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

4.7
stars
4,841 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

DA

Nov 30, 2016

Great course to take as the first step in the sequence of the "Creative Writing" certification. Exercises are fun, professor provides useful methodology, load is manageable for someone with a day job.

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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1576 - 1600 of 1,628 Reviews for Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot

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.

By priya v

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Dec 21, 2016

it would have been great if the final assignment had been grade

By ahmed i

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Jan 17, 2017

it seems good and hopefully will be valuable in my context

By Digant K

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Mar 27, 2016

So overly simple with a lack of details in the steps.