About Writer's Digest University

Developed by Writer’s Digest, the premier resource for aspiring authors for more than 90 years, each workshop was designed to get you writing and keep you writing for a long and inspired career. Writers Digest University offers a variety of online writing workshops for writers at every experience level.

What Makes Writers Digest University Different?

We have all the elements you look for with in-person classes, including informative lectures, writing exercises and feedback from your instructor, only our online workshops aren’t limited by a scheduled meeting time and place. Instead, our workshops are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so you can participate on your own schedule, from any computer, anywhere in the world.

How Our Workshops Work

Each of our workshops is broken up into sessions normally lasting 1-week, and each session includes the following sections:

Lecture Material

All of our workshops are developed by professionals in the writing industry who also dedicate themselves to helping others improve their writing and increase their chances of getting published. Each week you will have access to a new lecture where they share their knowledge about the topic of the workshop. After reading the lecture students are then encouraged to ask questions and participate in the discussion area (see below).

Required/Recommended Reading

The majority of our workshops will have a required or suggested reading assignment. This additional content is designed to compliment and give further examples of the topics discussed in the lecture material.

Discussion Area

This section of the workshop is where students can discuss that week’s lecture, both between themselves and with the instructor. Many times the instructor will actually post prompts related to that week’s lesson to help students really dive into the material and get the most out of the lecture.

Writing Assignment

Every workshop is designed to help you produce a specific piece of work or improve a specific area of your craft. Therefore each week includes a writing assignment that is designed as a stepping stone that will get you one step closer to hitting your goal by the end of the workshop. Each assignment is sent to the instructor in private. They will then critique your work and send it back to you.

Peer Critiques

This section is not mandatory, but we have found a lot of our students love getting feedback from both their instructor and their peers. If you wish, you can submit any piece of work to be critiqued by other students in the workshop. Most opt to post that week’s assignment, but you can submit anything you would like to be reviewed by the other students.

Private Journal

Each student has a journal that only they and the instructor can access. This is used if you have any questions for the instructor that you don’t want to post publicly on the discussion board.

So whether you’re just starting to brainstorm the concept of your novel, perfect your entry for a writing contest or are a professional author looking to write in a different area or blast thru writer’s block, Writers Digest University can help you achieve your writing goal.

Take a look at our library of courses and register today!