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

4.5
stars
1,862 ratings

About the Course

At the center of a good story are the characters in it. In this course aspiring writers will discover how to build and bring to life complex, vivid and unforgettable characters. We will study the choices a writer makes to bring all characters to life on the page, and we will perform written exercises in order to develop a variety of writing and pre-writing techniques, in order to create a variety of characters. We will learn how to use our own life experiences, and the people we know (and how not to!). We will develop inner (thoughts and feelings) and outer (appearance, habits, behavior) lives for our characters and see how that can lead us to richer and more interesting stories. We will breathe life into our characters and let them surprise us....

Top reviews

SS

Aug 10, 2016

I loved this course! Extremely useful and hands on. The course instructor was really impressive, both informative and empathetic, both arty and to the point. Totally admired her style of instruction.

NM

Sep 25, 2020

The course was very well-structured and challenging. The instructor is very experienced and good, thus used relevant materials for this course, be it the guests, or the assignments, or the examples.

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51 - 75 of 551 Reviews for Creative Writing: The Craft of Character

By Hayeon C

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Aug 6, 2020

It was quite simple but the tips are quite general. It is good for beginners. However, it was a good excersize and was fun in a way.

By Patrick L

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May 2, 2016

I didn't think there were many solid pointers...and not much that was original coming from the instructor herself.

By Elaina J

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Feb 1, 2018

The lessons do not seem to match the assignments. The instructions for the assignments are confusing.

By Muhammad A

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Apr 16, 2022

I cannot submit the last assignment

By Juliana C

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Mar 18, 2021

The course is really nice, but there is a lot of reading other people's books out loud and conversations and not a lot of practical support. The most useful piece of advice I got was on Week 2 from one of the discussions boards, which was actually hard to find because the discussion board is flooded with people requesting their material be reviewed, which brings me to the next point - I don't this the random assignment algorithm used by Coursera is very efficient. Many times I had to wait for a while to get my assignments reviewed. Also, because this is peer graded, there are a lot of people who are not taking the course seriously enough and provide crappy feedback. For the price of $49 it should be a much better course.

By P B

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Aug 12, 2017

I never received reviews.

By Truong Q H ( H

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Oct 6, 2022

bad

By Ricardo P

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Jun 30, 2019

In this course, Amy Bloom teaches students the different ways of creating a character, whether by observing family members or friends or creating them from scratch—this course goes into detail on what it takes to craft convincing characters and understand them so that the reader is persuaded into believing their goals and actions. The course also goes focuses on the narrator's voice and the many different points of view that a writer can use (first person, third person omniscient, etc). This is a good entry level course for beginners who want to gain an understanding of character creation basics. The assignments were thought-provoking and really helped with putting into practice the concepts laid out by the videos. This Course is meant for writers that are just starting out by allowing them to develop setting, dialogue and actions for in-depth characterization of people in a story.

By Shahenda M

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Aug 18, 2023

I am nearly 19 yeras old, I've been writing since I was 12 years old and maybe even when I was 10. I used to write something like poetry in school (of course it wasn't good). Anyway, the stories I used to write weren't that good, but I wrote the first novel when I was like 15/16 years, it was actually very good and then I started to write more and my writing was progrprogressing very well, and now I'm writing another novel and my writing is so good like I actualy can be happy about my talent, creativity. So I took this course while writing my current novel and this course helped me to open my eyes on a lot of things I didn't know and things I knew but I didin't know how to do it or I dididn't care about. So, thanks to this amazing course and thanks to the amazing instructors who teached this course. I'm planning to take the 5 courses, I'll start the 4th one soon.

By Charles T

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Jun 13, 2017

--The videos were very interesting, especially the discussions with other writers.

-- The four exercises were worthwhile and challenging--perhaps too challenging for some of the participants, based on the pieces I read. Note that two hours isn't nearly long enough to do most of these exercises if the objective is to produce a piece that is both well thought through and well written.

--I found the peer reviews to be highly variable in quality.

-- Some textual material should be included in the course. We can always cut and paste the transcripts of the lectures--but why not provide easily accessible lecture notes? And there should also be instructional materials other then the lectures.

-- The questions asked of the peer reviewers are good ones. They would provide useful guidance in dealing with the assignment. Why not give them out along with the assignment?

By a

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May 21, 2018

Very concise and great tips and notes from Amy Bloom. The interviews and guests conversations helped as well. I had a bad experience with peer review and reported it, but had not heard what consequences were brought against him. The "wtf" added on peer reviews should not be tolerated and that student should not be accepted for a period. This is a learning environment to encourage learning a craft, developed thoughts and understanding. It is not a place for vulgar, rude and negative peer reviews, and coming from someone who also is taking a course to learn the craft or subject. I hope this student is ultimately been kicked out and not accepted for several courses, whether he is a paying student or otherwise, otherwise, the integrity of Coursera and Wesleyan U is not one I would want to associate with, nor do I want anyone else to.

By robin b

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Apr 13, 2020

I loved this, giving me alternative ways to approach character descriptions. It broadens my approach to writing, opening me up to possibilities I didn't know existed. It also forced me to go past my comfort zone. I love the lectures by actual writers and teachers.

It is hard to be rated by your peers, even though they've been told to be kind and try to find the good things in your writing. But I believe in one of the modules one of the teachers describes the feeling well: what it is like to bare your soul and have someone criticize it. It is necessary in writing, if you want people to read what you write and enjoy it.

That is the challenge.

