In this Neil Gaiman Masterclass review, I’m going to cover who this course is for and who it’s not for and help you decide if it will make you a better short fiction writer.
If you don’t want to read the entire review, my short answer is this: sign up for Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass if you’ve already dabbled in fiction writing but want to take your craft to the next level.
If you’re a nonfiction writer looking to add some new storytelling tactics to your writing game, you’ll also benefit from this course — because remember, there is always truth in fiction.
For the in-depth review, keep reading.
Who is Neil Gaiman?
Neil Gaiman is an award-winning author who writes short fiction stories, novels, comic books, graphic novels, nonfiction, and more. Some of his more popular works include:
- American Gods: A Novel
- Norse Mythology
- Neverwhere
- The Graveyard Book
- Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
- The Ocean at the End of a Lane: A Novel
What is Masterclass?
Masterclass knows that in order to become a better writer, you have to learn how to write a good story from the best. So they create courses that let you learn from the best writers in the business using video modules, workbooks, and community forums.
Neil Gaiman Masterclass Cost
As of now, Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass is now part of the All-Access Pass.
When you get the All-Access Pass, you can unlock over a dozen writing courses taught by some of the best writers in the world.
At the time of this writing, Masterclass is offering two annual memberships for only $180, which is 50% off the original price.
Read my in-depth Masterclass review to find out how the All-Access pass will benefit you as a writer.
Neil Gaiman Masterclass Review
There’s a lot to unpack in this Neil Gaiman Masterclass review, but I’m going to focus on the features that will help you most as a writer, such as…
- video lesson modules
- course materials
- The Community Hub
Also, I’m assuming that you’re interested in taking this course because you want to become a better short story fiction writer (although people do take Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass because they’re fans of his work), so I’m going to approach the review from this angle.
Before I get into the review, I also want you to know that I’m not a fiction writer. For most of my creative writing career, I’ve written nonfiction features, stories, and books and have worked as a nonfiction editor.
With that said, I’m a firm believer that both fiction and nonfiction writers use the same tools to craft stories. So, if you write nonfiction, you can always learn from fiction writers (and vice-versa). That’s why I take courses taught by both fiction and nonfiction writers.
I make the same argument for fiction writers who are interested in nonfiction storytelling tactics in my Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass review.
How Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass Will Help Your Writing
If you take Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass from start to finish, through the writing exercises in the course you’ll be able to:
- develop stronger characters and settings
- learn how to listen more intuitively to (and trust) your unique voice
- uncover the sources of inspiration that will lead to more creative stories
How Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass Won’t Help Your Writing
No Masterclass for writers is perfect, and none of them can cram everything into one course. With that said, here’s what you won’t get from Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass.
- A step-by-step guide on writing a fictional book from start to finish
- The “little-known secrets” to writing a bestseller
- Someone who is going to hold your hand throughout the entire course (you need to be self-motivated)
Cons aside, let’s dive deeper into this Neil Gaiman Masterclass review.
Lesson Modules
After a quick introductory lesson, Neil Gaiman takes you on a journey through his creative philosophies, the philosophies that have helped him write countless masterpieces.
Just by looking at the lesson module names, you can see that Gaiman teaches a lot of subjects.
- Truth in Fiction
- Sources of Inspiration
- Finding Your Voice
- Developing the Story
- Short Fiction
- Dialogue and Character
- World Building
- Descriptions
- Humor
- Genre
- Comics
- Dealing with Writer’s Block
- Editing
- Rules for Writers
- The Writer’s Responsibilities
You also get a few case study lessons about Gaiman’s own books, so that you can apply exactly what he’s teaching you in a practical way.
My favorite lesson was on World Building.
Although I’m a nonfiction writer, I found many strategies from Gaiman’s lesson on World Building useful, strategies I have used to build the worlds of my real-life subjects.
For example, Gaiman reminds us to get out there and experience in-person the worlds we write about so that we can craft our stories using the senses, because if we feel our settings while we’re writing, so will our readers.
Gaiman also reminds us that it’s okay to “play god” and use writing as a “magical creation.”
I think a lot of times we tend to doubt our creativity. We fear that our stories won’t live up to readers’ expectations. But it’s refreshing to hear Gaiman say that we don’t need approval from anyone to write a gripping story—we simply have to trust our instincts.
Listening to Gaiman break down his creative writing philosophies over 19 well-produced video lessons was great. But what I found even more useful was the materials that came with his Masterclass.
Course Materials
You can download the Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling Masterclass pdf workbook as an extra resource.
The workbook is so well put together that you can use it as a stand alone writing course in itself.
It not only reviews what Gaiman covers in his lectures (further reinforcing his writing tactics), but it also gives you exercises that you can use to grow your writing skills after each module.
For example, the workbook comes with many charts and questionnaires to help you build your story’s world and develop your characters.
To me, this is where the Masterclass courses offer the most value. I can sit down and watch a video by any writer discussing their strategies. But when professional course developers create assignments that will have you using those strategies immediately, that’s what separates this course from a random YouTube video.
The Community Hub
When you sign up for Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass, you also get access to The Community Hub, an online forum where you can post questions, share your work, and get feedback from other course members.
This means you aren’t only learning from Gaiman, but from other members who may be further along the writing journey than you are.
Members engage often on The Community Hub as well, so if you do post a question or ask for feedback for your work, it doesn’t take long to get a response.
You can also offer feedback on other writers’ works, which, as you already know, helps you become a better writer. When you teach something, you further reinforce the concept.
Can You Download Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass for Free?
No. There are no free downloads for Neil Gaiman’s writing course.
However, when you sign up for Masterclass you’ll get access to all the modules. But you won’t be able to download them and watch offline. You must take the course through Masterclass’ website.
Neil Gaiman Masterclass Review Conclusion: Is it Worth Your Time and Money?
Yes, it is.
As I said in the introduction, if you’ve already written fiction and you’re looking to grow your skills, you will discover many new writing tactics in Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass.
Even if you’re a nonfiction writer like myself, you will walk away from this course with storytelling tactics that you can use in your nonfiction writing process.
If you’re new to writing, you can still take Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass, but don’t expect to learn the nuts and bolts of writing.
Sign up for Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass or get the All-Access Pass to get access to over a dozen writing courses that Masterclass has produced for writers just like you.
