About this course: Everything comes together in the Capstone. You will draft a complete story, narrative essay, or memoir of 8–15 pages. With the advice of your peer readers, you will revise, rewrite, and complete it. The skills you’ve learned of plotting, setting, physical description, characterization, and stylistic clarity and innovation will culminate in an original work of art all your own. We’ll discuss the steps that professional writers take to bring their work into the public world. Along the way you’ll learn the patient habits of revision that make up the writer’s life.
Created by: Wesleyan University
Taught by: Salvatore Scibona, Frank B. Weeks Visiting Professor of English
| Basic Info |
Course 5 of 5 in the
Creative Writing Specialization.
|
| Commitment | 7 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Introduction to the Capstone and Gathering Materials
This week we lay out the agenda of the Capstone—seven weeks of structured work in which you’ll proceed from your accumulated notes and exercises to a finished piece: Your Story. We discuss the upcoming sequence of critiques of your fellow students’s work and ...
3 videos, 2 readings
WEEK 2
Composition Strategies
Having gathered all your scraps, notes, research, exercises into one place, you now get moving on the first draft. Through interviews with Jaimy Gordon and Amy Bloom, we discuss composition strategies—the different ways different writers have approached the b...
5 videos
WEEK 3
Finishing the First Draft
Compose, compose, compose. This week is devoted completely to pushing through that crucial deadline: finishing your first draft by the end of the week. As you compose, you’ll get some advice from successful Wesleyan alumni writers who have gone from where you...
6 videos
Graded: First Draft
WEEK 4
Peer Review
Now that you’ve finished your first draft, it’s time to get ready for the first big peer review. This week we’ll talk about how to give good critique, and we’ll present a sample story and sample workshop. At the end of the week, you’ll write critiques of thre...
4 videos, 1 reading
WEEK 5
Using Critique and Sanding
Some of the critiques you’ve received will seem immediately right, some more challenging, some may seem averse to your goals. This week we discuss the “Dear Workshop” Letter: a way of settling your thoughts and making decisions about what to do with all that ...
6 videos, 1 reading
Graded: Sanding
WEEK 6
Rewriting and Publication
If the theme of Week Three was Compose, compose, compose, this week’s theme is Revise, rewrite; revise, rewrite. We’ll discuss different ways of reading and approaching your draft to catch the action and the language and the characterization from different an...
5 videos
WEEK 7
Where to Go From Here?
By the end of this week, you will finish the final version of your story. We’ll discuss ways of continuing the creative momentum that’s brought you this far—whether through writers’ groups or conferences, or just through a daily writing practice. Once you tu...
4 videos, 1 reading
Graded: Final Draft
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Help from Your Peers
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
Wesleyan University
At Wesleyan, distinguished scholar-teachers work closely with students, taking advantage of fluidity among disciplines to explore the world with a variety of tools. The university seeks to build a diverse, energetic community of students, faculty, and staff who think critically and creatively and who value independence of mind and generosity of spirit.
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
Excelente curso
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!
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.
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Really enjoyed this class, and the others that goes with it!