storytelling. Kipling demonstrates that anthropomorphism is not the exclusive domain of bad children’s literature and wooden allegories.

10. Daniel Keyes – “Flowers for Algernon”

Before finally selling this unique science-tragedy, Keyes supposedly declined five publication offers from editors who wanted him to change (that is, ruin) the ending to make it happier .

And there you have it. Please leave comments or suggestions for other great stories, as well as what you learned reading them.

For even more “classroom instruction,” check out:

• Philip K Dick – “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”
• Leo Tolstoy – “Three Questions”
• Anton Chekov – “The Looking Glass”
• Jack London – “To Build a Fire”
• James Thurber – “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”

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Beginning an Adventure – PART 1

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I loved Rikki-Tikki-Tavi as a kid (and really the whole weird mash of The Jungle Book). It’s been a really long time since I read it, but now I want to again. 🙂

I think old writers should read them too. And re-read them. It’s really great to have this guidance for a good selection, and what to look for – many thanks.

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10 Best Creative Writing Courses for 2024: Craft Authentic Stories

Learn how to tell your story and engage your readers with great storytelling.

As a lifelong literature enthusiast, I decided to challenge myself in 2010 by participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which tasks participants with writing a 50,000-word draft within a month. Although I’ve only achieved this goal twice since then, the experience has been invaluable. I’ve connected with a wonderful community of writers, both online and in person.

Through my experience, I can confidently say that creative writing is a skill that can be developed and honed, just like any other. While traditionally associated with literature, creative writing is increasingly being recognized as a powerful tool in various forms of writing, from copywriting and storytelling to novels and poetry. It has the ability to captivate readers and elevate the impact of written expression.

If you’re searching for the best online Creative Writing courses and resources, you’ve come to the right place. This Best Courses Guide (BCG) is built from Class Central’s catalog of over 300 Creative Writing courses and selected according to a methodology that you can check below.

Click on the shortcuts for more details:

What is Creative Writing?

Courses overview, why you should trust us, how we made our picks and tested them, here are our top picks.

Click on one to skip to the course details:

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Creative writing is a genre of writing that seeks to evoke emotions and feelings in its readers. It surpasses the limits of traditional forms of literature and emphasizes narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes and poetic traditions. Creative writing finds application in various forms of writing, including screenplays, plays, novels, poems, and other written works. In this guide, I will delve into some of its most popular facets.

Enhancing resilience and creativity through writing

Research shows that the brains of professional writers work differently from those of novice writers. Moreover, creative writing has been found to boost resilience in students . If you want to enjoy the benefits of writing, it’s important to develop the habit of jotting down your thoughts and words. Doing so can help you overcome writer’s block.

Creative writing is so powerful that it’s used in prisons to give inmates a chance to express themselves in programs like PEN America . “By providing resources, mentorship, and audiences outside the walls, we help these writers to join and enrich the broader literary community.”

Creative writing is a skill that can be learned and practiced like any other. Techniques such as ABDCE structure, 1st or 3rd person point of view, “show don’t tell”, dialogues, and tropes can be easily learned through the online courses in this guide.

• Together, they account for over 1M enrollments
• Skillshare, with 2 courses, is the most featured provider
• The single most popular course has nearly 400k enrollments
• Three courses are entirely free or free-to-audit.

Best Fantasy And Short-Stories Writing Lessons For Beginners (Brandon Sanderson)

Besides being an awesome writer, Sanderson is an instructor with a very unique talent for keeping us engaged. He has also made available a full course in creative writing on YouTube , originally presented at Brigham Young University, which includes the most crucial tools for any beginner or even experienced writers. The course is comprehensive and rich in content, with great sound and video quality.

Each video discusses a specific tool or technique, so you can easily select the theme you want to explore next or watch it all in sequence. It’s up to you. I recommend you take your time, watch one video at a time and experiment with each concept, or even better, find a writing buddy or form a group to practice writing together.

What you’ll learn:

• Plot construction, character development, and engaging storytelling
• Techniques for crafting immersive worlds and believable viewpoints
• Insights into the publishing industry, tailored for emerging writers
• Strategies for writing compelling short stories and leveraging them for larger projects.

