Here at WritetoDone we are continuously striving to bring you the best advice and resources around to help you become the awesome writer you were born to be. And to do that we listen hard to find out how we can do this better each time.
Well, a while back we published an epic post on tools for writers. The post was well-received, but we noticed something: useful those these posts are, to many people they are just too overwhelming. Sure, you can bookmark them for later, but do you get back to them? Probably not.
So, over the next few months we're updating some of our most popular resource posts and breaking them down into easier to digest chunks in the hope that you'll get more value - and less overwhelm - from them.
We're kicking off with one of my favorite resources : The MASTERCLASS SERIES for Writers.
What are Masterclasses?
This is a series of online education programs that since 2015 has grown to cover many subjects including sport and cooking. However, interesting as these subjects might be, not surprisingly we're going to concentrate on the courses based around writing in all its forms.
The courses are taught by preeminent experts in their field: fiction, screenwriting, television, poetry. With names like Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Brown, Shona Rhimes and Billy Collins it really doesn't get any better than this. This is advice straight from the horse's mouth. All the teachers in these masterclasses have had the kind of phenomenal success most of us dream about.
The courses are beautifully produced with multiple videos with lifetime access. (TIP: Watch any of the introductory videos to the courses to pick up some great advice straight away.) I particularly like that the courses consist of around 25 short videos, which means they're easy to fit in around my schedule without having to set aside large chunks of time. Of course, if you do have a longer time slot free, there's nothing to stop you watching several back to back.
Other material is often included such as downloadable workbooks and as you have lifetime access, you can cover the material at your own pace.
Are Masterclasses worth it?
How much you get out of a course will depend on what you're looking for. Some of them tend to deal in generalities of the trade, while others break things down more, but this is an inevitable result of different teachers' working methods, as well as the different mediums they work in.
At the end of the day just a few golden tips from luminaries like Margaret Atwood or Neil Gaiman is surely worth the price of admission alone.
After all, I'd be happy just to listen to them remiss about their life and careers. You never know what gems you might pick up: )
Below are ten of the top courses currently available. Click on any of the links to find out more. As I said, some of the introductory videos are worth watching on their own.
Credentials
Renowned storyteller and best-selling author of Blink and The Tipping Point.
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Has sold over 250 Million copies of his thrillers.
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Award Winning Author who has spent more than quarter of a century crafting vivid, absorbing fiction.
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Has sold over 400 million copies of his books.
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One of the most influential literary voices of our generation.
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Has produced some of Television's biggest hits including Grey's Anatomy.
