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.
Creative Writing: The Craft of Style
Creative Writing: The Craft of Style
This course is part of Creative Writing Specialization
Instructor: Salvatore Scibona
66,887 already enrolled
Included with 
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7
(1,156 reviews)
7 hours to complete
3 weeks at 2 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
97%
Most learners liked this course
Details to know
Shareable certificate
Add to your LinkedIn profile
Taught in English
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
This course is part of the Creative Writing Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
There are 4 modules in this course
Here in the first module we focus on putting pressure on your words so that they mean what you intend. We balance abstraction with the need to make good sense. And we discuss the first and last stylistic difficulty of any prose writer, being clear.
What's included
9 videos2 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt
In the second module we look at the various parts of speech and how two of them—nouns and verbs—are the building blocks of good style and good narratives. By relying on nouns, we make the people, places, and things of the narrative world vivid. By relying on verbs we keep the story alive and in motion.
What's included
6 videos1 peer review1 discussion prompt
In the third module, having practiced putting words in, we learn to take them out. And why: for humor, for clarity, for cleanliness, and for that fleet quality of wit that makes a style irresistible.
What's included
5 videos1 reading1 peer review
In the the final module of the course, we learn to balance the drive to get at ideas and feelings, with the need the story always has for concreteness, realness. We learn to express ideas in the form of physical things in a narrative world, to produce a style that speaks as much to the world of the senses as to the world of the mind.
What's included
6 videos1 peer review
Instructor
Instructor ratings
4.9 (160 ratings)Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Music and Art
Wesleyan University
Johns Hopkins University
University of Colorado Boulder
California Institute of the Arts
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Felipe M.
Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."
Learner reviews
4.7
1,156 reviews
- 5 stars
78.47%
- 4 stars
17.37%
- 3 stars
2.93%
- 2 stars
0.34%
- 1 star
0.86%
Showing 3 of 1156
AT
5
Reviewed on Jan 18, 2017
Excellent course by Salvatore Scibona. The range of subjects covered was so wide and the practical tips given in the course are really helpful. Thanks a lot Salvatore, a well-designed course :)
EA
4
Reviewed on Dec 18, 2016
I felt this course was slightly tough. When it comes to the degree of strictness in passing, I had my share. I thank God I finally passed, though some peers are very hard to convince.
AM
5
Reviewed on Jul 16, 2018
Beautiful course, I've been writing for years, and this experience has been of great help and polishing. You are creating great writers. Thank you for the opportunity and all the knowledge.
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.