“Very informative! I’m a beginner writer looking to study writing for video games, and this class gave me a lot of helpful tools to start understanding how stories work/how to organize my ideas! Will definitely be returning to some of these lectures in the future for guidance 👍” – Paige Webster

Best University-level Creative Writing Course (Wesleyan University)

Creative Writing by Wesleyan University is a specialization for those looking for a way to improve their writing structure, scene and character creations and finding your style. Each course includes writing practice (for paying learners) and insightful interviews. It’s worth your time and effort if you are a disorganized writer like myself.

• Techniques for crafting a bracing story with memorable characters and an interesting setting
• How to employ a fresh descriptive style in your writing
• Skills for analyzing and constructively evaluating peer writing
• The ability to refine your writing, critique writing in general, and draw inspiration from existing literature
• The process of drafting, rewriting, and completing an original story in the genre of your choosing.

It should be noted that the peer-grading system often lacks depth. However, the assignments are well-crafted and can be easily evaluated with minimal effort, providing some insights from other participants in the form of feedback or inspiration from their submissions.

“Great information about plot and scene structure. The information about revision was entirely new to me – thank you! The exercises were good and difficult in a good way that helped me hone my writing.” – Laura B, Coursera learner

Best Course to Find Your Voice (Neil Gaiman)

Neil Gaiman is currently one the most prolific writers I know of: he’s written books , comics , movies and even TV shows . Even if you’re not a fan of his style, there is definitely something you can learn from him.

In Neil Gaiman Teaches The Art Of Storytelling you will discover Neil’s philosophy on what drives a story and learn to unlock new stories within yourself.

While MasterClass doesn’t sell single courses, a subscription provides access to their entire library, including other writing courses like Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing , Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers , Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing , and James Patterson Teaches Writing . If you are considering the purchase, you should definitely enjoy the rest of their catalog.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Discover and develop your unique writing voice
• Generate and develop original ideas
• Create dynamic, well-rounded characters that come to life on the page.

This course includes a 94-page workbook that includes assignments and supplemental material.

Best Practical Writing Course With Support (Trace Crawford)

I love it when a passionate teacher like Trace Crawford puts the effort into creating a comprehensive curriculum. COMPLETE Creative Writing – All Genres is a 12-hour course with 145 downloadable resources. In this course, you will learn how to write engaging fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction, helping you become the successful writer you want to be.

• The four genres of creative writing: fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction
• How to discover, refine, and share your unique writing voice
• A series of authentic writing assignments designed to target the skills you need to develop
• Writing techniques, literary devices, and specialized skills to enhance your writing
• Opportunities for publishing, podcasts, and how to create a professional creative writing portfolio
• Discover multiple public outlets to share your writing with others as you gain confidence and experience success in your writing ability.

This is a practical creative writing course that includes assignments reviewed by the instructor, though response time may vary.

“The short snippets of theory in combination with the short assignments suits my learning style. I don’t remember the last time I’ve written anything creative, but this course gave me the incentive to set some foundation and its actually quite enjoyable if you stick to it.” – Nikolaos-Stylianos Z., Udemy learner

Best Course to Overcome Writer’s Block: 10-Day Journaling Challenge (Emily Gould)

I couldn’t resist adding Creative Writing for All: A 10-Day Journaling Challenge to this guide. Emily Gould is a delightful instructor, and her approach to inviting you to participate in the challenge is impossible to decline. It’s the perfect course to overcome writer’s block, which is exactly what she proposes. In this 10-day creative writing challenge, filled with inspiring examples, observation prompts, and clever revision tricks, writers and enthusiasts will be able to express their creativity in a personal and artful way.

This course is the shortest one on the list, and it’s more about the challenge of keeping a journal. If you decide to subscribe to Skillshare, you can also enjoy their entire library of courses. In addition to the other two recommended courses on this list, you can also check out these other Skillshare courses: Writing Suspense: How to Write Stories That Thrill in Any Genre and The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit .

