Fiction Writing | Online | Creative Writing Classes in NYC and Online with Professional Writing Instructors

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"A fantastic way to dip your toes into the world of writing. This was really the best money I've spent in a long time and I plan to take another course next session."

- Joy Victory
Health Editor

"The course gave me the push I needed to write again. I feel like I've gained a lot in writing skill and the reading has exposed me to a lot of writers I didn't know existed. I can't think of an easier or quicker way to access feedback from other writers. I can't wait for the next course…. I enjoyed the chat room specifically when our instructor and then a member of Zoetrope publishing joined it. The information I got from those two sessions was priceless."

- Suzanne Hamby
Student

"It's all about discussing the craft and workshopping a piece that you want to see in stellar form."

- Kimberly Wisneski
Creative Writing Tutor

More Student Quotes Here

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Fiction is perhaps the purest form of storytelling. A tale is told with only words and the reader’s imagination. From these things, a work of fiction can sail across the world in pursuit of a whale or zero-in on a few minutes in line at the local bank, luring the reader into a story that reads true.

To do it well, however, requires skill. In our courses, you will learn how to support your words with such craft elements as character, plot, point of view, description, dialogue, setting, pacing, voice, and theme. You will also learn how and where to market your work.

Whether you seek to write short stories or novels, traditional or experimental, comic or tragic, we'll show you how to turn your ideas into stories that people will be eager to read.

Note: Our Fiction courses focus on short stories while our Novel classes focus on novels. If you are a beginning student, you should take Fiction I and work on short stories before moving on to Novel II. You may, however, work on material that will eventually end up in a novel in a Fiction class.

Note: If you are working on genre fiction—science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery—then your work will fit more comfortably into the appropriate genre course, as opposed to a Fiction course.

Select a class: Level I, Advanced, Master Class
See also: Letters from Gotham Students See also: Fiction Writing in NYC, Letters from Gotham Students

Level I
Fiction Writing | 10-week Workshop

Using a balance of lecture, exercise, and feedback on work from the instructor and classmates, this course gives students a firm grounding in all the basics of fiction writing. Everything is presented in a clear, accessible manner.

Write one/two short stories
Lectures on basics of fiction craft
Writing exercises
Present work for critique (two times)

Fiction I is for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Beginners who wish to write novels should take Fiction I before Novel II.

View a course syllabus

(3.0 CEU)

Online Classes

Tuition: $399, Returning Students $369. Registration Fee $25.

Each class strictly limited to 16 students, ages 18 and up.

Starts	New Lecture	Location	Time	Special	Enroll
May 29	Tuesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Jun 12	Tuesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Jun 26	Tuesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Jul 10	Tuesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Jul 24	Tuesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Aug 7	Tuesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Aug 8	Wednesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Aug 21	Tuesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class

Advanced
Fiction Writing | 10-week Workshop

Focusing on developing projects and receiving feedback from the instructor and classmates, this course helps students sharpen their skills and work toward completion of publishable work. Writers often repeat Fiction Writing II to continue their projects.

Write or refine one/two short stories
Lectures that expand on basics of fiction craft
Writing exercises
Present work for in-depth critique (two times)

Prerequisite: Fiction I or the equivalent.

View a course syllabus.

Which level is right for you? How to Choose a Level

(3.0 CEU)

Online Classes

Tuition: $399, Returning Students $369. Registration Fee $25.

Each class strictly limited to 14 students, ages 18 and up.

Starts	New Lecture	Location	Time	Special	Enroll
Jun 6	Wednesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Jul 18	Wednesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Jul 18	Wednesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Jul 25	Wednesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Aug 8	Wednesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class
Aug 8	Wednesdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class

Master Class
Fiction Writing | 10-week Workshop

The Fiction Master Class focuses on workshopping short stories. All students are veterans in the workshop process, and each story is read and discussed in detail over a two-week period, giving the writers a plenitude of helpful feedback. In addition to the workshopping, each week the instructor leads students through a discussion of some tantalizing new topic. Writers often repeat Fiction Writing Master Classes to continue their projects.

Prerequisite: Two terms of a GWW Fiction II or Novel II class.

Which level is right for you? How to Choose a Level

(3.0 CEU)

Online Classes

Tuition: $399, Returning Students $369. Registration Fee $25.

Each class strictly limited to 14 students, ages 18 and up.

Starts	New Lecture	Location	Time	Special	Enroll
Jul 12	Thursdays	Online	24 hrs. a day	Sample Class