But considering what you said at the end...that's all most CW courses are in the USA! It's critique and socializing. So you'd be much better off checking out a library book on the craft of writing every few weeks and doing exercises, or hunting for exercises online. And you'd save untold money.
I'm sure there will be some variation from course to course, but yes if they mostly boil down to critique and meeting other aspiring writers in the flesh, I'm not convinced I couldn't reap the benefits I need online.
...it was reading fiction and writing a newspaper article that went toward how to write something that readers want to read. That said, only you can shape the quality of your story.
To be honest, I'd be departing from my usual approach to learning by
not attending a foundational course. I've always deferred to the experts to provide the basics from which I can decide my own path. The fact I've nearly finished draft #1 with no input from anyone else feels weird, and this break with tradition is perhaps what prompted me to ask whether it's possible/advisable to go it "alone" (by which I mean just using online resources and crits).
The thing that I found most useful was that it made me get into a routine with a deadline, and it made me experiment with structures I wouldn't have normally tried. So it expanded my horizons, but the best part was that it made me focus.
My writing currently doesn't even have a style that I'm conscious of (except that I've shoehorned my story into a Save the Cat beat structure). I'd love to experiment with different styles and see if there's some actual voice in there, buried beneath the dry crust of academic writing that I seem to default to. Deadlines are a PITA, but I'm fairly motivated in that department.
Reading a lot from a variety of genres creates an instinctive feel for what's working and what's not. You may not know the rule you're breaking, but you'll sense that something's wrong and will play with your writing until it feels right.
I feel that the greatest value of writing courses is the feedback you get from your instructor or other students, and you may be able to get this same sort of instruction via beta readers or a good editor.
Lastly, the act of writing is probably the best teacher of all, with the caveat that you have followed my previous suggestions. You'll not improve until you look outside yourself for instruction / inspiration - but you can't linger there; you can study music all your life but you'll never play well until you sit down at the keyboard and start belting out tunes.
Read lots (and widely), write lots, seek feedback from beta readers. This was pretty much my plan if I chose not to attend a class. I was also intending to offer regular critique of others' work, although I admit I currently feel like a charlatan doing that. The confidence will grow over time, hopefully.
Thanks, lizmonster. My academic training was 100% essay based, with some large-ish word counts and fairly tight deadlines. I'm hoping that that experience should see me through, though a decade has somehow passed since I finished my course. I'm sure I would enjoy the experience of a class on a social level, having attended a few evening classes and formed a few friendships. But fun though that would be, that's really not my aim at this time. If I can get feedback of the same quality as face-to-face via t'internet then I may as well go with that.
But all that said, it might be worth my reaching out to some course leaders with specific questions about their course structure, and just take it from there.
Why not Google online videos of some classes? That will be a very low bar for judging whether formal instruction would be valuable for you. Sci fi/fantasy may not be your genre, but Brandon Sanderson's college class on writing in that genre is free via Youtube. Watch a few class periods and decide for yourself if you need more instruction like that.
I've actually watched a few of Brandon Sanderson's vids online, and found them really interesting (though I didn't much like his gummy-bear-for-correct-response mode of tuition). If anything, the presence of these online resources reinforces the idea that I don't need to fork out for a formal class, or sacrifice time travelling to and fro.
Thanks again, all!
) or specific craft subjects (setting/dialogue) or general related subjects (mind mapping/organizing files/goal setting/Scrivener tricks). Sometimes the value is in spending my precious time with other writers who understand the idiosyncrasies of being a writer, which can, in turn, inspire me to be more productive on my own. I've made many good writer friends through classes and workshops, several of whom have become invaluable beta readers and critiquers. 
