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Improve your writing skills with these courses

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Fuse your creativity with some business skills with these graduate courses.

Nov 19 | 2 minutes read |

By U2B Staff 

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Everybody writes, but few do it well. If you have a writing career, either as a freelancer or in full-time employment with an organisation, you may have toyed with the idea of upskilling to help you improve your skills as a content writer, advance your career, switch careers altogether or progress into research.

Writers who want to expand their repertoire or develop new skills to beef up their resume and open the door to new roles will find that the time for upskilling is now. 

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Technology is changing the media landscape, which means journalists and writers who write for digital platforms need to think about what skills they need to develop that would help them stand out from the crowd and add value to their organisations. Meanwhile, freelancers or aspiring entrepreneurs may find that they lack business acumen skills, which will come in handy when growing their business.  

Depending on the platform you write for, some skills would complement your current skillset, such as digital and publishing skills, while developing a business acumen can also take your career to greater heights, especially if you wish to start something of your own for more lucrative opportunities.

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Acquire creative writing skills

If you’re hoping to take your writing career to new levels, there are many postgraduate programmes that can help develop your writing chops.

If you have a creative bone in your body or wish to grow your creative muscle, you can consider pursuing a master’s programme in creative writing. Such programmes typically last a year and may be taught by published authors and industry experts. Depending on your programme and institution, the course may also include modules relating to english language and literature, or publishing. 

Many institutions offer related programmes, including the University of Glasgow’s MLitt in English Literature Fantasy programme, Nottingham University’s MA in English with Creative Writing, Bath Spa University’s MA in Crime and Gothic Fiction, the University of York’s MA Poetry and Poetics and City, University of London’s MA Creative Writing and Publishing.

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Develop your business and publishing skills 

If you want to understand publishing and the changes happening within the industry or the business aspects of writing, including how books and magazines are developed and marketed, there are a number of programmes that can help you do so.  

Publishing programmes typically cover various aspects of publishing, including book, magazine, online editing, print and website production, to name a few. Some programmes may also allow you to tailor the programme to suit your personal and career goals. You can expect to gain a variety of skills, from editing to marketing. 

Some institutions that offer related programmes in the field include City, University of London’s MA Publishing or MA International Publishing, the University of Melbourne’s Master of Publishing and Communications and Emerson College’s MA Publishing and Writing.

At the end of the day, there are many options you can take to grow your writing career. Whether you choose to focus on developing your writing skills or complement your current skillset with the business aspect of the job, both can help you take your career to greater heights. 

  
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