Enroll Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/writing-editing-drafting
Staring at a blank screen can be one of the most daunting aspects of any writing project. If you’ve ever felt paralyzed by the thought of starting, Coursera’s ‘Writing and Editing: Drafting’ course is an absolute game-changer. This third installment in the “Good with Words: Writing and Editing” series is specifically designed to tackle that initial hurdle, offering practical strategies to get your words flowing.
The course delves into common psychological traps that hinder productivity, such as the ‘planning fallacy’ – the tendency to underestimate the time needed for tasks. Learning about this, and how to combat it to meet deadlines, was incredibly insightful. Another key concept explored is ‘temptation bundling,’ a brilliant technique for making the writing process more enjoyable by pairing it with something you already like.
What truly sets this course apart are the actionable techniques it introduces. Experimenting with ‘freewriting’ allowed me to bypass my inner critic and just get ideas down on paper without judgment. The module on ‘writing before you are ready’ was particularly liberating, encouraging a more iterative and less intimidating approach to drafting. It emphasizes that the first draft doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to exist.
The syllabus is thoughtfully structured, beginning with an exploration of perfectionism’s pitfalls in ‘The Fantasy of the Uninitiated.’ Subsequent weeks focus on practical skills like overcoming the planning fallacy, integrating research and drafting in ‘Write Before You Are Ready,’ and the power of naming things for skill development in ‘To Name is To Know and Remember.’ Throughout, the course continues to reinforce good writing habits through its ‘Good Sentences’ and ‘Takeaways’ segments, offering valuable models and advice.
For anyone struggling to start their writing projects, or looking to develop a more efficient and less stressful drafting process, ‘Writing and Editing: Drafting’ is a highly recommended course. It equips you with the tools and mindset to not just start writing, but to write effectively and confidently.
Enroll Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/writing-editing-drafting