Free Online Writing Courses from Poynter University

Writing is a profession that can never be fully mastered. There will always be room to grow. So, as a writer, you should always be looking for opportunities to refine your craft. But, that doesn't mean you have to pay money for good instruction, though it's certainly a good option if you are looking for something highly in-depth. There are plenty of free writing classes online to help you write better. 

One of my favorite resources for free online writing courses is Poynter's News University. Poynter offers all kinds of writing courses and seminars, some of them payed, but many of them are free. Most of them focus on journalism, but several of their free courses are geared toward improving your writing in general.

Here are a few notable courses:

Introduction to Reporting: Beat Basics - The basics of how to cover any topic or new section.

Cleaning Your Copy: Grammar, Style, and More - How to edit your copy and make it the best it can be.

The Writer's Workbench: 50 Tools You Can Use - Expand and refine your writing style. Put less emphasis on grammar, and more emphasis on style.

The above courses are just the tip of the iceburg. There are many more great courses to be found. If you are looking for some free quality writing courses, I highly recommend that you check out News University. 

How to Write an Article for the Web in 6 Easy Steps

Some days, writing an article can seem daunting. You don't know where to start, and when you figure that out, you're not sure what to do next. If your brain is really stuck, it may be best to step away from your desk, freshen your mind, and try again later. But having a step by step for your article writing can kick-start you out of that initial writer's block.

1.) Pick a topic

Pick a topic that's not too broad, but something you can easily write 250-400 words about. Anything larger is best broken down into several smaller articles. Need ideas? Keep a running list of topic ideas that come to mind throughout the day.

2.) Write what you know

Before you research, you should write everything you know about the subject. This is important because it let's you get some direction and let's your own words be the voice of the article. It helps to first write everything down in note form, then organize and expand on your notes from there.

3.) Research
By now you should have a good article skeleton to work with. Now is the time to fill in the blanks and check your facts. Most of the time, we need a few more things to add to our article to make it accurate and credible. If you use any major references or information that was not already of your general knowledge, don't forget to cite your source.

4.) Take a break

If your article does not need to be published immediately, take a break. You'll have a fresh perspective when you read it later.

5.) Proofread and spell check

Never publish an article without first using spell check and carefully proofreading your article. Articles on the web with major spelling and grammar mistakes will instantly discredit you and the information you are presenting.

6.) Publish it!

Congratulations, you've written a well-rounded article for the web. Now it's time to publish it to your blog or another website.

Want to publish your articles for thousands of people to see? Want to make money writing about what you love? Try writing for examiner.