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

4.7
stars
4,727 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.

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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76 - 100 of 1,595 Reviews for Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot

By Nlee L

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Oct 10, 2018

I enjoyed the course. The structure of the lessons was easy to follow and understand. The videos of such accomplished writers sharing valuable information was not only helpful but also entertaining.

I've wanted to try my hand at writing for many years. This was an affordable and effective way to do it from the remote Redwoods in California. Reviewing other learners work was more helpful than I had expected it to be. Perhaps the most difficult part of the module, I hope I was as helpful to others as they were to me. I will remember the ABDCE format and hopefully be able to apply it to all my writing in the future. Thank you Brando Skyhorse for you leadership.

By Nancy B

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Jul 20, 2020

The course is fabulous and the platform so easy to use. This is the first online course I've taken and I'm surprised how much information was packed into the videos. No time was wasted. Almost every sentence in the transcript of the narration was useful. The guest writers were interesting and their experiences in writing and their own "rules" made it almost feel as if I was in their company. The instructor, Mr. Skyhorse made me wish I had professors that good, and that relaxed, in college. Thanks go to all and to the digital people behind the scenes who made everything work so well even during a pandemic where I'm sure the usage was much higher. :)

By Nasal

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Mar 14, 2020

Submitting assignments in this course was the first time I had ever put any story of mine on the internet for people to read. I had always been self-conscious of my work, but having the assignments as motivation really helped my push past this obstacle. Thank you!

The course has helped me organise my plots better. The structures outline in the modules are easy to understand, and the examples used are well-thought out.

The interviews were the most helpful. The discussions Brando had with the authors were insightful and filled with advice. As someone who still struggles with writing (despite loving it dearly), this was invaluable.

By Joseph S

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Oct 28, 2019

I find the videos of Professor Skyhorse to be well-done. In fact, I enjoyed going through them and listening to him talk. There were no difficulties on his part in delivering the material in an organized manner. However, I would have enjoyed getting feedback from the instructor or someone, who has worked closely with him. As students just learning creative writing coursework, none of us really know what we have produced meets the highest or above-average coursework. I would like to know more about the things that work and don't work now instead of learning that I have much to fix down the road.

By Jazmin B

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Jan 4, 2024

First time to try creative writing course and actually write based on each lesson. What an experience. I appreciated the lecturer and the writers he invited. The feedback from other learners intimidated me because I haven't done this before and I did not want to get crushing reviews. But it was such an important part of this learning, and I am so grateful to those who talked more about what was lacking in my writing, what could be improved, and what they liked. That also helped me to be more helpful with my comments on others' work, understanding that I could contribute to their growth as well.

By Christine W

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Sep 1, 2018

I got as much out of this class as I put into it, which is to say, I learned a lot. That being said, I also supplemented what I got out of the lectures with material that I found elsewhere on the web.

This is a really good starter class for creative writing and I would recommend it, but something has to be done about the lack of reviewers since whether learners pass or fail the class is based on those reviews. I'm not sure what the solution is but I do know that it is necessary to go ISO writing clubs on the web or real life with like-minded people seeking feedback on their work.

By Hope M V

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Jun 20, 2016

I am very much enjoying how my professor breaks everything down to the simplest form. I find myself applying what I have learned to my everyday writing as well as things I read and watch. He is upbeat and energetic and the assignments are fun! Although he asks for 200 words and I find that difficult because I am accustomed to writing a small novel for each answer, as you can clearly tell from my review of this course.

I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to begin writing or to writers who want a fundamental understanding of what they are already doing.

By Jaya S

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Jan 30, 2022

Professor Brando has done a great job in explaining various aspects of crafting a plot in an actionable way. I am very impressed in how well he can make learners understand finer aspects of creative writing. Generally creativity cannot be taught, but Professor Brando disproves it helping the learners with high-level guidelines that make the writing much more clear and effective. Thank you, Professor Brando, Coursera and the entire team who put together this course. And, a special thanks to the peers for their thoughtful feedback on the assignments!

By Jennifer D S

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Jun 7, 2016

Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot is simply one of the best video courses I have found on the subject. Easy to follow, great examples, clearly explained, engaging presentations and assignments, tips from the experts; all those things made this one course I couldn't "put down". Brando Skyhorse comes across as a phenomenal teacher who really knows his subject and truly cares about it, that alone makes the course worth watching. I will definitely be referring back to this again. Keep an eye on the dedication should my novel ever hit the shelves!

By Fernando S

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Sep 14, 2020

The videos by writer and professor Brando Skyhorse are very to-the-point, informative and easy to follow, and the interviews with fellow writers help shed light on various aspects of the craft. However, the most important part of the course in my opinion were the writing assignments, and I think they do a good job of challenging students and making us apply the techniques learned. The only problem I think is that there could be more feedback from teaching staff, the only feedback we ever got on our assignments came from fellow students.

By Yasmin C (

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Dec 6, 2023

I recently completed and successfully passed this creative writing class. The course provided a rich and engaging experience, fostering my creativity and refining my writing skills. The instructor's guidance was instrumental in my growth as a writer. The variety of writing prompts and exercises offered a diverse range of challenges, contributing to a well-rounded learning experience. Overall, it was a rewarding journey that significantly enhanced my understanding of the craft and allowed me to express my creativity more effectively.

By Rochelle S

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Aug 20, 2016

Didn't pay to unlock the assignments but still enjoyed it. Lecturer explains points clearly and gives examples from familiar literature. Even if you aren't an aspiring (or struggling) writer, you'll still learn a lot about the structure of good storytelling. Ever wondered why movies and novels seem to follow the same pattern, yet it always works? You'll find out here. Great course. My only regret is that assignment reviews are locked until you pay for them. It would've been nice if only the capstone project required payment.

