Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass: The Art Of Storytelling
Is it worth it
There’s a lot of materials targeted towards new writers. Virtually every blogger sells classes or books guaranteed to earn you money. Even here on Medium, articles targeted towards new members do pretty well.
However, the secrets to writing fiction are a little more ambiguous. There are many resources out there, but honestly, it can all be so overwhelming. With blogging, there’s a specific target. Write a post, preferably in your niche, that will gain traction with your audience.
But with the longer length necessary for a book invites many, many challenges. From plot to character development, pacing, storyline, subplots, character arcs… there’s so much to do and keep track of. As an aspiring author, I’ve been searching for resources to help.
Last November, Masterclass had a promotion where college students could gain a year membership for only $1. At first, it just seemed like a cool opportunity, but then I stumbled across Neil Gaiman’s class on “The Art of Storytelling”. Not only does Gaiman discuss the nitty-gritty of his writing process, but he also discusses his career, and how his writing has changed over time.
Not only is Gaiman clearly very passionate about writing as a craft, but he’s willing to speak his mind and freely give advice. One of my favorite tips from the class is how he uses a distinguishing feature for each of his characters; maybe a specific hat or characteristic. This makes it much easier for readers to differentiate people in your story and enhances your character portrayal.
He even reads one of his short stories in one lesson and points out specific lines and what they accomplish for the story. It’s a really cool opportunity to get into the mind of one of the most well-known authors alive today.
After watching the full Masterclass, I went out looking for short story collections. Surprisingly, they’re kinda hard to find! Most authors tend to focus on novels, probably because they sell better, but as a (very) new author, the short story was where I felt comfortable. When I found Neil Gaiman’s Trigger Warning it was like a sign from the universe.
This short story collection contains works plucked from throughout Gaiman’s career. The best part is that he includes a lengthy introduction to each piece which goes into how and why that specific story was created. It’s almost like talking to Gaiman himself and helps you understand each work on a much deeper level.
Coincidentally, the book contains the same story that he read aloud in the Masterclass. In an amazing full-circle moment, I got to read and analyze the raw text in-depth, and truly appreciate the lessons learned. It’s amazing how effective a short story can be, even more so when you understand the mechanics as to why it works so well.
Needless to say, Gaiman’s short story collection Trigger Warning and his Masterclass “The Art of Storytelling” are two of my go-to resources as I’m working on my own projects. Both are cool places to look for inspiration, help with the writing craft in general, and advice about the ups and downs of writing for a living. What are some of your favorite resources?
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