Recently, my old high school english teacher posted a link to my facebook page suggesting that I look in to Master Class. This English teacher is a personal favorite person of mine. She knew me and loved me when I was at my very worst. She saw the best in me and without her, I don't know if I would be able to have achieved my writing goals. I graduated 13 years ago, and this teacher still holds my attention and respect. She has moved from teacher to mentor in my world and I thank her in every book I publish and plan to continue to do so until the day that I die. So when she suggests something - I listen. After all, this smart and funny woman brought A Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm and The Odyssey in to my life. She hasn't steered me wrong yet.
So, I pulled up Master Class and sure enough, the idea intrigued me. I love to be intrigued. Master Class claims that their instructors are the best in the world. If you want to learn the craft of acting, take a class with Dustin Hoffman. Wow. Somehow Serena Williams can teach you how to play tennis and Annie Leibovitz can teach the art of Photography. My niche is writing and it so happens that the best selling author of all time, James Patterson teamed up with Master Cass and lent his time and vast knowledge for a 22 class session. So I took the bait and for a $90.00 fee, I became one of James Patterson's students.
Ninety bucks isn't bad. In fact, its a steal. A class at a university would typically cost much more, and I'm not too sure they could offer any more helpful information than that of James Patterson.
The class was fun, I enjoyed each session, I took away much more than what I thought I would have. Patterson hit home on several points that really helped me polish my craft. In the sessions, Patterson emphasizes the need for passion and habit, he talks about finding and using book ideas, the importance of pace with a plot, the absolute need to research everything - a few times he mentions research everything right down to the bee sting - this could not be more true. Patterson spends two sessions on outlines - a blessing for me. He touches on character development, dialog, editing, getting published and even dealing with Hollywood. With the lectures, is a follow along workbook, a Q&A, and opportunities to join the writing community with conversations on each subject.
This class gets my approval. I would suggest Master Class to any of my writer friends. I ended each session with a boost of confidence and walked away as a better writer because of it.
Check it out by clicking here --> MasterClass and let me know what you think.
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