Best Novel Writing Courses [Become a Bestseller]Are you hoping to write a bestselling novel? If so, you need to learn the major storytelling elements that many bestselling books share. Fortunately, you can learn them online, in just a few days. Below, find my list of the best novel writing courses, with their prices. Whether you're a beginner author or an experienced writer looking to refine your skills, these online classes can help. Hit Writer Course for novelistsMy Hit Writer Course helps you turn your idea for a novel into a scene-by-scene outline, with a compelling plot and unforgettable characters, then provides guidance for writing the scenes, covering dialogue, description, and more. The online video lessons, which apply to any fiction genre, can be finished in just a day, or taken at any pace you'd like. You also get:
Get lifetime access for just $47. Novel writing topics covered in my courseHere are just some of the writing topics you'll learn: MasterClass novel writing coursesThough I teach my own classes, I also encourage you to learn from other writing instructors. MasterClass is a subscription-based, online-education platform I recommend. It offers lessons in various areas, from famous experts. A focus for MasterClass is its novel writing courses. How much does a MasterClass subscription cost?A MasterClass Individual membership costs $10/month, billed yearly. Once you sign up, you immediately gain access to all of its novel writing courses (plus all of its other classes). They offer a 30-day, money-back guarantee. I recommend you browse the MasterClass writing courses on their website. If just one of them seems like a fit for you, sign up for the 30-day trial, which you can take risk-free. List of MasterClass courses for novelistsJames Patterson
Judy Blume
R.L. Stine
Margaret Atwood
Dan Brown
Walter Mosley
Neil Gaiman
David Baldacci
Amy Tan
N.K. Jemisin
Udemy novel writing coursesAnother online-education platform I recommend is Udemy. They offer some great novel writing classes, plus courses in plenty of other subjects. How much does Udemy cost?Udemy courses are offered individually, each with its own price. Many of the writing classes range from about $50 to $150 bucks. You also have the option to get a subscription, which gives you access to 10,000+ courses. You can try it free for 7 days, then the price becomes $16.58/month. List of Udemy courses for novelistsWrite a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps
Novel Writing Workshop
Your Path To Writing a Page-Turner
Your Writer's Journey: 12 Steps to Write Your Hero's Journey
Skillshare novel writing coursesAnother online-education platform I recommend is Skillshare. They offer various novel writing classes, plus courses in many other subjects. How much does Skillshare cost?Skillshare offers memberships. Once you sign up, you immediately gain access to all of the novel writing courses (plus all of the others). The first month is free. You can try it risk-free. Afterwards, it typically costs $14/month, billed annually, however, they're currently running a promotion for 30% off. Visit the deal page to claim their offer: List of Skillshare courses for novelistsNovel Writing for Beginners: How to Write Your First Draft
Nailing Your Narrative: Using Story Structure To Tell Irresistible Stories
How To Write A Book: Novel Writing
Write a Great Plot 101
Frequently asked questions about novel writing coursesHow can I learn to write a novel?Taking an online writing course can teach you the key elements of a novel. You should also read many books and start writing your own, even if you're not ready to publish anytime soon. The act of writing will help you develop your skills and style. Should I take a writing class before writing a book?Yes. First, learn the key elements of storytelling in a novel writing course. Without understanding them, you may spend months on a first draft that you find unworkable. Learn how to outline a story and structure a scene, then begin your novel, starting with an outline. Which genres are online writing courses for?Most online novel writing courses teach principles that apply to any fiction genre. Other classes cover these principles, while also going into writing advice specifically for one genre, or possibly a handful. If you write in any of the following genres, the courses listed in this article would be a help to you:
What's the difference between MasterClass and Skillshare?MasterClass has about 200 courses, taught by world-famous instructors. Though Skillshare's instructors tend to not be famous, the platform has over 30,000 classes, covering many narrow topics. To learn more, check out my article on Skillshare vs. MasterClass. What's the difference between Skillshare and Udemy?Skillshare and Udemy each offer a subscription option, with access to unlimited classes. A Skillshare subscription costs less than a Udemy one, about $10 per month vs. about $17. However, Udemy has more courses, over 200,000, plus lets you purchase any individually, without a subscription. To learn more, have a look at my post on Skillshare vs. Udemy. Is it worth taking a writing course?Yes. Online writing courses are a very affordable way to learn key storytelling elements. They are much cheaper than college creative writing classes. The small amount of money you'd spend on a course can be earned back very quickly in sales royalties from a book. This post contains affiliate links.
