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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot by Wesleyan University

4.7
stars
4,727 ratings

About the Course

In this course aspiring writers will be introduced to perhaps the most elemental and often the most challenging element of story: plot. We will learn what keeps it moving, how it manipulates our feelings, expectations, and desires. We will examine the choices storytellers make to snag our imaginations, drag them into a fictional world, and keep them there. We will learn how to outline and structure a plot, discuss narrative arc, pacing and reversals and reveal the inevitable surprise: connecting the beginning, middle and end....

Top reviews

SD

Jul 13, 2020

It seems easy at the start; give it a week or two and you will be very surprised -- with yourself and your reaction to the feedback.

The instructions are easy to follow, the insights are priceless.

BM

Nov 4, 2019

The course was informative on how to build, structure and develop the plot of our own stories. It was also very helpful in guiding us through the editing process. A useful course for aspiring writers.

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101 - 125 of 1,595 Reviews for Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot

By Jack H

Feb 12, 2018

I enjoyed this course immensely, even though it continually interrupted my favorite pastime of being out in the freezing wind and sleet while repeatedly digging out my walks and driveways after a series of delightful snow and ice storms. I liked the lecture-clips. I think that the expertise of the instructors comes through in their presentations. I intend to sign up for the remaining courses once I get finished shoveling snow. It's one of the "main" reasons people move to Maine

~Jack Hayes

By Rahul C C

Jun 20, 2023

GLAD TO BE HERE FOR MY VIEWS ON THE COURSERA COURSE: CREATIVE WRITING - THE CRAFT OF PLOT FROM Wesleyan University. This course focuses and enhances extensive knowledge of writing skills in non technical manager which will be most supportive to my BBA Course. The way of teaching from the the University Staff is really at utmost brilliance. Sounds to be adorable. I found this course is really importance of Second Step after Pursuing South Asian Religions & Ecology for my BBA Course.

By Peter Q

Aug 26, 2018

This course has lots of information to help you structure your writing and good tips to make it engaging - the rest is up to you. Good assignments that make the theoretical parts practical. I really enjoyed the rating of other participants, it makes you really look for the elements and helps to distinguish them is your own writing. Getting feedback from other participants was very rewarding and useful - they did a great job of making me conscious of areas that need improvement.

By Anna B

May 16, 2016

i recommend this course , an excellent introduction for an aspiring writer or anyone interested in litterature as it explains and decomposes thorougly the mechanics of plot , thru very alive ideos and sharing of experienced writers , i enjoyed the submissions which taught me disciplin and structure . This experience helped broaden my horizon , i learned a lot from the peer rewiew also , this first module convinced me to go on and complete the full course. Thank you

By Max S

Mar 12, 2016

The course was pretty easy to learn, but the assignments were challenging, which is the best combination of theory and practice in my opinion. Although I didn't have enough time to dive into discussions and get to know with the community, I'd recommend this course to anyone who's making his first steps in creative writing. It will teach you how to limit yourself in your writing, be consize and yet create stories that are both entertaining and thought provoking.

By Roger P

Feb 14, 2022

This course makes for a gentle entrance into the world of creative writing. It is organized, easy to follow, and the assignments are fun. I feel as though I really learned the basic of plot and I look forward to starting the module on Character next. Also, I am thankful for the "review" process that comes with these assignments. A Rubrik is used to help students critique in a friendly, focused manner. And it just feels good to encourage others. It's fun. RGP

By Nancy J

Aug 24, 2018

A great way to discover the basics of plot! I feel these are the key ingredients of plot development distilled down into four excellent and information-packed units. I liked the blend of an instruction video, examples in common literature and interviews with other professors. Most of the assignments tied back well to the content and helped you put into practice what you're learning along the way. I am hoping to take additional classes in this series. Thanks!

By Victoria

Nov 22, 2017

It's really useful to get feedback from peers. It's like having your readers on hand. I've struggled to understand what readers want. Although I know that all fiction writing is niched; I think I've failed to understand some of the fundamentals of good writing. And that's a big statement for me to make as I have a PhD in literary studies, specialising in theory, and I work as an academic in this field from time to time. It's practical and it works!

By Vandana K

Sep 20, 2019

I found this course very useful especially the writing assignments. You start with small assignments which don't seem so difficult and you move on to longer pieces as you practice. The best part is that your co-learners review your work and give you honest feedback which helps you see your writing more objectively. I recommend this course to anyone who has been planning to write fiction for a long time. The course serves as a good starting point.

By Suyash G

Jun 1, 2020

This course is absolutely amazing. All you need as a pre-requisite is the interest in fiction writing. This is a very basic course that tells you so much about fiction writing. I was interested in writing fiction, and this course helped me a lot. The instructor is absolutely brilliant, and this course offers various key insights into the structure of fiction. Even if you are remotely interested in fiction writing, you should try out this course.

