MasterClass Now Offers Courses Taught by Famous Dead Writers
Authors of classic literature have secrets to teach you for a price
Leo Tolstoy’s “Make Your Partner Do Half the Work and Give Them No Credit”
The master of Russian literature has a lot to teach you about crafting a story that will last through the ages. Primarily by having someone else do the bulk of it. Your wife or whatever life partner you procure will suffice. You’re the idea-person, the genius. They are the lowly being who will transform your words into a manuscript. Once you find someone else to verbally abuse as they get your words (which are more important than their mental health) onto the page, you’re golden.
Jane Austen’s “Write What You Know But Avoid Talk Any Mention of Unpleasantness”
Austen uses her knowledge to help new writers capture their world, no matter how small and mundane it appears to be. In fact, she prefers to keep it small. There might be things happening, like wars with Napoleon, but readers aren’t here for that. They want to escape uncertainty and dive into the familiar. If you have ever looked around your home and thought, “I bet I could write a novel that all takes place here,” then this…
