‘Summer vacations’ two magic words every student waits to hear all year long. It’s that time of the year which guarantees many an idyllic day lost in the coolness of ice creams and swimming pools. But, with academics out of the way, there is all the time in the world to pursue new hobbies and interests. So it’s also a great time to take up courses and develop new skills.

One such skill could be creative writing. If you like scribbling in your free time, whether in a journal, or a blog, creative writing might be right up your alley. Not only is it fun, but good writing skills help you everywhere – from college applications to resumes.

But, what is creative writing? There isn’t a fixed definition. It could be poetry, fiction, drama – there are unlimited possibilities. This is why creative writing courses vary greatly in terms of curriculum. While good writing develops with good reading and persistence, these courses are a great way to get you started.

So, for all those of you looking to nurture the writer in themselves, we have below a list of courses you can take to improve your writing:

1. Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication, Delhi
   Offers a short term course in creative writing. Its curriculum includes feature writing, media writing, editing, scripting, strategy, style and more. The course duration is 6 months. The classes are held over the weekends.
    
2. British Council, Delhi and Kolkata
   Offers a course called ‘Introduction to Creative Writing’. The course content covers fiction, poetry, short stories, dialogue, travel writing, feature article writing and news reports. Course timings are adjustable according to the student’s requirement. Intensive courses last 3 weeks whereas the regular ones last 9 weeks.
    
3. Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai
   Offers two certificate courses in creative writing which include writing practice, creating dialogue and character, and aspects of creative nonfiction writing. The course consists of 6 sessions which last 2 hours each.
    
4. Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Pune
   Offers a year long diploma course in creative writing that aims to stimulate creative thought and introduce students to various forms and expressions of writing.
    
5. Indira Gandhi National Open University, Delhi
   Offers a diploma course in creative writing that can be in a time period between 1 and 4 years. It includes 2 compulsory and 4 elective courses.
    

Online Courses

For those who cannot access the above places, there are still a lot of options to choose from in the virtual world:

1. writers.com
   A wonderful website that offers a variety of virtual workshops and classes to teach different aspects of creative writing. They also offer weekly critiques which can help to improve your work.
    
2. writingclasses.com
   Aims at bringing writers together. Sample classes include fiction writing (10 week workshop), screenwriting (10 week workshop), article writing (10 week workshop) and many more. In their lectures, they encourage students to be proactive by assigning writing exercises and working on projects. They also show various illustrations and examples to help them learn better.
    
3. open.edu
   Offers a number of classes for creative writing. Available videos include ‘Start Writing Fiction’ and ‘Writing What You Know’.
    
4. writersdigest.com
   A great site for writers whether you’re a novice or a pro. The site provides articles, videos, workshops and magazines, equipped with everything you’ll ever need to know about the field. Here, writers can connect with other writers on their extensive forum and sign up for newsletters, weekly writing prompts, contests, competitions and conference listings.