This was my first Coursera course, and will be my last. The absence of any input on the assignments from the instructor seemed more than a bit lame. The instructions for the assignments were awful. The worst instructions were for the final piece, which until today I didn't realize was meant to be for my entire memoir - I thought it was for one essay! While I thought the discipline of needing to get words on paper and review others' words was good, I found the course way less than satisfying. I'm making a second entry here to say that at a minimum, someone should check the accuracy of the voice-to-text narrative of the instructor's work. It is absolutely full of errors that would be easily corrected, but fit the overall impression of the course.

Ariel, I enjoyed Course 2 of the Specialization. In particular I enjoyed Developing a Narrator and Developing Trust with the reader. Then there was Where to begin and Finding your voice. What is your point is another. I have downloaded all the videos so that I can go over them until I get all the concepts. I really glad I took this course and this Specialization. I am on vacation in a few days so I may not complete all the peer scoring but I listened to all the videos and downloaded the text.

I am writing my first book which will not only be a memoir but also a help for those who suffer from illness.

I learned so much from this course, particularly from Ariel Levy's insights into what comprises an excellent narrative. She encourages one to engage the reader, bring them into the fore of what you want to put across, use self effacement, be funny, use connotations and create a spine and a point for your story. I like that she refers to writing as an "art," and how her examples are so clear cut and precise that I can't wait to use what I learned to create my non fiction narratives. Thank you.

I've been blown away at how good this course is. Ariel Levy is so good and so engaging. I've gone back and tried to download all the videos because where the first course in this specialization lays the groundwork, Ariel really leads the way on building on top of it. Levy also uses a lot of great examples from other's work and hers to give concrete examples of what she's teaching. She's great and I highly recommend this course.

I find the instructor very knowledgeable about the topic. The lectures were good and the assignments rigourous. Some of the peers did not seem like they followed the instructions or were in the right course but some were really good and I enjoyed reading their reviews as well as their assignments.

Absolutely brilliant! Ariel Levy's way of teaching is straightforward, inspiring, energetic, and clear. I wish I could do more courses with her. The content was most useful, and the sequence in which it was presented was right on. I wasn't the same when I finished the course. Thanks for this!!

The quality of the presentations are so outstanding. Special thanks to Professor Ariel Levy for the clear, reassuring and can-do style of her presentations. My writing skills has improved and my confidence level is increasing. Thank you for granting me the chance.

Thank you doesn't cut it, though I am eternally grateful. Every part of this course was helpful, challenging and unearthing. Ariel's style and insights are sheer brilliance and the exercises gave me the push and opportunity to find my writing potential.

Ariel Levy is terrific and so helpful. While I liked all of the instructors in this specialization, I found her style to be insightful and also practical. I thought the assignments made sense and directly related to where I'm trying to go as a writer.

This course has renewed my passion for writing and flexed literary muscles I have not used in quite a long time. The specific writing exercises flowed from one to the next cohesively and with purpose. A great course!

The assignments were very helpful with looking at my story in different ways. I now have an idea of how to elevate my story from a journal into a memoir.

As a writer and a blogger I felt like I should brush up on my craft. This course was very enlightening and Ariel Levy was engaging and informative.

Ariel Levy gives specific examples of books and excerpts to illustrate the learning points. This is very helpful and much appreciated.

It was my first class and it was really great! Not intimidating but challenging at the same time. Very positive peers as well.

Ariel Levy was absolutely engaging throughout the class and she really opened up my mind to my writing potential.

I appreciated Ariel Levy's tips, reading selections and also the particular exercises. All of it stretched me.

Ariel, thoroughly enjoyed your sessions, your approachable style and the sharing of your insights. Thank you.

Brilliant teaching. This course got me organized enough and out of my head. It's improved my writing 1000%!

The course really helped me to look back and analyze some incidents in my life and make a story out of it.

The mini-lectures are gold in mouth guidance, and the weekly assignments are well-thought drills!

This is a great course. I am going to study for the whole specialization. Highly recommended!

Loving this course. I am motivated by the professors/writers and have learned so much.

Ariel Levy is an engaging instructor with excellent examples and helpful advice.

This was a fantastic course with engaging lectures and challenging assignments.

Entedereas los pros y los contras de lo que haces y como mejorarlo dia a dia.