By Roni K

Aug 11, 2020

Very simple and easy to follow instructions. The use of videos with the written scripts available for reading means anyone can follow through the assignment properly. You can take your time with assignments while notifications remind you of deadlines to keep you on track. Fellow students give feedback, therefore the stress (at least in my case) was lessened; peers grading each other seems to go easier on the stress. Overall, wonderful course :)

By Natalia G

Sep 28, 2017

Thank you. This was very helpful in getting me unstuck in the novel I am writing. There's still a lot for me to practice but this helped me massively! I hope I do get to finish and publish my novel. And when I do, I would love to thank you guys and Brando in my acknowledgments. This is a great course because plot is my ultimate weakness. This helped me understand the basics and helped me have a better concept for my novel. Thank you again!

By Марія П

Feb 19, 2022

Great course! I was afraid that this course would be too difficult for me, because I'm not a native English speaker, and I have never write stories in English before. But I'm happy that I tried. I got a lot of fun and satisfaction doing assessments. Learning videos were not too long, and the teacher explained everything easily. I understood all the material. Now I'm going to take next courses of this specialization. Thank you very much!

By Jessie S

Jun 17, 2020

The way the creating writing was explain was clear and easy to understand, I would recommend this course to any person who is in love with writing, but doesn't know how to start. I enjoyed how the interview with well known experts made me feel comfortable and in the right path. This was a great experience for me in all senses, I'm pleased and grateful with Brando Skyhorse and partners, keep make knowledge universal I appreciate.

Jessica

By Akmaral

May 28, 2017

I really liked the course! It was exactly what I needed. All the topics are in place, mapping out all the white spots, feeling gaps with knowledge on how to draft your story, how to build rising action to finally end up with self-fullfilling denouement. The video lectures are compiled logically, bit by bit they help you through your own creative chaos and nail your story so that it contents intrigue, tension and empathy potential.

By Vidya S

Sep 1, 2020

This course has helped me with sourcing ideas, organizing my writing and developing a keener eye for structure in my stories. This course gave me an understanding of what a right and interesting book should look like. The course not only clearly reads how a writer should design his book, but also what thoughts should be in his head. Thank you for this wonderful course!

cture in my stories. Thank you so much for this opportunity,

By Alicia C

Jul 21, 2020

I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to all the people behind this course and who made it possible for us students whose interest is in creative writing. It was indeed a great course, meaty and relevant. Personally, the course has taught me a lot. It gave me the realization that I can write. I hope I could be enrolled in another course related to this subject matter in the future. Congratulations and again, thank you.

By Laura D

Jan 19, 2021

I thoroughly enjoyed this course on the craft of plot. The instructor, Brando Skyhorse, was engaging, and I liked his direct lectures on technique that were filled with helpful point lists and plenty of illustrative examples. The homework assignments were manageable and a good way to test out some of the instruction through practice. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in developing their skills in fiction writing.

By Lori B

Sep 14, 2021

Brando is a fantastic creative writing teacher! He is so organized and easy to follow. I'm thankful for his willingness to share all that he's learned from experience like the 21-Point Checklist. That is pure gold! Learning to start each scene with something active, the ABDCE structure, and how to "show" vs. "tell" are life-changing lessons I wish I had known years ago! Thank you so much, Brando, Wesleyan, & Coursera!!!

By Kavin P

Jul 9, 2020

This course has been the pioneer to my journey as a Hobby Writer - earlier my writings just felt random thoughts written down on a page; after this course, I can really feel a sense of flow and a path they lead to! Moreover, I also loved the Shop Talks with other experienced novelists, where they gave tips about writing - refined after their years of experience as writers!

Thank you so much Wesleyan University and Coursera!

By Shoshin

Oct 7, 2019

As a Creative Writing blogger and aspiring writer keen to learn more about the craft, this course exceeded my expectations. I feel better equipped to draft my next story now that I have gained insight into the technique of developing a plot. Also, exchanging peer review has enabled me to assess any piece of writing by a published or an amateur writer with deeper understanding of what goes into effective storytelling.

By Rachana G

Jan 7, 2020

Wonderful course! It makes creative writing so much easier for beginners. The assignments were significant and well designed for the students to dive deeper into their thoughts and come up with original stories. I especially loved the chapters with five-act structure and copy editing. I even used this knowledge in my novel. I sincerely thank the professor Mr. Brando Skyhorse for making it so simple for the learners!

By Urmila B

Sep 5, 2021

Fantastic course. Helped me gain complete insight into the nuances of writing. Had remained just so clueless before with all the other courses I've taken. This one was detailed and wholesome. Helped me hone my skill to present writing pieces I'm comfortable putting out! The step by step detailed explanations were so helpful and the chats with renowned writers as well. The reviews were eye openers!

Thanks immensely!

By Sanika D

Aug 3, 2020

This was the first academic course I enrolled for creative writing and it did complete justice to what I expected to learn. The instructors are really good in explaining the concepts and they surely helped me to explore my imagination as well as writing skills. The assignments were challenging yet fun at the same time ! Overall a very detailed course for those who wish to indulge and improve their creative writing.

By Abhishek N

Nov 14, 2019

The course has helped me a lot in giving structure to my thoughts while putting them on paper. It is enlightening to understand how a narration can be interesting to a reader and to get to try the tested method by writers was a interesting experience. Mr. Brando Skyhorse is a great teacher, I love his examples which flowed with every explanation. In the end, the readers are intelligent, hence "show, don't tell".