By Jason L

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Jan 24, 2022

There were a lot of good ideas and tips presented that will help a writer to develop characters. These were presented in a logical way, both through direct lecture and interviews. The assignments were well constructed and helped to apply some of the concepts of the lectures. The assignments were challenging and thought provoking, but not too much. The interactions with peers were helpful and beneficial. My one criticism is I think she could have had more content. Compared to other Coursera courses, this one didn't have as much lecture material, and I think there was more she could have said and shared with us to give us even more tips.

By Jack H

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May 16, 2018

Really enjoyed this particular module since, not only do I KNOW a lot of characters, I AM one. This course made me become more aware of mannerisms, cultural and behavioral differences and similarities, plus the results and implications of how these characters inter-mesh with one another. Politics and households mirror one another and I am NEVER without a notebook and pencils since beginning this module. Now almost everyone I see gets captured in the notebook. INCLUDING THE INSTRUCTORS ! They are truly interesting personalities and I enjoyed their Shoptalk segments a lot. It is a great program.

By Victoria W S

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Jun 24, 2017

I have enjoyed this very thorough class. Although some of the assignment titles were misleading, the assignments overall were very good once I understood them. At first I did not like having to get feedback and give feedback on assignments, but as the course went on, I was able to see the value in this and understand why it was set up this way. By week 4, the observations of classmates not only resonated with my own about our writings but also enlightened some of the thoughts I hadn't yet put into words yet so I was able to articulate them and understand them better. Great course!!

By Abhishek N

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Nov 14, 2019

First, the tasks were really challenging, but they were great. They provided me to think differently on various different points, which was very enjoyable. I loved Professor Amy Bloom's delivery of building a character and developing them, I finally started using my observation skills in expressing my thoughts and my characters. I also got confidence boost from her positive messages even in the lectures. I also liked the talks with other authors, which made me so glad that I can compare my thought process with some great authors. It was another plus for confidence.

By Jane G

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Apr 18, 2022

Excellent course! I liked how Amy Bloom explained and really broke down the nitty-gritty of writing believable and memorable characters. I especially enjoyed the peer reviews on the assignments; I got very helpful feedback! It was also fun reading what others wrote, and the forums for asking questions. It was like a beautiful community of writers! On the whole, I enjoyed taking the course, learnt a lot (and my writing of characters has definitely improved) and I'm certainly going to take the full specializations of Wesleyan University's Creative Writing Courses!

By Sarah S

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Feb 22, 2017

I found this course very helpful as a step along the path to improving my writing. I really liked the course director Any Bloom, who has an engaging, calm manner and gave very useful insights into writing about character and creating characters that feel as if they have a life beyond the page. The course is well structured and the assignments well designed to help you to think about point of view and character and I found myself being able to develop a fictional character that I have had in my mind for a while. I really enjoyed the course, thank you very much.

By grace h

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Apr 24, 2018

The input from the published authors was great, for many reasons. But one of the things I appreciated most is that they weren't all the same. They gave a variety of perspectives that presented the fullness and freedom of writing. Each one had strong opinions and strategies, but since they were different from each other, we were set free to glean different flavors as they fit our own style. This is what sets good teaching apart - giving good solid options to choose from as we craft our characters and our own voice in presenting them.

By Tania R F

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Nov 26, 2019

This course had some very challenging tasks, and I did find the instructions for one of the assignments a bit problematic, because many of my fellow students misinterpreted them (and it was tough reviewing them when you could clearly see that they did understand the instructions; a big shame).

However, the instructor, Amy Bloom, was fantastic and I loved the way she delivered the course, and the material she covered.

A very enjoyable, informative course that I wish would have lasted longer just because I loved it so much.

By Abigail A

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Oct 24, 2022

I thoroughly enjoyed Miss Amy Bloom, she shared deep, emotional insight to connect with your characters as a writer. I felt like the other professors had great logical classes that broke down the technical side of things well, but Amy Bloom gave a wonderful insight into the "out-of-the-box" and emotional awakening of literature's people.

If you don't understand the great works of L. M. Montgomery, C. S. Lewis, or other authors that could see things in an emotional, spiritual way, you may not understand Prof. Bloom.

By David S

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Jun 25, 2018

A wonderful set of lectures and exercises that truly advance one's understanding of character development. As in the previous class, "Plot," the subject matter is broken down to easily digested concepts, building on each other until the author is left with a renewed confidence in their ability to craft interesting, dynamic characters. And, the peer-review process is a hoot! What wonderful imagination our classmates exhibit! The reviews are pertinent as well and the moderators always available. Five Stars!

By Salma H

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Mar 25, 2019

I enjoyed Amy Bloom's teaching style and the way she relayed the message across. It really felt like being with a friend at a coffeeshop, analyzing different parts of books and stories that we've read and commenting on them. It was casual, comfortable, and very informative. The assignments allowed me to experiment and unlock new ways of getting and utilizing inspiration for characters, and for giving my characters a proper and interesting depth.

By Quynh H

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Oct 21, 2018

This course helped sharpen my noticing skills. The suggested reading is immensely helpful. The feedback is invaluable and I will be going back to some of those to transform those exercises into short stories. Thank you so much for the public access to this course! I am indebted to you. A MOOC is truly a life transforming invention, giving people the tools to improve on their skills. I can't imagine life without a MOOC! My goodness!

By Allan R A

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Mar 18, 2018

Amy Bloom makes a student writer feel he or she is the only student in the world. She shares what she has learned and points to excellent models in literature and writing. We learn that writers love to talk to each other about their craft, and, by golly, we're invited right into their circles of conversation. Of course, it's all pre-programmed and produced for a large audience, but it's authentic, friendly, and best of all, it's wise.