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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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1576 - 1600 of 1,632 Reviews for Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot

By Megan S

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Mar 1, 2018

I liked the writing exercises, but I felt the videos were a bit simple and Skyhorse was very pleasant but not a great interviewer. It would be nice if the assignment were reviewed by a professor or a TA or something. Peer review was overall NOT helpful.

By Nicolas S

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Nov 11, 2021

Much like other reviewers here, the content in this course was good and the assignments were fun, but the reviews I received from my peers were awful. Most people gave single word reviews with zero focus on helping the author improve their craft.

By ipsita g

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Jun 8, 2019

The course was structured well. It introduced to many things that were probably known to us but not explicit.

However, on taking other courses in the series I realized that the instructor is less effective and original than others, especially Amy.

By Soe T S

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May 6, 2020

I'd like it if peers can give more elaborated reviews. It seems like they just want to finish the mandatory 3 reviews just to get points. Most of the reviews I received are nothing more than 'Yes. No. I agree with the author.' No elaborations.

By Mike Z

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Apr 9, 2020

I enjoyed the course and found it useful. The majority of the students don't seem to speak good english. That isn't a problem for their writing, but I feel like they have a hard time usefully evaluating my work due to the language barrier.

By Allison R C

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Sep 15, 2020

I got the most out of listening to the modules. I wish that there was some feedback from the instructor on the writing assignments. Everything is peer-reviewed only, and the quality of the feedback is quite poor.

By Noah S

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Jul 30, 2019

The course was a good motivator to start writing and keep writing every week. The lectures were short and generic. Nothing other than the very basics. The peer review system works okay but it certainly isn't great.

By Saguache

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Nov 15, 2021

The course provides some opportunities to learn. That said, there doesn't seem to be much of a bar to pass to get into it and the student grading of assignments often falls short of providing any useful feedback.

By Lisa G

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Oct 13, 2016

I understand the importance of reviewing other classmates work however with the time constraints of today's world, I believe it takes away from precious time that could be spent developing the craft of writing .

By Nancy K

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Oct 2, 2022

This class was a good introduction to plot writing, only marred by the lack of genuine/helpful feedback on writing assignments due to the excessive presence of bots/people not taking the course seriously.

By Meredith D

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Mar 9, 2024

While I enjoyed and learned from the lessons, this relies on peer reviews and a lot of students don't read the work and automatically don't pass you. It was difficult to learn and grow without feedback.

By Gemma O

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Jun 11, 2024

The course material was interesting but the assignments and grading would have benefited from a tutor marking instead of peers. The peer marking was a joke - 90% made either no sense or just one word.

By SANCHEZ C M P

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Oct 8, 2020

La verdad es muy difícil aprender algo ya que nunca hay retroalimentación aparte de la que dan los compañeros del curso. Solo son videos muy abiertos para explicaciones que deberían ser concretas.

By Marc S

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Apr 27, 2017

I was hoping the lectures would be more dense. My previous coursera courses where on data science, machine learning, etc. I somewhat feel that the content on those courses is twice or thrice more.

By nathan g

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Sep 28, 2020

Some of the instructions didn't seem to match the assignment and I think a lot of learners were confused. Needs more moderation. I did learn and found the challenges in the course useful.

By Sharon A D

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Jan 8, 2021

The instruction is clear and quite good, but what good is feedback if you cannot read it. I can see my grade but there is nowhere to see what my peers had to say about my work.

By Justin S

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Sep 9, 2020

the grading system could improve star selection process such as grammar; clarity; congruency; originality; captivation may broaden the critque of the story

By katherine l

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Apr 2, 2018

Materials were engaging. Some assignment direction was a little vague. Some professional interaction or review would help to supplement the peer review.

By Youssef A

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Jun 10, 2020

What's most beneficial about this course are the assignments rather than the videos. I do wish though we got some feedback from the instructor himself.

By S. J W

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Feb 27, 2016

Someone needs to review/proofread the final part and assignment. Many students were/are confused about the final assignment. Revise the video too.

By Paul C

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Oct 28, 2018

Too many interviews without delving into the core of the subject. There were some good tips but left feeling disappointed.

By Jesica M E D B

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Aug 22, 2016

The course is nice and informative. Unfortunately one can not do any of the pear rated assignments or pear reviews.

By Fatema R

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Dec 25, 2021

Very basic overview of plot, great for giving amateur writers a push in developing their stories.

By nima y

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Nov 8, 2020

The course was very practical and I learned very useful content and tips.

By Mariana C

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Mar 28, 2020

Good morning. How can I unenroll? It is not what I expected. Thank you.