This Specialization covers elements of three major creative writing genres: short story, narrative essay, and memoir. You will master the techniques that good writers use to compose a bracing story, populated with memorable characters in an interesting setting, written in a fresh descriptive style. You will analyze and constructively evaluate peer writing. In the Capstone, you will draft, rewrite, and complete a substantial original story in the genre of your choosing. Our courses are designed for anyone from the aspiring short story writer to established novelist. Whether you have a finished novel sitting on your desk calling for a fresh look or have had the germ of an idea for a decade, this Specialization gives you tools to achieve your goal. Through 4 courses focused on a key aspect of writing, and taken in any order you choose, you will develop a stronger ability to not only refine your writing, but critique writing in general and find inspiration in the works you are already reading. Thanks to our sponsors, upon completion of their first assignment, learners in each course will receive up to an 80% discount from Write-Bros and a 30% discount off their first purchase from Scrivener to use on their writing software. Additionally, learners who complete an assignment will receive 30% off membership at the online writing community Scribophile. For more information about our partners, see the FAQ below.
专项课程的运作方式
加入课程
Coursera 专项课程是帮助您掌握一门技能的一系列课程。若要开始学习，请直接注册专项课程，或预览专项课程并选择您要首先开始学习的课程。当您订阅专项课程的部分课程时，您将自动订阅整个专项课程。您可以只完成一门课程，您可以随时暂停学习或结束订阅。访问您的学生面板，跟踪您的课程注册情况和进度。
实践项目
每个专项课程都包括实践项目。您需要成功完成这个（些）项目才能完成专项课程并获得证书。如果专项课程中包括单独的实践项目课程，则需要在开始之前完成其他所有课程。
获得证书
在结束每门课程并完成实践项目之后，您会获得一个证书，您可以向您的潜在雇主展示该证书并在您的职业社交网络中分享。
此专项课程包含 5 门课程
Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot
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.
Creative Writing: The Craft of Character
At the center of a good story are the characters in it. In this course aspiring writers will discover how to build and bring to life complex, vivid and unforgettable characters. We will study the choices a writer makes to bring all characters to life on the page, and we will perform written exercises in order to develop a variety of writing and pre-writing techniques, in order to create a variety of characters. We will learn how to use our own life experiences, and the people we know (and how not to!). We will develop inner (thoughts and feelings) and outer (appearance, habits, behavior) lives for our characters and see how that can lead us to richer and more interesting stories. We will breathe life into our characters and let them surprise us.
Creative Writing: The Craft of Setting and Description
In this course aspiring writers will be introduced to the techniques that masters of fiction use to ground a story in a concrete world. From the most realist settings to the most fantastical, writers will learn how to describe the physical world in sharp, sensory detail. We will also learn how to build credibility through research, and to use creative meditation exercises to deepen our own understanding of our story worlds, so that our readers can see all that we imagine.
Creative Writing: The Craft of Style
Your style is as unique and distinctive as your face, your voice, except that you can choose it, you can can work on it, enhance it. In this course we will introduce aspiring writers to the art of putting pressure on written language. We will study the use of metaphor and imagery, and demonstrate how clarity, grace, and inventiveness in word choice are imperative to a story’s success. Writers will emerge with the revision skills essential to all writers of good stories and good prose.
讲师
Brando Skyhorse
Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing
Amy Bloom
Distinguished University Writer in Residence and Director of the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing
Amity Gaige
Visiting Scholar in Creative Writing
Salvatore Scibona
Frank B. Weeks Visiting Professor of English行业合作伙伴
关于 卫斯连大学
常见问题
退款政策是如何规定的？
我可以只注册一门课程吗？
可以！点击您感兴趣的课程卡开始注册即可。注册并完成课程后，您可以获得可共享的证书，或者您也可以旁听该课程免费查看课程资料。如果您订阅的课程是某专项课程的一部分，系统会自动为您订阅完整的专项课程。访问您的学生面板，跟踪您的进度。
有助学金吗？
我可以免费学习课程吗？
此课程是 100% 在线学习吗？是否需要现场参加课程？
此课程完全在线学习，无需到教室现场上课。您可以通过网络或移动设备随时随地访问课程视频、阅读材料和作业。
完成专项课程后我会获得大学学分吗？
此专项课程不提供大学学分，但部分大学可能会选择接受专项课程证书作为学分。查看您的合作院校了解详情。
完成专项课程需要多长时间？
This Specialization will take 3-6 months to complete.
此专项课程中每门课程的开课频率为多久？
The courses in this Specialization will be offered continually on demand. The capstone will be offered 4 times per year.
What background knowledge is necessary?
The Specialization courses will be rigorous and taught at the college level, but will be accessible to advanced high school students as well.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
No, courses do not need to be taken in a specific order - the courses have staggered opening times to allow you to jump in to whichever course fits your schedule best!
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
After completing this Specialization, students will be able to craft an original story, whether fictional or taken from life, that will absorb a reader’s interest from the beginning and hold it through the end.
Who are the instructors?
Each course is taught by an esteemed author and professor. Collectively, they have published over a dozen novels and won numerous awards, including features in such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and O: The Oprah Magazine. More information about each author is provided in their individual biographies.
Who are the partners?
Write Brothers (www.write-bros.com) offers several different tools for writers to craft their stories in an environment dedicated to writing, including Dramatica Pro, Outline 4D, and Movie Magic Screenwriter. The software is designed to help with all phases of writing, from brainstorming to outlining to formatting.
Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php) is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft.
Scribophile (www.scribophile.com) is a writing community focused on feedback, a central tenet of the Specialization you're embarking on here. Share your work, receive thoughtful critiques from other writers, improve your writing craft, and engage in a strong community of "the friendliest and most successful writing workshop online."
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