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Creative Writing: The Craft of Character

Approx. 6 hours to complete

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Course Summary

Craft of Character is a course that teaches the art of creating compelling characters in storytelling. It covers topics like character arcs, motivations, and flaws that make characters relatable and interesting.

Key Learning Points

Learn how to create complex characters that drive the plot forward
Understand the psychology behind character development
Explore different techniques for creating unique and memorable characters

Learning Outcomes

Develop the skills to create compelling characters for your stories
Learn how to create character arcs that resonate with your audience
Understand the importance of character flaws and motivations in storytelling

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic understanding of storytelling and creative writing
Access to a computer or mobile device with internet connection

Course Difficulty Level

Intermediate

Course Format

Online
Self-paced
Video lectures
Assignments

Similar Courses

Writing Fiction
Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot
The Fiction Writer's Toolkit

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Stephen King
J.K. Rowling

Related Books

Description

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.

Outline

Discovering Characters from Your Life and Elsewhere
Conception
The Conflict Within (Shop Talk with Brando Skyhorse)
Desire and Goals
Hearing, Selecting, and Seeing
Feedback Expectations for the Specialization
A Note on Assignments
Promo Codes

Creating Characters on the Page
Visiting Writer: Richard Blanco
Voice
Making Them Matter to the Reader (with Visiting Writer Dani Shapiro)
The Story Reveals Who We Are (Shop Talk with Salvatore Scibona)

Dialogue and Monologue
Inflection
Picking Your Point of View (Shop Talk with Amity Gaige)
Conversation's Greatest Hits
Idiosyncrasies

Set Your Characters Free.. and Give Them Somewhere to Go
What We Do and How We Do It
The Relationship Between the Character and the Wide World (with Visiting Writer Valerie Martin)
Voice of Narrator
Voice of Narrative

Summary of User Reviews

Craft of Character course on Coursera receives positive reviews from users. Many users found the course to be engaging and helpful in developing their writing skills.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

Engaging and helpful in developing writing skills

Pros from User Reviews

Great course for beginners in creative writing
Instructors provide clear and concise lectures
Assignments and peer reviews help to practice and apply learned concepts
Course material is well-organized and easy to follow

Cons from User Reviews

Some users found the course to be too basic and not challenging enough
Limited feedback from instructors on assignments
Course content may not be suitable for advanced writers
Some technical issues reported with the platform

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