Best Course to Create Fiction From Personal Experience (Shaun Levin)

Shaun’s approach to writing in Short Story Writing: Create Fiction from Personal Experience is an unusual one. It draws from your personal experience to create a compelling fictional story. I can say from experience that this technique will help you write with more depth and authenticity. Every time we bring our own life to the story, it becomes alive, believable and relatable. In a way, all fictional stories are based on the author’s life.

This course will help you with techniques and a series of practical exercises to start writing your scenes from a more philosophical point of view, creating compelling stories. You’ll learn how to delve into your imagination to find everything you’ll need to become a prolific writer, no matter where you are.

By the end of the course, you will have a final project that will receive feedback from Shaun and other learners as well. Actually, if you want to check it out, in the course page on Domestika you can open the submitted projects and read the comments.

Shaun’s other courses: Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life .

“A practical course. Shaun Levin talks about theory but also demonstrates his process, which was invaluable. The exercises got my creative juices flowing. Thinking about doing his other course in the future.” – Maya Dicheva

Best Course to Make Writing Less Stressful with Best Practices (Jennie Nash)

If you struggle to start or get stuck in your writing, Write Your Book: Start Strong and Get It Done can help. With good advice and emotional support, you’ll learn techniques to make writing less stressful. The accompanying workbook guides you to think methodically by asking the right questions to keep you focused on your story and not chasing your own tail.

In this class, you’ll learn how to:

• Design every element of your novel or memoir, including the protagonist, plot, story structure and a project success plan
• Define your narrator’s voice
• Determine where your story begins and where it ends
• Decide what point you’re making about human nature
• Make sure you’re giving your ideal reader exactly what they want
• Gain the confidence you need to push past any doubts and finish your book.

This course is more of a masterclass, so there are no assignments included but it teaches good practices and provides a very useful workbook.

Best Course to Create A Compelling Story (Lisa Cron)

Writing: The Craft of Story is a series of well-produced lectures covering the basic building blocks of a story. Taught by author Lisa Cron, you will learn how to create compelling stories based on the way the brain responds to storytelling. This course emphasizes the importance of capturing the reader’s attention through techniques such as suspense, exploring the protagonist’s inner issues and dreams, specificity, and cause and effect. Upon completion of the quizzes, you will receive a certificate for your LinkedIn profile. Additionally, you can watch all the videos without subscribing to the course.

“Learning the fundamentals of crafting a story was and is a fascinating experience. And yes, I would highly recommend writing to anyone interested in learning how to express the communication of feeling.” – Nicole Gillard, LinkedIn learner.

Best Course to Write Personal Essays with Impact (Roxane Gay)

Discover the art of crafting powerful personal essays with best-selling author Roxane Gay in her course, Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact . Through her honest and thoughtful approach, Roxane will help you find your story, craft your truth, and write to make a difference.

This master class offers eight video lessons that are filled with practical guidance, actionable tactics, and example essays to guide you from the first idea to a final, publication-ready work.

You’ll learn how to:

• Find a specific purpose for telling your story
• Connect your work to larger conversations and timely themes
• Conduct crucial research to support your work
• Navigate personal memories to write your truth
• Write and revise your final work, and submit your work for publication.

Additionally, the class provides a downloadable worksheet to support your ongoing creative nonfiction writing practice, as well as links to additional resources.

If you enjoy creative nonfiction writing, you might consider this course that’s also on Skillshare: Creative Nonfiction: Write Truth with Style (Skillshare Original) by Susan Orlean

Best Course to Develop Your Ideas And Research for Characters (The Open University)

Start Writing Fiction explores the writing process, from journaling and idea development to reflection and editing. It features insights from established writers such as Louis de Bernières, Patricia Duncker, Alex Garland, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Tim Pears, Michèle Roberts, and Monique Roffey,  who share their approaches to research and turning events into plot. Led by Derek Neale, a novelist and short story writer, this course provides a comprehensive understanding of the writing rituals and techniques used by successful writers.

You’ll get to critique the work of other writers and receive feedback. This course is designed for individuals interested in starting or improving their fiction writing and does not require prior experience in the subject.

