Rhetoric of Story : Learn the 7 foundations of storytelling. (Udemy.com)

This was a really interesting writing course that I think will be a very useful resource for me to write my first story. The instructor provides plenty of examples for each essential storytelling element, which is great for anyone wanting to understand how to incorporate these elements into their own story. I rated it as four stars because there are audio issues that made it difficult to understand what the instructor was saying at times. The captions are auto generated, so they were not always helpful in those instances.

The course has been really helpful to me and I congratulate Damien Walter for laying out the basics of story writing so clearly for a layperson like me. It was enjoyable and a good learning experience. Yes, there was noise in the background sometimes and maybe some repetitions... but as a person aspiring to write, I think perfection is not a part of our life stories. These little glitches make life more enjoyable and make learners more mindful of the task ahead. Thanks Damien for a lovely experience.

The course was way better than I expected, in terms of information. The idea of filming it in different places to make it special, is really good, but the way it messed up the audio in some places, isn't. I wouldn't have a problem with this, if the transcript is great, but it's auto generated, which makes it unprecise. This problem makes the course a bit uncomfortable for non-english students like me, but fortunately I understood everything well. Thank you!

My primary comments are technical: the sound quality was good at best, unintelligible at worst. The use of auto-focus when Damien is so close to the camera causes ongoing, distracting adjustments. The increasingly lengthy recaps at the beginning of each section would be better presented in their own segment, so that those of us who just completed the preceding section can skip them without hopping about. There were time when I felt more like I was having an essay on rhetoric read to me than I was participating in something designed to impart learning, but this was not often. I came out of this course with a much richer understanding of storytelling and am happy with the overall experience.

I loved the course. Damien has simplified the complexity of stories for me. I am not interested in writing a novel or a screenplay, but to make stories I tell more interesting and immersive. What engages people and why? Made me think about a lot of things and reframe a few. Audio sucks in places. Shame he didn't have a wind resistant microphone for some of the outdoor scenes. One in particular I had trouble actually hearing. But minor point. An excellent non fluff course in the basics

If you take this course know that it was amazingly captivating. I used One Note to record as a write because the captivating stories he tells and refers to in each section can distract you from writing notes, but I cannot think of a better way to showcase every aspect of the rhetoric of story than to utilize stories that effectively utilizes these aspects. You'll also have plenty of opportunities to practice the information you've learned through optional exercises. Despite, The lengthiness of each lesson, he does a wonderful job recapping every section and the takeaways both in the lecture notes and at the beginning of the section. When he says you're getting college level instruction, he is not lying. It was a really astounding journey. There were only minor issues that arose. I believe when he was in Sicily the wind was quite strong. As a result, It was near impossible to make out what he was saying in certain parts. I think if he put captions over that it would be tremendously helpful. Still this has been an amazing course, and I would behoove anyone who wants to take writing seriously or improve as a writer to take this course.

Very helpful ideas in this course. I would have liked more instruction on the process of writing a screenplay. But this course was a different lesson I suppose. Sort of like the ingredients in a recipe. Now I need to find the instructions/process of writing a screenplay. However, I highly recommend this course. Very well worth the time and money spent! Thanks Damian.

This is a wonderful course from a guy who really knows his stuff. The examples Damien uses and dissects to make his points are very helpful and make it an enjoyable class, this coming from a former college instructor btw. It is quite long and thorough however, so I recommend breaking it down into bite size chunks. I'm actually writing a non-fiction story about my life with my wife who was a well known professional psychic on the East Coast, so if you are writing non-fiction as well this course might still have value for you as it did for me. Reason being that I'd essentially written a chronology of the events in our lives without real life characters or into the emotions that arose both between us and with other people who came to us for teaching or healing. Nor did I have very much dialog, and I can see now how including all of these elements will enable me to write a book that is both interesting and enjoyable. Btw Damien, if you read these the last section was huge fun for me. I'm actually an old hippie but interestingly enough the left brained did most of the writing on the first draft and didn't realize that the old hippie needed to get on board the bus. Now that know that though I think the two odd fellows will work together to create a compelling book that will engage readers through a genuine story of love, magic and friendship.. and a betrayal that nearly destroyed us. (That's the tension part). :-) John Michael Christian

This course is one of two, on udemy, that I had to repeatedly revisit to digest the content. And I did, despite that I found it frustrating. The form does not appeal to me at all, it's quite the opposite of what I am looking for in an online education. The structure is hidden in the long and sometimes tiresome monologues, the exercises are not really relevant, in my mind, for online education. Only when having access to the tutor for questions and clarifications is this almost .... But I did return and I did (and still) digest the content, because it was exactly what I was missing on my journey towards decent writing and storytelling. My inner hippie/story-inventor is very exited, expecting future improvements regarding real manifestations of ideas.... ... however .... still not impressed by the sound quality!

Walter provides a good outline of the "rhetoric" of story, but it's a little light on detail. His use of examples is effective, particularly in the section on structure. Some of the videos suffer from audio interference, mostly from the environment in which they were recorded. This can make it difficult to hear Walter at times, though never impossible. In summary, the course is a good place to start for writers (or audiences) wanting to improve their understanding of story, with useful recommendations for further reading.