By David S

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May 4, 2018

Retired from a career as writer and occasional editor of technical and non-fiction articles, memos and magazines, fiction writing has for four decades presented an insurmountable obstacle against which I have repeatedly failed to achieve the least understanding... until Wesleyan University offered Creative Writing: The Craft of the Plot. Regardless of my love of fiction, taken both in print and audio, I have never understood the structure underlying the classics and modern works I so adore UNTIL this course. Thank You!

By Tania Y K R V

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Feb 5, 2020

If you are a natural writer but still find yourself stuck in hesitation or lack of confidence, this course will help you and encourage you to go deeper into your capacities to challenge yourself and get the best out of those images you are still unsure how to put up into words and share with others. I loved this course, and I urge you to join it and start polishing those ideas wandering in your mind, put your heart and effort to get the best from each insight, and you'll discover the beauty you can produce into a story.

By Dayzzel B

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Mar 21, 2017

I love this course. This is the first time I have ever attended a Creative Writing course in University level and the first course I took here in Coursera. The lecture delivery was outstanding, and the content is very essential, very helpful for people looking to find structure in writing. I have re-written a piece I wrote based on the knowledge I learned from this course, and indeed, my re-write is so much better than the original re-write I did. People who have been informally writing will benefit so much from this.

By Nathaniel C

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Aug 16, 2021

I got a lot out of this course actually...I did find myself thinking that there should be levels. Perhaps students could selfidentify and be grouped by writing ability. The idea being that then students could be more likely to recieve at least some of their feedback from peers at a similar level or better. It would also be great if Mr. Skyhorse and other faculty were able to provide feedback from time to time. I recognise that these suggestions may not be feasible from a resource standpoint, but...in an ideal world.

By Anna A

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Sep 23, 2016

The course materials are really useful as they are not just oversimplified guidelines, but practical skills that I can really utilize in my writing. The constraints in every writing assignment gave me new inspirations as I must come up with something that fits into the constraints. I especially like the interviews with other writers, which are included as part of the course materials. They serve to give me another perspective on the same matter discussed by the teacher and hence to stimulate my own thoughts on it.

By Veony V

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Jun 14, 2020

This course really helps me jumpstart my passion for writing. The knowledge given by the lecturer is so valuable. Be it the 5 structures, the 21-points checklist, etc. I will always keep it in my mind every time I write a story. The peer-graded assignment is so exciting as I can read others' story and learn to give constructive feedback that I can even use for myself. Other than that, I gain more confidence in my English and finally brave enough to let people read my story. I'm really grateful for this course!

By sarath k

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Jul 28, 2021

As a writer, at times in some of my works, I used to feel that there is something wrong and not structured. And at other times reading the work gave me satisfaction for how good it is. But I could never put my finger on the reason why it was bad or good. This course helped me realize them. For beginners this course will be great start, teaching them how to do it right. For learners, this will be an eye-opener course. Apart from at times dull review from the peers, the course is fantastic. Highly recommended.

By Inés K

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Dec 30, 2018

The course was very interesting, gave me a lot of ideas, and helped me to see my way to trying to write something longer. The one thing I found not so good was the 'shop-talk' with the instructors of the other creative writing classes. There was too much repetition (if you do all these classes). It would be more interesting to hear OTHER people, writers, and also editors (another point of view).

Also, for ALL these classes, I'd appreciate more tasks. The tasks are interesting and help, so more would be great.

By Isabelle S

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Mar 25, 2018

The Craft of Plot course is exactly what I was looking for to help my ceative writing. The lessons are clear and easy to understand, there’s real concrete advice with concrete example, the assignments are relevant and fun, and Brando is a great teacher. As someone has written lots of stories, some of the advice seemed obvious at first, but when I put it into practice in the assignments I realised I had lots to learn. Would definitely recommend this course to anyone intereested in storytelling or writing!

By Susan C

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Mar 23, 2022

The lessons are straight to the point and easy to understand. The writing prompts challenge us to apply the points learned through the lessons. I enjoyed the challenge and honing my skills in crafting plot in my writing. This course has helped me improve how I write and how I read the work of others. I highly recommend it to anyone who is seeking to take their writing to the next level by going back to the basics. That's what it is, right? Mastery comes from the constant return to the basics.

By Shei S

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Mar 9, 2016

Besides an engaging instructor (Brandon Skyhorse), the modules' content is accessible for nascent writers. Moreover, I enjoy the shop talk series with authors. These lectures cum interviews show a fulfilling, intimate view of writing lives. I feel more confident in my writing and have been a better, more critical reader of others' work, especially my own. I recommend this course to anyone who needs to brush up on their creative writing skills and for those who want to start from a clean slate.

By Amanda P S

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Sep 1, 2018

Os cursos da especialização em Creative Writing estão me ajudando bastante a desenvolver meu processo de escrita! As atividades foram interessantes, as entrevistas com os professores são super bacanas e eu gostei bastante de conhecer um pouco da história dos meus colegas de classe. Com certeza, não teria acesso a um curso tão bom e acessível na cidade em que moro.

Por fim, gostaria de agradecer ao Coursera pelo auxílio financeiro. Obrigada por acreditarem em mim e me darem essa oportunidade!

By Divya M B

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Mar 17, 2016

Agradezco mucho haber tenido la oportunidad de participar de esta primera parte del curso, que ha resultado ser mejor de lo que imaginé. Es un curso de gran contenido, explicado de forma muy clara y sencilla. A lo largo de este mes he notado una gran mejoría en la forma en que ordeno mis ideas, en el desarrollo de la creatividad, en el manejo de la disciplina, etc. Deseo continuar con este curso hasta el final y lo recomiendo a todos aquellos interesados en el arte de la creación literaria.