You’ll learn:

• Creation of characters in fiction
• Different sources and ways of presenting characters in stories
• Reading as a writer
• Writing practice including creativity, research, observation and editing
• Peer reviewing, workshops and the importance of feedback.

“This course takes learners through many aspects of writing such as developing characters, observing and describing details, finding inspiration, writing and editing. It includes some peer reviews which can be varying in quality. I was lucky enough to have some of my writing reviewed by a reviewer who gave very helpful and positive feedback.” – Pat Bowden

What’s Next

Scribophile is one of the largest online writing communities. You can get feedback on your writing and join writing groups. If you decide to join with a free plan, you need to collect points by reviewing other writers’ work before submitting your own work for review. They also developed some advanced tools for evaluating work and guidelines to make sure you give/receive feedback that is actually meaningful.

NaNoWriMo started out as a month-long challenge where you invite your friends and join other writers in your region, be it online in their forums or in person, to challenge yourself in writing your first draft. Nowadays, they run all-year round writing challenges (but November is still the biggest one in terms of participation). What is cool about it is you actually get to meet people in real life with various writing skills and backgrounds. I was able to make some great friends over the years and even met a few professional writers that decided to join our local group just to support us.

If you have any resources you would like to have added here, leave a comment below.

Class Central , a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 60 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 200,000 online courses and 200,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who live and breathe online courses. Here’s how I approached this task.

First, I combed through Class Central’s Catalog and the internet to find a variety of free and paid open courses, some with certificates. You don’t need to enroll in a university to learn about creative writing.

When choosing courses, I considered the following factors:

• Renowned Institutions : I looked for recognized institutions in creative writing
• Instructor experience : I sought instructors with extensive experience in creative writing and engaging presentation styles
• Popularity : I checked numbers of enrollments and views to find popular courses
• Course content : I examined courses that covered a range of topics and presentation styles, including the basics and more advanced topics. I watched some course videos to sample courses I hadn’t already taken
• Learner reviews : I read learner reviews (when available) to get a sense of the quality of each course, leveraging the Class Central database with its thousands of course ratings and reviews written by our users as well as available course provider reviews.

Then, I defined the scope for these recommendations. A creative writing course can cover various topics, so I chose top courses from a range of sub-fields.

Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will be a reliable way to learn about creative writing.

Fabio Dantas

Varada 9/26/2024 at 10:52am

Very helpful! Variety of courses. Thank You! V.

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Short Story Writing: Create Fiction from Personal Experience

A course by shaun levin , writer.

Learn how to write stories that captivate readers by building a narrative with elements of fiction

• Information

Reading stories can transport you to other worlds. Writing stories allows you to create those worlds. Join writer Shaun Levin on an innovative journey to create a short story that brings your inner world and the world around you to life on the page.

In this Domestika course, explore Shaun’s creative process behind finding and writing short stories entirely from the imagination or based on personal experiences with a touch of fiction. Discover daily exercises that could lead to writing a collection of short stories, a memoir, or even a novel.

If you are interested in exploring other styles of writing, take a look at Shaun’s previous course Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life

What will you learn in this online course?

19 lessons & 16 downloads

• 99% positive reviews ( 781 )
• 32,273 students
• 19 lessons (2h 8m)
• 16 additional resources (1 files)
• Online and at your own pace
• Available on the app
• Audio: English, Turkish
• English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
• Level: Beginner
• Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Write a short story based on personal experience intensified with elements of fiction.

Projects by course students

By atmacuentos

By terrik0521

By georginaehutchinson

Who is this online course for?

Anyone interested in short story writing who would like to explore their creative process.

Requirements and materials

To take this course, you only need something to write with. It can be a notebook and a pen, or a computer. Access to a printer is optional.

martavicens11

Muy útil! Gracias!

