MasterClass

Since I have gone back to writing after many years, I have faced many challenges. Sure, I know how to tell a story—we all tell stories conversationally all the time. But getting the words down on paper in the proper form is complicated. Grammar, punctuation, creating characters, and all of that are difficult. And it has been a long time since I took English or writing classes at Boise High or the University of Wyoming.

When I started writing again, I searched the internet and found some help, but it was hard to have confidence in some of the information. One afternoon, my son came up to me and said he had something to show me. He showed me a MasterClass Trailer titled: James Paterson Teaches Writing. Wow! James Patterson is one of the world’s most famous authors. I had never heard of such a thing.

I paid my eighty bucks and took the class. The class wasn’t like your typical course in an academic environment. James Patterson talked me through twenty-two lessons going from raw ideas to plot and on from there. He approached the class as if we were sitting across from each other having a discussion. It was great. When I finished, it seemed like I knew the guy. I spent a lot of time with him.

I converted my eighty-dollar class into an annual subscription, where I could take as many classes as I wanted. Or, I can repeat them, which I have. The main reason I have continued with MasterClass is that they continue to increase their library of classes.

I have taken classes from more of my favorite authors, such as David Baldacci, Dan Brown, and Margaret Atwood. Once again, I don’t know how they pulled this off. Dan Brown has a class titled, Building a Story from the Ground Up. He takes you through a plan, step by step. The list goes on. I’ve taken their writing classes from Malcolm Gladwell, Walter Mosley, Neil Gaiman, and Amy Tam. I’ve learned something from every class.

Masterclass has classes on everything from economics to bartending. What a great resource. I’m a big fan.