This is a list of high-quality courses that, for one reason or another, didn’t make it into the curriculum (irregular scheduling, overlap with a stronger core course, narrowly specialized focus, or excellent but not essential).
| Courses | Duration | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| MIT OCW – Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy | 12 weeks | self-paced |
| University of British Columbia – How to Write a Novel (edX) | 10 weeks | 5–8 hrs/week |
| University of British Columbia – Novel Writing: The First Draft (edX) | 12 weeks | 5–8 hrs/week |
| FutureLearn – Start Writing Fiction (Open University) | 8 weeks | 3 hrs/week |
| Harvard – Ancient Masterpieces of World Literature | 6 weeks | 4–7 hrs/week |
| Courses | Duration | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| MIT OCW – Reading Poetry | 12 weeks | self-paced |
| University of Pennsylvania – Poetry and Painting | 4 weeks | 2–4 hrs/week |
| Open University – What is Poetry? | – | ~8 hours |
| Harvard – Emily Dickinson (Poetry in America series) | 4–8 weeks | 4–6 hrs/week |
| Courses | Duration | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard – Journalism for a Better Democracy | 7 weeks | 2–4 hrs/week |
| University of Michigan – Writing and Editing: Revising | 4 weeks | 4–6 hrs/week |
| UC BerkeleyX – English for Journalists: Values, Ethics, and Legal Issues | 5 weeks | 3–5 hrs/week |
| MIT OCW – Writing and Reading Short Stories (alternate semester) | 12 weeks | self-paced |
| Courses | Duration | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| FutureLearn – An Introduction to Screenwriting | 2–3 weeks | 3 hrs/week |
| edX – Screenwriting: Writing a Feature Film Script | 6 weeks | 6–7 hrs/week |
| FutureLearn – How to Read a Play | 3 weeks | 3 hrs/week |
| Courses | Duration | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| University of Adelaide – Creativity & AI (edX) | 7 weeks | 2–4 hrs/week |
| Harvard – Ancient Masterpieces in the Digital Age | 6 weeks | 4–6 hrs/week |
| Unity / Coursera – Narrative Design for Games | 4 weeks | 4–6 hrs/week |