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sylvie.leonard

tres interressant, donne de bon conseils et de bonnes pistes pour se lancer, j'ai plein d'idée d'ecriture je recommande ce cours, j'adore ce prof!

juankarrion81

hola, tenía mayores espectativas del curso como por ejemplo: técnicas narrativas, tiempos, etc, pero el curso es simple, se resume en explorar ideas y vivenvias y a partir de una en interés trabajar, es decir, escribir sin más y dejarse llevar por los recuerdos, la imaginación y algunos recursos gráficos. Pasear es una alternativa para despejar la mente cuando tus ideas no avanzan. Esperé más sinceramente.

illoo_pilloo

Shaun is a wonderful teacher! I have learned so much from him. His experience and exercises he shares are very helpful and encouraging. His way of explaining things is very easy to follow.

cathy_vanderstappen

I enjoyed this course. The instructor's calm demeanor, grounded explanations, and reassuring presence were definitely an added value. The steps were clear, and the most beautiful message was that it ultimately revolves around yourself, and you certainly shouldn't be ashamed of that—quite the opposite.

• More reviews

Shaun Levin A course by Shaun Levin

Shaun Levin is a writer and creative writing teacher from South Africa who is based in Madrid. He also lived and wrote for many years in Tel Aviv and London. His writing has always been prompted by reading and closely examining the books he loves. He went on to study literature at university and soon started to get his stories published in magazines and anthologies. His passion for books has led him to a parallel career in bookbinding and producing handmade books.

Shaun has over twenty years of experience teaching creative writing in colleges, schools, art galleries, and other settings. He has published several novels and short story collections, including Alone with a Man in a Room , Seven Sweet Things , and Snapshots of The Boy , as well as three guides for writers taking on book-length projects, The Writing Notebooks. Today, Shaun continues to teach creative writing and work on his next novel and collection of short stories.

Introduction

How to look for and find stories.

• Where Do Stories Come From?
• Brainstorming: the Quest for Stories
• Out of Many Possible Stories, One Story (or Three, Or Twelve)

Entering the World of Your Story

• Trust the Exploration: Stories Have a Life of Their Own
• Get Outside Help: Art and a Walk
• The Thread of the Story: What's Holding It Together?
• Honesty Is the Best Policy: There's No End to Stories

How to Make a Story

• Preparing to Write a Story
• Start Anywhere (but Not at the Beginning)
• Doing the Groundwork and Going Deeper Into Your Story
• Go One Step beyond the Ending
• Filling In the Gaps (Going Back to the Beginning)
• Give Your Story a Title

What Happens When a Story Is Finished? Another Story!

• How Big Is Your Story?
• The Importance of Abandoned Projects
• Yes, It’s All About You

Final project

What to expect from a domestika course, learn at your own pace.

Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

Learn from the best professionals

Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

Meet expert teachers

Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

Certificates Plus

If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

Get front-row seats

Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

Share knowledge and ideas

Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

Connect with a global creative community

The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

Watch professionally produced courses

Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

• Creative Writing
• Non-Fiction Writing
• Storytelling

Courses you might be interested in

Short Story I

Learn the basics of writing short fiction in this introductory course covering the building blocks of good storytelling.

What you can learn.

• Complete short exercises and assignments to jumpstart new story ideas
• Explore plot, point of view, setting, description, and more
• Get tips on rewriting and revising drafts
• Draft and revise at least one new short story

About this course:

Winter 2025 schedule.

Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required. 

This course meets in person at the designated class meeting time and location. Students must be present at the course meeting time as each student’s final grade may include scores for participation. Please inform your instructor if you will miss a class meeting. You are responsible for any class information you missed. We suggest you arrange with a fellow classmate to share their notes when feasible.

This course is held via video teleconference. Instructors use Zoom to offer live class meetings at the designated class meeting time. Students must be present at the course meeting time as each student’s final grade may include scores for participation. Please inform your instructor if you will miss a class meeting. You are responsible for any class information you missed. We suggest you arrange with a fellow classmate to share their notes when feasible.

Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required. 

This online course is conducted through Canvas, a secure website that allows students to log in to access lectures, discussions, and other course materials on demand. There are no required live class meetings. Each course is structured with weekly assignments and deadlines. Lectures and coursework are accessible throughout the week. Workshops are conducted in writing via discussion boards with your instructor and classmates.

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