749 Best Writing Classes in 2026

Single-day workshop at the QWF office in Westmount, Montreal, Saturday 17 October, 10.30am to 4.30pm, with Stephanie Merulla. Fee $120 CAD for non-members, $105 CAD for QWF members, $60 CAD students. Capped at 12 participants and in-person by default - the two virtual seats have to be requested and confirmed before you register. A one-day entry point if you want to try immersive storytelling without committing to an eight-week term.

Eight-week evening workshop at the QWF office on Atwater Avenue in Westmount, Montreal, Thursdays 8-10pm from 8 October, led by Jill Murray, a games writer with more than 25 credits including Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Subnautica: Below Zero. Fee $240 CAD for non-members, $200 CAD for QWF members, $120 CAD students. Capped at 12 and registrations default to in-person seats; two virtual places exist but must be requested from QWF and approved before you book. Covers interactive narrative for games, immersive theatre, installations and exhibits.

Full-day in-person writing retreat at St Matthew's Clubhouse in Toronto's east end, Sunday 6 December, 10am to 5pm, facilitated by Kim and Asifa. Open only to people who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of colour. Fee $285 CAD plus tax with instalment payment available, and two places are held at half price on a first-come basis. The day moves from short creativity-waking exercises into long stretches of quiet writing time, closing with sharing and a look at what comes next.

Full-day in-person beginners' workshop in Toronto, Sunday 27 September, 10am to 4.30pm, led by Firefly's Kim. Fee $250 CAD plus tax, payable in four monthly instalments of $62.50 at no extra cost. It runs at an historic lawn bowling club on the edge of Riverdale Park rather than a classroom - short warm-up exercises in the morning, longer writes in the afternoon, across autobiography, lists and poetry. Deposits are non-refundable and the full fee is non-refundable a week out, so book only once you are sure of the date.

Eight-week in-class screenwriting course on the St. George campus in Toronto, Tuesdays 6.30-9pm from 6 October, taught by Dan Sacco. Fee $699 CAD. It is the only in-class section the school runs this autumn, so the daytime alternative that exists for their fiction courses is not available here. Counts towards the SCS Certificate in Creative Writing.

Eight-week in-class novel course on the St. George campus in Toronto, Tuesdays 12.30-3pm from 6 October, with Janika Oza, author of A History of Burning. Fee $699 CAD. This is the daytime section, which matters if evening classes do not work for you - the other autumn in-class section runs Tuesday evenings. Aimed at writers who want to write a novel but have not started one. Counts towards the SCS Certificate in Creative Writing.

Eight-week in-class creative non-fiction course on the St. George campus in Toronto, Mondays 6.30-9pm from 19 October, taught by Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, author of Down to This and Hungover. Fee $699 CAD. It covers memoir, personal essay and literary journalism - telling factual stories with the techniques of fiction. Counts towards the SCS Certificate in Creative Writing.

Eight-week in-class short story course on the St. George campus in Toronto, Tuesdays 6.30-9pm from 20 October, with Toronto writer Derek Mascarenhas. Fee $699 CAD. The autumn term runs two in-class sections and this is the later one, which suits anyone who cannot start in September. Counts towards the SCS Certificate in Creative Writing.

Nine-week in-class course on the St. George campus in downtown Toronto, Mondays 6.30-9pm from 28 September, taught by Patricia Westerhof. Fee $649 CAD. Each session splits in half: one part workshop, where your pages get constructive feedback from the group, one part craft discussion on character, setting, plot, point of view, structure or revision. Designed for writers who have not settled on a genre yet, so you sample several. Counts towards the SCS Certificate in Creative Writing.

One-day poetry course at Faber's Hatton Garden offices, 10am to 4pm, GBP 75 - the cheapest single-day course Faber runs. Led by poet Richard Scott. You get direct feedback on your own poems during the day, alongside sessions on finding material and on reading as a poet reads. Places on individual dates are limited and some show only a couple remaining, so check stock before planning around a particular Saturday.

One-day Saturday beginners' course at Faber's offices in Hatton Garden, central London, 10am to 4pm, GBP 100. Class size is fifteen, and you write in the room from the start - experimenting with structure and technique and getting responses on the spot rather than workshopping something prepared. Faber runs it monthly, so 26 September, 31 October, 28 November and 12 December are all open if one date does not suit.

One-day Saturday workshop at City Lit's Keeley Street centre in Covent Garden, 7 November, 10.30am to 4.30pm. GBP 79 full fee, GBP 51 concession - among the cheapest ways to try a proper taught creative writing class in central London. Guided exercises rather than critique of work brought in, so nothing is required in advance. Further dates run 5 December and 14 March if the November one fills.