The Great Courses

Nothing happens by accident.

A number of years ago, I received a catalog in the mail.  It was from The Great Courses.  I'd never heard of it, and I don't know how they got my address.  But I browsed through the catalog, taking particular interest in courses about writing.

I'm nothing if not slow.  Over the next several years, the catalog kept showing up in the mail, usually in the early part of the year, and I'd browse through it and read about the writing courses.  I was curious about buying the course titled  "Building Great Sentences," but the price seemed prohibitive.  Besides, I wasn't sure I'd sit down long enough to make my way through each of the lectures.  (Some time later, I was at a local bookstore, and found the book version of the same course, written by the professor who delivers the lectures, Brooks Landon.  I bought the book, read it thoroughly, marked a number of notable spots, and learned lot–although I have to admit I'm not much for some of the loaded sentences Landon constructed, consisting of so many words, my twelfth grade creative writing teacher, Mrs. Cassidy, would have shivered.)

Over the past months, another course caught my eye:  "Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques."  I kept seeing it advertised in several magazines (a sign?), but, again, the cost was prohibitive.

Then, recently, I found the same course severely discounted.  The DVD version was only US $59.95.  Once shipping and handling were included, as well as applicable taxes and US exchange, the total cost was just over CAD $100–not bad at all for twenty-four, half-hour lectures.  (Turns out, most courses offered by The Great Courses are discounted once a year.)  The other nice thing is most courses can be streamed moments after you purchase them.  So, while you wait for the DVD and accompanying course guidebook to arrive, you can stream the first few lectures (or all of them, if you like).

When I discussed buying "Writing Great Fiction" with my partner, Chris, he asked what could I possibly learn from "Writing Great Fiction" that wasn't already included in one of the hundreds of books in my writing reference library.  Good question.  I guess there's something more engaging in watching a lecture than reading yet another book about writing.  Plus, I wanted to try The Great Courses for myself–see what it was all about, in case I wanted to take advantage of another discounted course in the future.

So far, I've watched lectures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 22 of "Writing Great Fiction."  The first four were terrific.  Lecture 22, titled "Revision Without Tears," I found disappointing.  But, to be fair, I didn't watch all the lectures that precede it, which probably took away from the information it contained.  So I plan to go back and watch each one in chronological order.

If I've piqued your curiosity about The Great Courses, be sure to check it out online.  The array of courses offered is vast (you're sure to find something that interests you), and they really do a nice job of putting together their packages and Fed-exing them so they're received in only a few days.