I just finished Gaiman’s MasterClass on the Art of Storytelling and it was lovely.

I once heard that Tolkien hated teaching so much that he would lecture at the volume of a whisper to frustrate his students into never taking his classes. The students that were determined to learn from the master storyteller pulled their desks all the way up to his lectern and listened closely, forcing him to impart his knowledge.

When it comes to teaching, Neil Gaiman is the polar opposite of Tolkein. Neil is a masterful storyteller, but also an articulate, thoughtful, and caring instructor. He has so many valuable insights and even though he hasn’t met his audience, you can tell that he is genuinely invested in helping these developing authors grow in their craft.

If you’re going to write . . . you have to be willing to do the equivalent of walking down a street naked. You have to be able to show too much of yourself. You have to be just a bit more honest than you’re comfortable with.

Neil Gaiman, MasterClass Chapter 2: Truth in Fiction

I’m an editor, but I’m also a writer. After spending so much time in school, writing and reading for class, I’m now back in a place where my reading and writing is for pure enjoyment. I started this class knowing that I wanted to get back into pleasure writing and fiction writing, but I needed to solidify an idea first. I had the seed of a concept, but I wasn’t sure how to develop that idea into a story worth reading. Gaiman’s guidance really helped me solidify the direction of my story and gave me the confidence to start writing it.

The worlds that we build in fiction, they’re soap bubbles. They can pop really easily . . . But that one little moment of reality, that one thing that seems to be absolutely true, gives credence, and gives credibility to all of the things that you don’t say.

Neil Gaiman, MasterClass Chapter 11: Worldbuilding

Of course, everyone comes to the class at their own writing stage and with their own hopes for what they’ll gain.

You’ll like the course if you’re looking for:

• Neil Gaiman’s thoughts on these topics: telling truth through fiction, finding inspiration and your voice, writing short fiction and comics, worldbuilding, creating characters and dialogue, writing immersive descriptions, navigating genre expectations, writing with humour, overcoming writer’s block, self-editing, and understanding the author’s moral responsibility.
• A workbook that summarizes each topic, shows you where to find more resources, and provides writing prompts to help you integrate Neil’s main points into your writing.
• A source of encouragement.
• An online forum where you can connect and network with other writers.

You won’t like the course if you’re looking for:

• Personable, one-on-one dialogue with your instructor.
• Instructor feedback specific to your own writing.

While I wholeheartedly recommend this course, I don’t think MasterClasses should be the only place where developing writers seek training. Feedback directly about your own writing is so valuable, and MasterClasses are not meant to give you that. I recommend that you also supplement the course with a writers’ group where you can gain that valuable feedback.

You always have to remember, when people tell you that something doesn’t work for them, that they’re always right. It doesn’t work for them. And that is incredibly important information. You also have to remember that when people tell you what they think is wrong and how you should fix it, that they’re almost always wrong.

Neil Gaiman, MasterClass Chapter 17: Editing

As final side-note, something interesting has started happening since taking Neil’s class. Throughout the lessons Neil reads excerpts from his stories aloud. I’ve also been reading his novel American Gods for the first time. The voice in my head that is reading the book to me has taken on Gaiman’s voice, his vocal style of gently winding through a text and lightly punctuating each significant detail. I generally prefer reading rather than listening to stories, but I would get into audiobooks if Neil was the narrator.

Perfect does not happen in this universe. You can fix dialogue that isn’t quite there. You can fix the beginning of something. But you cannot fix nothingness, so you have to be brave. You have to just start.

Neil Gaiman, MasterClass Chapter 17: Editing