At one point this may have been a good course. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. All homework is graded by your peers, which is whoever happens to be taking it at the same time you are. Sometimes you get in depth critiques that help you learn where you went wrong. Sometimes you receive "yes" to every question. The latter becomes more common the further you get into the course, until you receive no critiques at all.

Very limited teaching and contradictory assignments. For those with English as a second language be aware this course uses grammatical terminology but in a stylistic way and can cause a lot of confusion. Assignments are weak but as a whole for the four courses making up the Capstone just grit your teeth and get through it, the least enjoyable and instructive of all four.

The lecturer was good and provided useful information... however. There are at least two psychopaths taking this course specifically to type "????" in the peer review boxes and then give you a failing note. I had to submit the same prose (which, if you wonder, adhered to the assignment guidelines) at least three times before finally get a passing grade. If you will be taking this course, I suggest you to sleep with one eye open because you will have to do a lot of resubmitting. The worst part is there is nothing to do against these "anonymous learners" - no report feature, nothing at all. Infuriating, annoying and honestly makes you think, why bother?

It's ironic that Salvatore Scabona runs the course on economy when he seems unable to follow his own advice. There is an excessive amount of repetition, off topic quotes, lengthy videos about what's coming next and poorly thought through sentences that seem to be an effort to show off his knowledge, rather than impart it. It is stark against Brando's course which is so inspiring and motivating, that I find myself skipping huge sections of Salvatore's videos without losing any of the content. It is a shame, as the rest of the course and all the material is excellent.

I got nothing from the student reviews I received.

I recently completed the "Creative Writing: The Craft of Style" course on Coursera, and I must say it exceeded my expectations in every way. The course was incredibly immersive, providing a well-rounded and comprehensive learning experience.

From the very beginning, I was captivated by the instructor's engaging teaching style. Their extensive knowledge and expertise in the field of creative writing were evident throughout the course. They effortlessly conveyed complex concepts, breaking them down into easily understandable and applicable lessons.

What truly stood out for me was the course's ability to inspire and ignite my personal future screenwriting career. The instructor's passion for writing was contagious, and their enthusiasm seeped into every module. The course not only taught me the technical aspects of creative writing but also encouraged me to explore my own unique voice and storytelling style.

The interactive nature of the course further enhanced my learning experience. The writing exercises and assignments allowed me to practice what I had learned, giving me a chance to receive constructive feedback from both the instructor and fellow students. This collaborative approach fostered a sense of community and motivated me to push the boundaries of my creativity.

Furthermore, the course materials, including video lectures, readings, and additional resources, were well-curated and thoughtfully selected. They provided a wealth of information, examples, and inspiration to support my learning journey. The course also offered flexibility in terms of pacing, allowing me to learn at my own convenience and adapt the coursework to fit my schedule.

Overall, I highly recommend the "Creative Writing: The Craft of Style" course on Coursera to anyone interested in improving their writing skills or pursuing a career in screenwriting. It is an immersive and knowledgeable experience that not only teaches the craft but also serves as a catalyst for personal growth and creative identity.

After successfully completing NaNoWrimo in 2017 I was exhilarated to reactivate my passion for writing but I realized I had a lot to learn about writing, that it was more than just writing a story. The ideas come to me very easily but I did not want to write my stories blindly (as NaNoWriMo promotes), I want to do it well. So, i set myself on a learning journey reading a lot of eBooks I bought on Amazon as well as subscribing to writing channels on YouTube. Yes, it was overwhelming, a lot to learn. Those in fact helped me in this course as I see peers that seem oblivious to those facts.

Then one day I found this specialization in Coursera and I was (still am) very excited. I have learned a lot on the exercises and have also read some great story excerpts (some peers are very good and write awesome stories, my hat off to them as I hope to reach their level someday!). I just wish the lecturer or an assistant (Staff) were active on the course forums, usually you also need some AUTHORITATIVE feedback from someone who is already there (where you want to be) rather than from those that are on the same boat as you.