0 Comments
MasterClass for Writing - Should You Try it? [Courses and Reviews]Are you hoping to write a hit book or screenplay? The writing courses on MasterClass can help. Learn writing techniques online, with self-paced video lessons from famous authors and screenwriters. In this article, I provide reviews of recommended MasterClass courses on book and screenplay writing from various instructors. What is MasterClass?MasterClass is an online-education platform that features video courses taught by accomplished people in various fields. Subscribers to MasterClass gain access to all courses on the platform. One of the areas MasterClass covers is writing. Since I'm a fiction writer, in this article, I focus on classes pertaining to books and scripts, however, MasterClass provides narrative writing courses in poetry and journalism too. You can view all of the MasterClass writing courses on its website: Who are MasterClass writing courses for?MasterClass courses were designed with new writers in mind. You should be able to understand the material even if you haven't tried writing a book or screenplay yet. Experienced authors or screenwriters may already be familiar with various topics covered, however, can surely pick up new tips. Certain classes revolve around book writing and others screenwriting. However, most of the underlying concepts the instructors speak about apply to both formats. Some courses go into detail on specific genres - ex, thrillers - however, most of the underlying concepts apply to various genres across narrative writing. If you are an author or screenwriter in any genre - or would like to be someday - all of the classes listed in this article should benefit you in some way. Here's a look at the major topics the courses cover... MasterClass writing topicsMany lessons are aimed at helping writers create an outline for their story. Example topics: Lessons also cover the writing stage after an outline is completed and a writer has moved on to creating scenes. Example topics: Finally, various lessons go over elements of a writing career that aren't directly related to what's written on a page. Example topics:
How much does MasterClass cost?A MasterClass Individual membership costs $10/month, billed annually. Subscribers receive instant access to all courses on the platform, which they can view on one device (ie, computer, tablet, phone, or TV). For $15/month, billed annually, you can access all course content on two devices, known as the Duo membership. The Family membership - which costs $20/month billed annually - lets you access content on six devices. All three plans have a 30-day guarantee. If you aren't certain the platform is a fit for you, I encourage you to sign up and try it. If you'd rather not remain a member, you can easily cancel your subscription for a full refund. MasterClass writing courses and reviewsBelow are overviews and links to MasterClass writing courses I recommend. I looked into classes in areas related to what I write. I am sure many other classes on MasterClass are helpful too. Just because a class isn't on this list, does not mean you should skip it. Possibly you write in an area much different than me (ex, children's books) and other classes may be of interest to you. Once you subscribe to MasterClass, I suggest you browse all the writing classes and take as many as possible with material relevant to you. My list of recommended classes, with reviews... James Patterson MasterClass reviewJames Patterson is the bestselling novelist of thriller series such as Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club. His MasterClass features 22 video lessons, covering topics like:
I recommend this class to anyone interested in writing fast-paced fiction, particularly in the mystery and thriller genres. Though James Patterson is an author, the class would also be helpful for screenwriters. To take the James Patterson MasterClass, just register on the website and you can start immediately: David Baldacci MasterClass reviewDavid Baldacci is the bestselling author of various thriller series. In his MasterClass, you can take 18 video lessons on topics like:
I recommend this class to anyone interested in writing page-turning fiction, especially in the mystery and thriller genres. Though David Baldacci is a novelist, the lessons would apply to screenwriters too. To take the David Baldacci MasterClass, just sign up on the website and you can begin immediately: Malcolm Gladwell MasterClass reviewMalcolm Gladwell is the bestselling author of non-fiction books such as The Tipping Point and Blink. Since Malcolm Gladwell writes in a narrative style, I've included his course on this list, even though his books aren't fiction. He teaches 24 video lessons, on topics like:
I recommend this course to anyone interested in writing narrative non-fiction, or fiction, whether articles, short stories, or books. Screenwriters and documentary filmmakers could benefit from these lessons too. To take the Malcolm Gladwell MasterClass, just register on the website and you can start right away: Aaron Sorkin MasterClass reviewAaron Sorkin is the acclaimed writer of The Social Network, The West Wing, and other films and television shows. His class offers 35 video lessons, on topics such as:
I recommend this course to anyone interested in writing screenplays, teleplays, plays, or novels. To take the Aaron Sorkin MasterClass, just sign up on the MasterClass website and you can start instantly: Neil Gaiman MasterClass reviewNeil Gaiman is a popular writer of short stories, novels, graphic novels, and more. His MasterClass features 19 video lessons, on topics like:
