Writing Courses - The Pros and Cons

Over the past five years. I have taken four different courses going from complete beginner to publication. There are many different course available (Jericho Writers, Curtis Brown, etc.), but these are the ones I chose to take part in.

• The Faber Academy/ Professional Writing Academy (https://www.profwritingacademy.com/)

  • Getting Started - Beginners' Fiction (8 weekly sessions)

  • Writing a Novel (13 sessions over 30 weeks = approx. 7 months)

  • Finish Your Draft (10 sessions over 10 months)

• Writers & Artists (https://www.profwritingacademy.com/)

  • Your Novel: Structuring, Editing and Preparing for Submission (6 weekly sessions)

Pros ✔️	Cons ❌
The Tools of the Trade: Gain an understanding of the fundamental rules of writing before you can break them.	Cost: Courses can be expensive, particularly the longer ones.
Writing Discipline: Deadliness to deliver new writing and commentary on others' work.	Time Consumption: For busy people it can consume a lot of time on reading and critiquing others' work.
Read Like a Writer: Acquire the skills to distinguish easily between good and bad writing and what makes it so.	Genre Mismatch: On occasion the tutors may specialise in genres alien to yours.
Feedback: Receiving comments from peers on your writing is eye-opening. Learn to give constructive feedback.	Wrong Course: The course has to fit your current skill level, or it will prove counterproductive.
Camaraderie: Continue to keep in regular contact with your peers after the course is finished. Mutual support is important.	Incomplete: No course can cover everything, but some leave out the most important parts.
Road to Publication: Understand the various routes to publication (cover letters, synopsis, competitions, agents, self-publishing, etc.).	Addiction: Some writers may become dependent on the framework that courses offer and go for course after course.
Beta Readers: Your peers will be the first to volunteer as alpha and beta readers.	No Gospel: Not everything that a tutor says is necessarily the absolute truth. A wrong comment can seriously set you back.