This specialization was outstanding. It unveiled so many of the mysteries of creative writing that I've puzzled over for a long time. My skills are unquestionably improved. In addition, the courses guide you on the practice of writing. How important it is to make it a social aspect of your life and not write in isolation since that often leads to losing momentum. Joining a writer's group and/or attending writer's conferences and workshops are key elements in keeping up the writing and getting better. The professors and guest speakers for this specialization were fantastic. Can't say enough positive things about it - this specialization exceeded my expectations.

This was a great course and I learned a lot about creative writing. The presenters were top class. Where the course falls down is in the appraisal system. I have looked forward to the suggested two-page appraisal of my story to be given by one person just a mark out of five and no comment at all. The next one said in one sentence that I had too much dialogue and gave a mark out of five. The third person did it correctly and gave great feedback. My point is that people whose English is not sufficient to give an appraisal should not be doing a specialisation Maybe there should be a prerequisite for such courses.

Best wishes.

Eileen McParland.

The steps from draft to "final" learned in this course and applied in the Capstone helped to find my true voice. The comparison between my first draft and my "final" showed me that if I force the story, it sounds that way. By using the skills taught in the rest of the course, I feel like my story is much more natural and brings the reader along with characters more effectively. Thank you to everyone involved in presenting this course. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in embarking on a writing project or anyone interested in honing their skills. Well done.

I have enjoyed every second of the five-part creative writing specialization. These courses have made me reassess my writing practices, they have allowed me to hone my skills as both a writer and working on the editing process. The course materials were brilliantly developed to support the aspiring writer and the knowledge and writing tips are of a very high caliber.

Each guest writer and tutor have given great insight into the writing process and how every writer is different, everybody has their own methods of working. Superb and challenging.

This capstone was a great experience. It didn't only motivate me to go throughout my short story, but also gave me some insights to review my peers' work in a better way, especially because I'm part of the Scribophile community where many fellow writers help each other in the editing process of their writings. The instructor, Mr. Scibona, is a great facilitator. He helped me a lot in clarifying some concepts about writing styles from the course The Craft of Style. Thank you so much for this opportunity to learn more about my passion: writing.

I really enjoyed this specialization course from the University of Wesleyan. All mentors and guests were providing very valuable and helpful information for the beginner writers and course participants. I mastered some skill which will be very useful for me during my creative writing career and that is why I want to declare my deep thankfulness to all member of this team who made such a great specialization and Capstone project.

Incredible course! The professor makes each and every moment of the process relevant and interesting. Loved the shared class discussions and reviews of students' work. Thoroughly enjoyed it and love the fact that everything was approached in a very practical way, with the understanding that everyone taking the course has their own specific set of circumstances and time constraints.

This course has been one of the best writing course that I have ever taken. I tell all of my writing friends that they should take the course, even if it's just for a refresher. The instructors were very clear on the assignments, the course were well planned. I hated for it to end. I would be very interested in a more in depth course on fiction if there is such a thing.

This program has been a wonderful experience. It's given me an opportunity to hone my writing skills and learn to accept praise and criticism. It's been a pleasure getting to know my classmates through their stories. I will miss their creativity and competence. My only regret is that it's over! I want to keep on going. Perhaps I'll take the specialization again......

I have learned so much from thos course, all the onstruction videos and assignments are all tools to improve your skills gradually. Hearing that there are published author who feel like I do when it comes to creating my stories is inspiring to work further. Having real discussions with other students and sharing ideas is great as well.

Great course that really caps the four that preceded it! It's a great experience to explore my new and enhanced writing abilities and have them put to the test in the peer review proces.

And very interesting to view other's capabilities and progress.

Many thanks to Salvatore and the rest of the team for their great guidance and example!

This part of the course was MOST helpful to me, given I have completed 28 chapters of what may be a 30 chapter novel.

Brandon Skyhorse's sharing his own experiences was most helpful in terms of helping a writer see that he/she needs to work to get the piece to be submitted into the most error-free state of being as possible.

An exceptionally masterful course. It answers all the candidate's plights with its rich material. The fact that there are regular assignments keeps you on your toes. All instructors as well as guests possess great understanding of fiction and will surely help you improve. Definitely recommend.

Fantastic experience. I found myself reviewing a story by a well-regarded author. I learned a lot from reviewing the writing of others. That alone is worth the five stars. The commentary I got back was not that thorough, but when people took it seriously it was quite helpful and encouraging.

I loved this class. The instructors were so gentle, articulate, and specific with their advice, and the instruction was excellent. I'd love to take it again and again. It did a lot for me as a writer personally, and I enjoyed seeing what other writers were doing. Highly recommend!

I loved this specialization. I will miss it. If you are lucky, you'll receive helpful feedback, but don't count on it for every assignment. There are some so called learners who don't want to do the work. Overall, I learned a lot from the assignments.

This is a great course that allowed me to fine tune my writing. Concepts and skills learnt will last me a lifetime of writing. I hope to complete my first novel in a few months, this specialization has put me in good stead to achieve my goal.

The entire specialization was full of actionable advice, focus, and the lively, uplifting, and unique personalities of the instructors and their guests. I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to visit Wesleyan. Their courses are invaluable to me.

I loved this capstone. It was the motivation that I needed to finally put pen to paper. The deadlines kept me on track, and the videos each week were very helpful. I'm so glad that I finished this entire specialization.

Wonderful series of courses. I want to thank Coursera and Wesleyan University for offering this specialization. I learned so much and it was a pleasure to follow the five courses. Thank you to all the professors.

I got so, so much out of this! It's not only helped me with my own writing, but it's helped me with being able to be a better editor, also. Enjoyed being able to read other writers' works, as well.

It was challenging and inspiring, one of the best courses I have taken. I took my writing to new places and learned quite a lot : ) Thank you so much for the opportunity and platform for learning.

I love this course. It helped me discovered the writer within me. Thanks to Wesleyan mentors for guiding us. It had been a wonderful experience learning from you all.

This has been a wonderful opportunity and journey, one of learning how to tap into innate skills of creativity, inspiration and penmanship. Thank you.

It was an amazing experience in my time as a student! I loved the classes and it made me a very different writer than I was at the beggining.