I recommend this course to anyone interested in writing novels, short stories, screenplays, graphic novels, or comic books. Though the class may be particularly helpful to fantasy writers, any fiction writer could benefit from it. To take the Neil Gaiman MasterClass, just sign up on the website and you can begin immediately: Dan Brown MasterClass reviewDan Brown is the bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code and other thriller novels. His course offers 19 video lessons, on topics such as:
I recommend this class to anyone interested in writing mysteries and thrillers, whether in novel or screenplay form. The class could also be helpful to writers in other genres who are hoping to incorporate suspense into their stories. To take the Dan Brown MasterClass, just register on the website and you can start instantly: David Mamet MasterClass reviewDavid Mamet is the acclaimed writer of plays, such as Glengarry Glen Ross and American Buffalo, screenplays, and more. His class features 26 video lessons, on topics like:
I recommend this class to anyone interested in writing screenplays, plays, or novels. To take the David Mamet MasterClass, just sign up on the MasterClass website and you can begin immediately: More recommended MasterClass courses for writersThe MasterClass courses listed above are designed for writers. Some other courses are designed for directors, however, address storytelling concepts a writer could find helpful. Below, I've provided a brief bio of these instructors and links to learn more about their classes: David Lynch is the acclaimed screenwriter and director of the films Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, and more. To learn more about the David Lynch MasterClass, visit the course page. Martin Scorsese is the Oscar-winning director of Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street, and other films. To learn more about the Martin Scorsese MasterClass, visit the course page. Judd Apatow is the popular screenwriter and director of the films Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and more. To learn more about the Judd Apatow MasterClass, visit the course page. Ron Howard is the Oscar-winning director of A Beautiful Mind, Backdraft, and other movies. To learn more about the Ron Howard MasterClass, visit the course page. James Cameron is the Oscar-winning screenwriter and director of The Terminator, Aliens, and other films. To learn more about the James Cameron MasterClass, visit the course page. Try MasterClass freeDo any of the MasterClass courses mentioned in this article seem like they could help you? If so, I suggest you sign up for MasterClass and start watching the lessons. You have a 30-day money-back guarantee. If the platform isn't right for you, easily cancel without losing a dime. To begin your MasterClass free trial, just visit the website and select "Sign Up": To learn more about MasterClass, check out my post on how it compares to Skillshare. This post contains affiliate links. 10 Can't-Miss Tips for Writing a Suspenseful Book or ScriptWant to create a page-turning story? Check out these 10 tips for writing a suspenseful book, or script, that will keep readers excitedly flipping your pages. Want to write an awesome story? Download my FREE outlining guide. Suspense Tip 1 - Make your reader care about the characterSuspense is heightened the more the reader wants to know a piece of information. A reader's desire for a certain piece of information increases the more the reader cares about the character involved. For example, if a reader feels a deep connection to your protagonist, and that character is on trial for a murder he didn't commit, the reader will feel a lot of suspense awaiting the verdict. On the other hand, if a minor character that the reader never got a chance to know was on trial for murder, the reader wouldn't care much about the verdict, ie not much suspense. Since your protagonist drives the plot of your story, and most suspense will be around that character's outcomes, I suggest you learn how to create a protagonist the reader cares about. That being said, supporting characters can absolutely be the subjects of suspense scenes too. Make sure you've at least developed some empathy between the reader and character if you want these scenes to work well. Suspense Tip 2 - Put a lot at stakeLet's stay your reader cares a lot about a character and you decide to create a suspense scene around that character. You're off to a good start. You raise a question the reader wants the answer to. However, for some reason, when you read the chapter's draft, you're not on the edge of your seat. What happened? Likely, not much is at stake. For instance, if your reader cares a lot about a character named Michelle, who's stuck in traffic on the way to work, the audience may wonder, Will she make it to the office on time? However, this question isn't that suspenseful without something major at stake. If Michelle happens to show up 15 minutes late, nothing terrible will happen to her. She doesn't have much to lose. Instead, if Michelle has a potentially career-changing presentation with her company's biggest client, now something is at stake. The busy client only has 30 minutes at the office before having to leave for another appointment. If Michelle is late, she won't have enough time for her presentation. And if the presentation doesn't go well, she'll lose out on the promotion to her dream job. Suspense Tip 3 - Use story questionsA story question is a certain type of question the reader wants the answer to. However, unlike other suspense questions, it's rarely answered in the chapter where it was raised, but much later in the story. As mentioned, suspense is elevated the longer the reader must wait for a question's answer. Thus, story questions, with their long time horizons, lend themselves to effective suspense. Here's an example of how story questions can play out...