Do I recommend this course, or the specialization? a resounding YES to the square!

wonderful course, clear assignments, informative lectures. of all the classes this one changed my writing the most. I thought it would be the most extraneous of the series. I thought the plot and character class would be more important but in fact, just paying attention to style helped the movement of my stories - it forced things to happen, it forced a plot, it forced a character to do things. Scribona's advice is practical - use more nouns and verbs, pay attention to how you describe the world through the eyes of the characters, learn how to edit and so on. He helped me finally get a handle the POV i use all the time in writing, but never really understood, and so I used it badly.

Some of the other classes in the specialization were too heady, and not practical. But most importantly, Scribona's love for the written word was so apparent during the lectures that it elicited the same reverence in the students.

I really loved this part of the course. All these creative writing course exercises force you to concentrate on different aspects of writing, developing plot, character, background, adding lots of details, subtracting details. I felt they opened possibilities of writing that I had never considered, and offered different ways of looking at one thing.

The critiques forced us to remember the instructions for each assignment, and to really study each writer's story and to objectively judge it, but still be kind and fair and highlight what was correct and good.

I liked the reviews I received, even the negative ones. I think when we receive negative ones, we inwardly already know it, but it is nice to have someone confirm it and take an interest.

The lectures by Amy Bloom, Salvatore Scibone, Amity Gaige, and I think Rondo Skyhorse were a treat.

Thank you.

For a beginner, this course was a challenge in comparison to the other three base parts of Craft of Writing, but as a result of the challenge, it is by far the most rewarding as well.

The concepts discussed, and the material provides the learners with both broad perspective into several topics that I would argue to be crucial in becoming a writer, and also a deep look at some very key concepts to writing.

I would recommend taking this course last of the four, before beginning the Capstone project - if you're planning on going through all the parts. If you're a more seasoned writer, I would recommend starting with this course, and seeing how you fare with it.

I've enjoyed all of the base courses, but for me personally, this one struck the strongest chord.

As were all of the preceding modules, this was extremely informative, encouraging and rewarding. I cannot count the number of times I had started to write something and never finished it. I have had some really good ideas, and I've had a lifetime of really exciting experiences, yet they are bits of scrap paper in long-lost boxes. No more !! Now I carry notebooks and pencils everywhere I go. I number the pages, write and make illustrations constantly. I am trying to remember and resurrect the old stories and poems and am diligently trying to do the same with new things. These Wesleyan courses have been a turning point for me. The instructors seem like old friends, even though we've never met. Wonderful program.

~Jack Hayes

I really liked the contents and assignments of the course. It helped me improve my writing. Nevertheless, I think the way peer review is applied in this course needs to be reconsidered. Some people don't seem to take this very seriously or would need more examples of what helpful critiquing is supposed to look like. Unfortunately, this means one doesn't learn much from peer's feedback as quite a few people write just “good” instead of giving real feedback. It's not okay to be able to get a certificate if people don't really do the work that is necessary getting it. Also, it's quite a bummer if you have invested time to write a detailed feedback for someone and get “good” back.

Excellent course! I appreciated the instructor's enthusiasm for the topic, and found his lectures thoughtful, interesting and enjoyable. I had several "ah-ha" moments, where things I had learned before but never solidly grasped came into sharper focus. (For example, the concept of "no ideas but in things," which Professor Scibona explains very well.) I think my writing will be greatly improved by putting into practice the things I learned in this class. I would love to see a "Part 2" that delves more deeply into the topics covered, and covers other aspects of the craft of style.

I have completed 4 of these: Craft of Style, Characters, Plot, Settings and description and each and every one is packed with learning. Easy to understand, yet intricate, in how it it to write, whatever you want to do with it! I am a writer and have been, but this course and all in Creative Writing Specialization taught me things it would have taken me decades to understand, if I ever came to in the first place. This one is probably my favorite, though. The instructors in all of them are excellent, but the instructor for this one, Salvatore Scibona, is my favorite.

