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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

DA

Nov 30, 2016

Great course to take as the first step in the sequence of the "Creative Writing" certification. Exercises are fun, professor provides useful methodology, load is manageable for someone with a day job.

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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276 - 300 of 1,595 Reviews for Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot

By Lisa D

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May 13, 2018

An excellent class. It helped me sharpen up my writing. I would say this is better than any book I ever read on writing. A huge part of it was in the reading and reviewing of other student's work. I felt I learned even more in doing that.

By Muaz N

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Jul 22, 2022

This course really helped me formally learn about writing fiction. My writing has improved significantly due to the advice from the teacher even though I had previously read several books and also taken a master class by James Patterson.

By Nolizwe M

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Jan 18, 2018

I really enjoyed this course. The assignments were challenging and pushed me to think outside the box. I most appreciated receiving feedback from peers, and also seeing how they applied new lessons/skills. I highly recommend this course!

By Carlos R

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Nov 21, 2018

Fantastic. I really have learned how to identify the structure of the plot in the stories I read, and I am now able to structure plots to my stories - their bones - which I will in a second moment I will fill up with scenes - the flesh.

By Michael R

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Jul 5, 2016

I really liked the balance between explanation, instruction and hands-on-exercise. Brando Skyhorse explains things well and he seems to be the knowledgeable, skillful professional and teacher that you can trust to help you move forward.

By Mary M

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Dec 30, 2020

This is a fine course with the exception of students' grades depending on others, i.e., peer reviews. students do their required peer reviews yet get a failing grade if others don't review their work in return. That's very unfortunate.

By Sophie B

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Dec 28, 2020

ce cours est extrémement interessant, et donne toutes les bases d'écriture pour les écrivains en herbe ou chevronnés. Les explications sont claires, et les échanges avec les écrivains célébres donnent de vraies pistes d'amélioration.

By hector c

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Feb 10, 2018

Really good, the exercises are challenging and make you work on making good scenes and stories in very limited word counts. Brando's classes are easy to follow and his advice hits the mark. The guest lectures are also very insightful

By Gloria J M

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Feb 7, 2021

Very helpful. I have many story ideas but had no idea where to begin. The feedback from the last assignment showed me how to look at structure. I need more practice but this is definitely a good way to get started. Great instructor.

By Lauren R

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Jul 27, 2017

I am loving these classes so far and am excited to continue learning. Just by taking this class and reading the prompts, I'm finding the motivation to write and coming up with more to write about. I couldn't ask for more. Thank you.

By Eileen M M

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Aug 11, 2020

Es un curso muy valioso. Lo que aprendes en él, de la mano de expertos de primer nivel, es un gran privilegio. Además, las explicaciones son muy precisas y prácticas. Estoy muy contenta por no haber desaprovechado esta oportunidad.

By Aymen

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Aug 9, 2020

This is a wonderful course that provides good guidance and tips for aspiring writers as well as a positive space to practice those guidelines. I recommend this to you, whether you're thinking about writing or are already a writer.

By Gala R

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Jun 4, 2020

The course was well done, there were clear examples and the exercises followed the information that was presented. I learned a lot from each module and would recommend it to anyone interested in the 101 on creating a good story.

By Ramona K

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Sep 22, 2018

This course has helped me understand how to write so the reader sees what I am telling. More than a story someone reads to you but allows you the ability to bring the reader in to see the action and be a part of what is going on.

By Marko K

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Nov 14, 2022

I read a lot of books on how to write, wrote some fiction as well but this is the first time I managed to actually feel like things are coming together and that I am expressing the story the way I am intending. Thanks for that!

By Shreya J

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Jul 5, 2020

It was quite a phenomenal course. I Always loved writing but this provided me like a solid base and lots of tips on how to go about doing what I love. Brando Skyhorse was an amazing tutor explaining the concepts very admirably.

By Alexandra M

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Feb 5, 2018

This is a great course for both beginning authors and advanced ones. it really puts writing into perspective and helps one crafting a story. Brandon is great at clearly explaining everything. I highly recommend it to everyone!

By Janice S

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Jul 20, 2020

Dr.Skyhorse taught me things I didn't know and allowed me, as well as other students, time, and space to write. I am continuing with this series because of the way Dr. Skyhorse teaches and what I learn about writing from him.

By Lana P

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Nov 15, 2019

I enjoyed this course, I've learnt many new things I didn't know about. I also really enjoyed peers' feedback, as it gave me the chance to see what I write from the other perspective. Overall it is very useful and productive.

By Aditya R

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Aug 16, 2020

Very nice course by Brando Skyhorse. A perfect gateway to the world of Creative Writing. It starts from basics and elevates gently to a point where you certainly realize you have evolved over the course. Thank you for this!

By Doğanay Ç

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Jul 13, 2020

The teacher was awesome. He taught so well with great examples and he seemed like the best teacher to me. I also enjoyed so much on his Shop Talk videos. The conversation was so fun and full of new data. Thank you so much.

By Mira K

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Jul 5, 2019

I loved this course, the instructor was really good and I learned a lot. He explained things really well by using examples from well-known books and discussions with other authors. I would definitely recommend this course.

By Mew W

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Mar 17, 2020

This course really helps me a lot. Writing has been my passion ever since and I really want to do well until I am confident enough to publish my works. I learned from the instructors, especially explaining the structures.

By Tugce K

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Oct 7, 2016

Thank you for the valuable information and providing the listener with plenty of examples, making it easier to follow and understand. I really enjoyed listening to the interviews and the explanations given in this course.

By Brian O

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Mar 15, 2022

Wow was this great! I had taken another course that inspired me to write but didnt give me the framework. Now I have the beggining of that and I am hooked! All the instructors were fantastic! On to the Craft of Style!