The reader will have to keep turning the pages for the answers to those four story questions. Suspense Tip 4 - Create a compelling protagonist "want"Your protagonist's "want" is the main goal they're after through the story. For instance, in a detective novel, the want may be catching a serial killer. Whether or not your protagonist attains the want shouldn't be revealed until the climax of the story, just before the end. This time delay makes for good suspense. However, you also need to make sure a lot is at stake for your protagonist. As mentioned, when characters have a lot to lose if a story outcome turns out negative, readers become more emotionally invested in the result. In the detective example, if the killer isn't caught, he's almost definitely going to carry out five more murders he's planned. Innocent people will die and the detective will be forced to shoulder the guilt, ie a lot to lose. To learn more about creating a great protagonist want, check out my post on story plot tips. Suspense Tip 5 - Structure your story into actsAs discussed, your protagonist should have an overarching want that propels the events of the story until the end. To turn up the suspense along the way, you should structure your story into acts. The beginning and middle acts would build to answer their own questions, which would serve as sub-questions to whether or not the main character achieves the main goal. For example, if a detective's main goal is catching a serial killer, the reader would receive a definitive answer in the final act. However, in the two previous acts, the events in the story would build to answer two important related questions:
Since these questions are related to the story's main one, if you did a good job crafting the main one, the earlier act questions will immediately become important to the reader. To learn more about acts, check out my post on structuring your story into acts. Suspense Tip 6 - Shift reader expectations during a sceneThe last few tips involved building suspense across many chapters. However, you should also aim to create suspense within chapters. The same rules apply: the reader needs to care about an outcome and you should delay the answer. However, within a single chapter, you don't have much time. You might only have five, maybe 10 pages. A tactic you can use to compensate for the compressed timeline is to rapidly shift reader expectations during it. For instance, let's say you're writing a scene where a woman is running through the woods, away from a man who wants to hurt her. If you simply describe her running for three pages, yes, your reader will likely feel suspense. However, that suspense would be stronger if you fed in a stream of events that shifted reader expectations as to whether or not the woman gets away. Here's how you could do that:
Suspense Tip 7 - Use a ticking clockAs you now know, with good suspense, you want to make your audience wait for answers. However, you'd benefit by doing the opposite for your characters - you want to give them tight timeframes. In writing, a ticking clock is a deadline a character has to accomplish an important task. These clocks are sometimes literal - in an action story, the hero may have just three hours to find and diffuse a bomb with an actual ticking clock on it. A physical clock doesn't need to be involved, though - you just need a time crunch, regardless of the source. For example, in a romance story, the lead character has been offered a job in a new city. She has until June 1 to accept the offer. From now until then, she needs to decide if she wants to take the job or stay in town and pursue a relationship with a man she's falling for. A ticking clock builds suspense because it makes a promise to the reader: by a certain point in time, either something good or bad will definitely happen for a character. The definitiveness of the outcome makes the reader care more about it. As the clock ticks down, the feeling of suspense grows. To elevate the suspense of a ticking clock, you can use dramatic irony to put a character in a dangerous situation he isn't even aware of. For instance, the audience knows a bomb, set to go off in 30 minutes, is inside a building. Unaware, the main character walks inside. Suspense Tip 8 - Leverage cliffhangersWith a cliffhanger, you raise a question the audience cares about in a chapter and then end the chapter before giving the reader the answer. Though closing on any type of unanswered question technically constitutes a cliffhanger, the more dramatic kinds involve leaving a character in a pressing predicament. The obvious example is someone literally hanging off a cliff. If the reader cares about a character, and that character somehow has found his way onto the edge of a cliff, and falling means serious injury or death, end the chapter there and the reader should be very eager to turn the page to see what happens. Don't be afraid to close a lot of your chapters with a cliffhanger. That being said, if you end many chapters in a life-or-death predicament, your story may feel a bit forced. Vary the stakes and the immediacy of the chapter-ending questions. Suspense Tip 9 - Leverage crosscuttingWith crosscutting, you'd write a chapter from the POV of character A, then write the next chapter from the POV of character B, who is currently not with character A. You're essentially jumping in space. At the end of a chapter, if the audience is left wondering how certain events will play out for character