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

4.7
stars
4,854 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.

LB

Nov 15, 2018

Great information about plot and scene structure. The information about revision was entirely new to me - thank you! The exercises were good and difficult in a good way that helped me hone my writing.

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351 - 375 of 1,632 Reviews for Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot

By David K

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Sep 2, 2020

I have always been an avid reader. I took this class to familiarize myself with the techniques behind plot development. I would highly recommend this course, and the creative writing specialization.

By similoluwa f

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Apr 4, 2019

It was very impactful and insightful...i had to opportunity to thing through my writing creatively. The idea of other writers reviewing my work was a good one as the feedback was quite constructive.

By Camille T

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Oct 12, 2018

Extremely helpful! I'm rethinking a lot of my previous approach to writing, especially when it comes to creating interesting scenes and ensuring my characters each have a clear desire while I write.

By Blank

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May 21, 2023

Amazing course, really loved everything but you need to find a way to deal with troll, see multiple submissions with nothing written, random letters pressed on the keyboard, or just not in english.

By Nathalie A G

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Apr 18, 2022

This course has excellent theorical material and practical cases to study. Also the instructor conducts very creative and clear lessons. To anyone who wants to start writing here's your first step!

By Giovanna S

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Mar 11, 2019

It was a good course. It was a good grading method, I was a little opposed in the beginning but I now I understand the value of having more than a teacher read your work.

It is very much worth it.

By Deleted A

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Jul 1, 2017

Course is well structured and the material is very helpful. I enjoyed both the lessons and the assignments. The review from fellow classmates helped me alot in improving my creative writing skills.

By Ashley K

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Mar 14, 2016

Good material. Brando Skyhorse is a very talented lecturer. The exercises look simple but are actually very difficult, so set aside more time than you expect to complete them within the parameters.

By Sandhia K

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Oct 26, 2021

I love the course and the instructor is really engaging. I have never written any story before and found the contents of the course super helpful. I will certainly continue with the other modules.

By Crystal M

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Mar 19, 2017

I really enjoyed this course. It had a lot of concrete advice, and motivated me to start writing again. The assignments made sense, and gave me a list of things to look for when editing the draft.

By Ehud R

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Dec 2, 2023

Great course to take on its own (not necessarily part of the larger set of modules): introduces useful concepts, and full of hands-on activity. The only downside: significant peer review workload

By Beata S

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Dec 5, 2021

The course videos are very instructive and useful, while the assignments put the wealth of knowledge into practice. They can be quite challenging but completing them is very rewarding experience.

By Damilola O

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Apr 19, 2017

This course is worth every minute I spent taking it. Thanks to Brando and the rest of the team behind the lens. You've made a better writer out of me. I'd write your name in my acknowledgements!

By Jerry y P

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Sep 10, 2023

Thank you so much about this course. I couldn't had inproved without you guys!!!! I hope that you guys will also have a lot of people join Coursera like me. I love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Abhinav B

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May 28, 2020

I don't think the peer-reviewing is a great thing. I wrote a great scene got 100% grade at the end, but I got 0 at the first attempt of the same.

Would be great if the mentor could have a look.

By Naomi C R L

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Aug 4, 2016

The course helped me a lot in understanding what a plot is. This is my first time to join a creative writing class and I did not regret signing up. Thank you everyone for a very great course.

By Shannon L

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Jun 11, 2024

The course modules were great - simple, yet insightful. The peer grading scheme was a little troubling though, I got a lot of feedback that unfortunately seemed like it was generated by a bot.

By Deleted A

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Jul 23, 2020

Mr. Skyhorse was a fascinating lecturer, with this course I came much closer to writing and methodically learned a lot! Thank you for this fabulous opportunity to be part of your lecture unit!

By Ana C O G

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Feb 26, 2018

Me encantó, me enseñó las bases que necesito para redactar mi historia y voy a tomar los demás cursos también. Ojalá estuviera en español porque con la traducci{on se batalla un poco. Gracias!

By Helen A

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Dec 9, 2018

Really good explanations and relevant examples throughout. The only week where the examples were hard for me to untangle were those in the show-don't-tell scene lesson. Overall though, great.

By Janet W

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Dec 6, 2023

I enjoyed Brando Skyhorse presentations. He was thoughtful and creative in his instruction which in turn thought and creativity gave me the chance to utilize both in my story. Thanks Brando!

By Tatiana G

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Dec 31, 2021

Un excelente curso, bastante completo, con dirección al enfoque, es sencillo de entender porque se habla de forma a todo publico, es simplemente increíble, mil gracias por brindar este curso

By Tina D

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May 27, 2020

I really appreciated how the instructor laid out the modules and built on it with his explanations and examples. It was very helpful for me as a new writer to learn the nuances of the craft.

By Nana K D

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May 4, 2020

I enjoyed the course very much especially the exercises. Brando is also more systematic with tips. For example the ABDCE format helps one remember how to properly write stories. I enjoyed it

By Imogen B

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Jun 3, 2020

I audited this class from start to finish. While I'm not looking to write a novel or short story any time soon, this was incredibly valuable to the creative writing I do on a regular basis.