How have the other Coursera classes helped you? I admit they're much longer and more involved than a lot of the other stuff I post. But if you want to become a better writer it really is a matter of putting in the time and practice to get there. I promise you, Stephen King didn't wake up one morning able to write a novel. It took work and failures to get where he ended up. You'll require the same.
If plot and characters are the skeleton of a story, setting and description are the muscles and skin. Without a good framework, you've just got an ugly useless blood of words. But without setting and a good picture of what's happening, your skeleton will be bare and unappealing. You really need all those aspects to make a great story.
I encourage you to do the last free course from the Wesleyan University Creative Writing Specialization. Like the Craft of Style, it's a little duller and slower than the Craft of Plot and Characters, but it's just as important. Check it out!
Rating: 4/5
Homework: I'm about to take another break over the holidays. I suggest you enroll in these courses and pick one really good book out to read over the holiday! Remember what I said in my very first chapter: you need to read if you want to be a writer!
Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/craft-of-setting-and-description/home/welcome