If attending writing conferences and workshops is difficult for you, check out the vast resources available on the Internet. The Writing Lab is a free email writing workshop where members submit their work in response to an exercise, and other members comment on the submissions. Each exercise contains a description of the fiction technique involved. The exercises constitute an informal course in fiction writing. Tests are available to track your progress.
Members submit their work through the workshop for critique.
Word Spinners' Ink is a free workshop for writers of novels and short stories where writers can share ideas and critiques. The workshop is conducted through two mailing lists, a file transfer area, and a private chat room. New Adventures in Creative Writing. The course is sent via email, and participants complete assignments and return them for a grade. Crawford Kilian offers an online writing course where you can download pertinent topics from the World Wide Web and study them at your leisure.