A, cutting to character B delays the reveal of information about character A, infusing suspense. After character B's chapter, if you again cut to character A (or even to C), the audience is left wondering about character B, ie even more suspense. The crosscutting technique works best in combination with pressing-predicament cliffhangers. The suspense around character A will be elevated when you cut to character B, if character A is left in physical danger or some other state of impending jeopardy. Suspense Tip 10 - Equip your antagonist for surpriseAs your protagonist pursues the want, the story's main villain should throw obstacles at the hero to prevent success. Make your villain a worthy opponent of your hero. Even better, make your villain more imposing than your hero, at least at the beginning of the book. A skilled, dynamic antagonist is capable of surprise. Thus, even when things seem to be going well for your protagonist, your audience will still feel suspense. If the reader knows a resilient villain, capable of crafty attacks, is lurking somewhere out there, the protagonist is never quite safe. A devastating surprise can come at any time. To learn more about antagonists, check out my post on writing great villains. What is suspense in storytelling?Suspense in storytelling is delaying the reveal of information the reader wants to know. The more the audience wants to know something, and the longer it waits, the greater the suspense. What types of stories need suspense?Though suspense is often associated with the action and thriller genres, it can be woven into stories of any genre. Yes, suspense is part of any quality gunfight or car-chase scene, but it's also what makes many subtler scenes work well. For example, in a domestic story, let's say a husband and wife are simply sitting at a table eating dinner. The reader knows the husband just told his wife a lie about where he was last night. When she asks him questions about the night, suspense is created. Will he will be exposed as a liar? Whatever type of story you're writing, it can benefit from an infusion of suspense. How to Take Your Writing Skills to the Next LevelLearn expert writing techniques with my Hit Writer Course. The video lessons apply to authors and screenwriters in any genre across fiction and narrative non-fiction. If you join, you'll also gain access to me to personally help you as you write your next story. Expanding on your Intro Course skillsIn my writing Intro Course, I teach important writing skills for characters, plot, theme, and emotional impact. These skills will form a solid foundation for you. They can help you write a great story. However, you can improve a lot more from there. Tap into thousands of years of writing wisdomStorytelling has been around for thousands of years - since early humans told tales around campfires. And some of the smartest people of all time - such as Aristotle - have dedicated themselves to storytelling. Because of all those years and all those sharp minds, significant insights about storytelling have been discovered. Regardless of format or genre, many of the best stories of all time have traits in common. If you know where to look, you can see these commonalities. And if you know how to apply them to your own stories, you can deliver thousands of years of force from your pages. What are the traits the best stories have in common?These stories tend to be well structured. What does that mean? Their beginnings, middles, and ends aren't just collections of interesting events. The events are sequenced together in a purposeful way to hook, captivate, and wow the audience. An act is a tool writers use to structure their stories. Though the term "act" is mentioned a lot, most people can't accurately define it. To properly harness the power of acts, you need to understand what one is in detail. Acts are a great way to structure your scenes in a sequence. However, the best stories don't just unfold their scenes in a dramatic order - the scenes themselves are dramatic. All of them. Mastering the dynamics of a scene is essential if you want to take your writing to the next level. Which characters should go in which scenes? What should those character be doing? How should those scenes start? How should they end? What should you leave out of a scene? You need to have answers to every one of these questions. Finally, the events in all your scenes need to be connected in an effective web. You need to apply techniques for drama building to assure that you supply anticipation between scenes and generate strong emotional payoffs when you want them. For instance, have you ever been blown away by a certain event in a certain scene? Like a character dying? Or a character saving another? Or a character proposing to another? Well, your emotional reaction likely wasn't tied to just that one scene. A highly skilled writer likely built it up over multiple scenes by effectively tying story events together. Do you want to write like this?Luckily for you, I offer a sequel to my Intro class...my Hit Writer Course. There, I go into depth on these potent writing techniques. In full disclosure, the Premium course isn't free. But it's well worth the fair price. You can get through all the material in just two days. By the end, you'll definitely be a much better writer. And you'll definitely feel more enthusiastic about your writing career than ever... More writing course topicsSome more writing topics the Hit Writer Course covers...
