Learner Reviews & Feedback for Capstone: Your Story by Wesleyan University

I finished this program, was invited to Mentor for one of the specializations, so let my capstone story set for a while ... then spent the last month polishing pages ... and submitted this afternoon to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, one of the few 'pulps' left for short story writers of crime and mystery. Win, Lose, or Draw (Accept, Reject, or ReWrite) I NEVER would have gotten this far without the class and some excellent feedback from classmates. If you're ever planning on "finishing that story" and having others read it, this class is for you!

Brilliant! Would be enhanced to have a template for outline a story for future students, if possible

Cheers,

Nev.

This last course in the Specialization walks you through the process of writing, editing and submitting a short story. Salvatore's prompts, interviews and the advice form other writers are very helpful. This is truly a capstone of the other four courses in the Specialization. I never believed I could learn so much and improve my skills just by doing the exercises, understanding the principles and finding my way of putting them not practice. Many of the pieces form other participants that I had the opportunity to review were really great. An amazing specialization in all regards. Thank you to all the professors that shared their insights and experience and metored us!!

I enjoyed it and advise others to take it :)

Excellent! Worth doing.

Cheers

Excellent!

Fantastic experience. I found myself reviewing a story by a well-regarded author. I learned a lot from reviewing the writing of others. That alone is worth the five stars. The commentary I got back was not that thorough, but when people took it seriously it was quite helpful and encouraging.

Overall, I found this course to be VERY ENJOYABLE. My ONLY concern was that the PDF requirement was not stressed at the very beginning of the course. Because I have only an old refurbished computer that does not have top of the line features, making PDF files did not always work as planned. OpenOffice and Adobe Acrobat sometimes easily converted to PDF for submissions, but sometimes did NOT. That made it difficult for some reviewers to open. Had I known earlier, I would have bought a new computer and avoided some frustrating submission difficulties. I really appreciate the effort some people had to go through to open my odd submissions. They gave me some valuable tips in their critiques that I might have missed out on had they not persisted. SO: Suggest at the outset that writers using paleolithic equipment like mine, check to see if their computers can generate PDF files. It will eliminate a lot of cussing later on.

Other than THAT, I had a great time, learned a lot, and HIGHLY recommend the program. Wonderful teachers!

~Jack Hayes

I loved it. It was a great opportunity to learn how to write a story.

It was challenging and inspiring, one of the best courses I have taken. I took my writing to new places and learned quite a lot : ) Thank you so much for the opportunity and platform for learning.

Really enjoyed doing the capstone project! It was difficult at times, but totally worth it in the end!

Helped me more than all the books I read about creative writing combined.

Pacing just right; helpful assignments; solid, constructive teaching; tough yet encouraging peer review

It was a great course. I learned a lot. It's just sad that some people don't understand how hard it is to write in another language.

This has been a wonderful opportunity and journey, one of learning how to tap into innate skills of creativity, inspiration and penmanship. Thank you.

It's a whole lot of work, but I am enjoying it a lot.

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.

The entire 5 module experience was wonderful, enjoyable, stressful (in a good way), inspirational and encouraging. The Professors, the readings, the assignments coupled with the peer reviews made this online experience as close to a real classroom experience as I had hoped it would be. The course gave me the tools needed to keep going myself, as well as tools for reading generally, in a more critical way and, editing tips which are always, invaluable. I looked forward to each new week for the structure and, for seeing what would be required of me for that particular week's assignment and, most weeks, I surprised myself with what I did write. I am sorry that the course is over but I have taken away so much! Thank you.

A great process for any writer.

I really enjoyed this specialization course from the University of Wesleyan. All mentors and guests were providing very valuable and helpful information for the beginner writers and course participants. I mastered some skill which will be very useful for me during my creative writing career and that is why I want to declare my deep thankfulness to all member of this team who made such a great specialization and Capstone project.

This was a very valuable experience.

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!

You will get what you bring to the table - if you're an avid reader and have the smarts - you'll learn a LOT. Take note of the various books being recommended and read those too. Some of your classmates may not be producing the best work - don't worry - you do YOU and learn at your best level. It really helped me breakdown the basics of Writing and I now read books with a new eye. A new understanding of the art being disseminated. A wonderful course. Well designed.

Thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

Excelente curso