Constantly learning and training makes us all better at our jobs, whether we are improving our writing skills, our business skills or studying a seemingly unrelated topic – even then, there are always transferable skills and, you never know, you might find yourself with a new specialist subject!

Thanks to the internet, we have access to a range of online training, some of it coming from some of the most well-respected academic establishments in the world, while other courses are more grassroots, run by people who have ‘been there and done that’ and want to share their knowledge with the world.

Whether you would prefer to follow a fairly formal course of study or are happy with a series of informal videos, there are so many options available that there is bound to be something you like the look of. Why not start with the list of free online writing courses below?

Free Writing Courses

• Writing for the Web
• Writing About Race (MIT)
• Writing what you know (Open University)
• Writing and Rhetoric: Writing About Sports (MIT)
• Certificate Course in Writing for a Global Market (JER Online)
• Adventures in Writing (Stanford University)
• Writing and the Environment (MIT)
• Writing about Nature and Environmental Issues (MIT)
• Life Writing (Steven Barnes)
• Writing on Contemporary Issues: Food for Thought: Writing and Reading about the Cultures of Food (MIT)
• Writing on Contemporary Issues: Imagining the Future (MIT)
• Secret Sauce of Great Writing (Udemy)
• Writing and Experience (MIT)
• Writing and Experience: Culture Shock! Writing, Editing and Publishing in Cyberspace (MIT)
• Writing and Experience: Exploring Self in Society (MIT)
• Writing and Experience: Crossing Borders (MIT)

Free Business-Writing Courses

• Business and Travel English Writing Skills (Alison.com)
• Create Income Opportunities by Learning Power Writing (Udemy)

Free Technical Writing Courses

• Technical Writing (New Jersey Institute of Technology)
• Certificate Course in Structured Writing for Technical Documentation (JER Online)
• Writing in the Sciences (Stanford University)
• Science Writing and New Media (MIT)

Free Online Journalism Courses

• Introduction to Media Ethics (University of Washington)
• Doing Journalism with Data (European Journalism Centre)
• Introduction to Journalism (University of Strathclyde)
• Journalistic Ethics (UCLA)
• Community Journalism: Digital and Social Media (Cardiff University)

Free Creative Writing Courses

• Start Writing Fiction (Open University)
• Writing and Reading Short Stories (MIT)
• Approaching Prose Fiction (Open University)
• Introduction to Fiction (MIT)
• Transmedia Storytelling: Modern Science Fiction (MIT)
• Creative Writing (Udemy)
• Creative Writing Course (The Crafty Writer)
• The Creative Spark (MIT)
• Songwriting (Berklee College of Music)
• Understanding Creativity and Creative Writing (IIT Bombay)

Free Courses on Writing Essays and Reports

• Essay and report-writing skills (Open University)
• Advanced Workshop in Writing for Social Sciences and Architecture (ELS) (MIT)
• First-Year Composition 2.0 (Georgia Institute of Technology)
• A Beginner’s Guide to Writing in English for University Study (University of Reading)
• English Essay Writing and Public Speaking (Udemy)
• Advanced Essay Writing (MIT)
• Overview of Research Tools and Writing a Research Proposal (Udemy)
• The Science Essay (MIT)

Free Courses on Writing in English

• English Writing Skills (Alison.com)

Free Proofreading and Editing Courses

• Cleaning Your Copy: Grammar, Style and More (Poynter News University)

Other essential skills for freelancers

• Introduction to Time Management (Alison.com)
• Achieving Personal Success (Alison.com)
• Professional Communication Essentials (Rasmussen College)