I was fascinated with this course. I think it raises the bar on how to become a better writer fro the reader's sake. Writing is more like painting and less than retelling. It's important to respect the reader's intelligence, she/ he can figure out the obvious, and as writers we want to entertain, engage the reader's curiosity, provide pleasure in the human senses. I also found it one of the most challenging of the courses because of the emphasis and care we should take in word choice. Words are the substance of all good writing, they should not be squandered!

My favorite of the four courses in this specialization! While many people may be fantastic at what they do, they are not always great at teaching it, but this is not the case with Salvatore Scibona. He is a fantastic teacher and I learned so much from taking his course. Not only do I now have insight into everything I read (I find myself constantly analyzing other writers' work), I also feel that I have the tools to compose my writing efficiently and intriguingly. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who loves to write fiction!

I really recommend this course. The content is clear and concrete and has helped me in a great way to understand the bases of what is important in style and what is not. Professor Salvatore Scibona transmits his experience and enthusiasm in a way that is easy to follow. Also the comments and contributions from the other teachers of the Creative Writing course and other writer guests were very useful for my understanding of this subject and practice in writing. The assignments were challenging for me and very interesting exercises.

Great course! I loved the focus on showing instead of telling when writing a story; the ways to keep a reader engaged. This is sometimes a difficult thing to grasp with regard to description that that helps the reader understand what a character is feeling from the things surrounding the character instead of telling how a character feels. The clarity of teaching and the examples given in this course made that easy to understand and manifest. Fabulous teacher.

In The Craft of Style, Salvatore Scibona tackles the different ways to stylize your writing so that it becomes clear and succinct as possible. He also teaches you how to get rid of extraneous words that may affect the flow of your writing. After completing the other courses in the Creative Writing program, this is a must for any beginning writer who wants to smarten up their prose and take their writing up a notch. Thank you for the course! I enjoyed it.

This course really challenged me to think outside the box. I had to create feelings without expressing or saying what the feeling was. I have always had issues with descriptions with emotions. In this class, I had to rely on verbs and nouns to describe what I wanted to say and carry the story's emotions. This is a good course to take to help elevate your story and show your character's feelings at a deeper level than saying what the emotions are.

The course, content, and such were fine; however, trying to get people to review your assignments was excruciating. In fact, if one person rates you zero with little-to-no useful information (like a few words), they can give you zero points. One individual rated me "zero" because I had made some comments in the review of his work. I gave him 1/1 points on the assignment, so I believe this to be the reason for his flawed comments or evaluation.

This was my favorite course. I liked the breakdowns that the educator gave on the dry erase board. There was a passion and a method to the way the he carried out his lessons, and a structure to the overall course that made it very easy to absorb. I can still remember two of the visual aids he used in the course and I don’t think they’re going anywhere soon. I liked how it was broken down, and the assignments were fun and challenging.

I picked up very specific pointers, such as the importance of nouns and verbs, brevity, and not going inside the protagonist's mind but letting my words imply his feelings and thoughts. The instructor has an easy-going style that kept my interest throughout. The written assignments were essential to use what I learnt, and they were fun. The course has motivated me to enroll for others in this 4-course program on Creative Writing.

This was the hardest of the four modules for me, and I learnt a lot - not only about downsizing, although it was an important lesson, and a tough one. I enjoyed the assignment, and actually was surprised that so much can be done technically to the text - and that I have the power to do things to my character and to the surrounding. Hopefully, I will be able to look at my writing from another perspective now. Thanks a lot!

I enjoyed this lecturer, and his method of teaching. Very explicit and precise. I found this to be the toughest segment so far. It is very difficult to edit your own work and cutting out parts- which you (as the author) feels like is a necassary part of your story is even more difficult. I enjoy the peer review, but I would like to know, at some point a professional will come in and give some real constructive feedback.