What do you get if you join the writing course?
Is the class worth the price?With the new, expert skills you'll gain, your next story should have a lot of audience appeal. If you're an author, this can lead to the sale of many more book copies and if you're a screenwriter, your chances of selling your script can go up. If your story is even somewhat successful financially, you should make back the course's cost fairly quickly, plus earn even more. Not to mention, the course comes with a full-refund guarantee. If you register, watch all the lessons, and don't feel you learned new, high-quality writing skills, just contact me within two weeks and I'll give you a 100% refund. No questions asked. Ready to become an expert writer?I'll see you in the Hit Writer Course. What Is Three Act Structure? Improve Your Story.Learn what three act structure is and how you can use it to enhance your book or screenplay. To write a great story, download my FREE outlining guide What is three act structure?Three act structure is a format certain stories follow, with the first act dedicated to the story's beginning, the second act the story's middle, and the third act the story's end. The first two acts build to their own dramatic conclusions, while the final act builds to the whole story's climax. Three act structure exampleLet's say we have a story about a rebel warrior trying to overthrow a vicious king. The warrior is the hero, the king the villain. The story as a whole builds to whether the warrior will defeat the king. However, the beginning and middle can build to their own conclusions, which would relate to the broader story. For instance, the beginning of the story may focus on the rebel warrior escaping a prison where he's been unjustly held by the king. A full act would be dedicated to this escape. The act would have various obstacles (ex, cell bars, prison guards) the hero would confront. The events would build toward the answer to the dramatic question: will the hero break out of the prison? Once this dramatic question is answered, the hero would adjust to his new situation and the story would move toward the second act, which would have its own dramatic question. For example, in act 1, let's say the hero successfully escapes from prison. He then hides out in a village. He explains to the villagers how he was unjustly imprisoned. The villagers, who already disliked the king, now dislike him even more. The hero explains his desire to overthrow the king. The villagers are motivated to help. However, the king has a powerful army at his command, while the villagers lack combat training. Act 2's dramatic question would be: can the hero assemble a fighting force to take on the king's army? Act 2 - the story's middle - would follow the hero as he tried to train the villagers and recruit more soldiers to the cause. Let's assume the second act ends with mixed success - yes, the hero does assemble a solid fighting force, however, it's still a massive underdog against the king's larger, better-resourced army. The story now crescendos into act 3, the end. Act 3's dramatic question would be: can the hero's underdog army defeat the formidable royal army in a battle? Act 3 builds toward the battle, then shows the battle itself. The fight would be the climax of not just act 3, but the whole story. Let's assume the hero's force wins and the king is overthrown. Here, the audience will see that the hero does in fact achieve the main want he set for himself at the beginning of the story. Does a story need three acts?No, a story doesn't need three acts. Some stories can have fewer than three, others more. For stories with more than three acts, the first and final acts tend to function like the first and final acts of a three act story, while more than one middle act is added. For example, a five act story would have one beginning act, three middle acts, and one final act. Want to write an awesome story?Download my FREE outlining guide: |