James Patterson MasterClass Review 2024: How Good Is It?

I have always wanted to be a writer. I mean, to be precise, an author who writes books.

Since life had other plans sorted out, I never got to pursue a career in writing, but my interest in writing was still a dream for me. That is when I decided to take up a course on writing.

While searching on the internet, I found James Patterson’s MasterClass, where he talked A-Z about writing, from writing the first word to editing the novel and publishing it in media to marketing online to reaching the readers.

As an aspiring writer who wishes to fulfill his dream of becoming an author, James MasterClass was a much-needed course for me because this learning could be the first step towards my goal.

In this article, I will skim through James Patterson’s MasterClass, the best part about his MasterClass, dive into complete MasterClass modules,  the pros and cons, the budget of his MasterClass, and many more.

I will also be sharing my experience of taking James Patterson’s MasterClass, reading till the end.

James Patterson’s MasterClass: In a Nutshell

James Patterson knows his way of teaching about writing in his MasterClass. Moreover, you understand the whole process of writing from A-Z, which was helpful.

Finding original ideas and transforming them into a story is one of the biggest takeaways in his MasterClass.Usually, writers find it difficult to scrape an original as it overlaps an already established written piece or coincidentally written by a different author at the same time.

The masterClass platform is full of resources, and it contains classes from all the genres like food, business, sports, and many more. There is a lot of information available on MasterClass here.

Speaking of ideas, you also learn about giving plot twists to an idea and how effectively smoothly it can blend in with the story. That was something inspiring to know as a student for me.

James also talks about successfully making it as a writer, which is something to look at.

His MasterClass has 21 lessons to benefit from. The lessons can take around 4 hours of watch time to complete fully. It does not feel like it is going slow as James constantly hypes up his students.

It is no surprise that MasterClass offers multiple perks in its course. Likewise, James Patterson’s MasterClass comes along with a PDF-formatted workbook for students to explore more.

You also get to be part of an interactive student community filled with aspiring writers who are on the same journey as you. This is another reason to take up his MasterClass because experienced writers and beginner writers are grouped as a community that is quite engaging.

Additionally, there is an outline exclusively designed with his work, Honeymoon.

What are the Writing Lessons by James Patterson like?

James Patterson has constrained his knowledge of writing into 21 short lessons in his MasterClass, and that is where his entire treasure chest to making it as a writer lies.

And I was able to open it, obviously by paying for his MasterClass, but I am glad that I did.

You get to look into writing from a completely different perspective, which James intends to teach his students. Some of what he had shared in his MasterClass were foreign to me.

Now, without further ado, let me quickly skim through his MasterClass and highlight the best takeaways that I learned from him.

1. Introduction to new ideas

James Patterson kick starts his MasterClass by introducing himself into the course and slowly sets a writer’s tone. After that, he tells his students about the direction of his MasterClass and for whom it might be helpful and all that. I was subtle with no expectation because I signed up to learn.

Initially, you get to learn about creating an original idea from scratch and developing it into a masterpiece. He suggests his students test a specific idea and check if it is worth releasing.

James recommends being open to multiple avenues of opportunities in a way where you can gain knowledge from various sources, which can, in turn, reflect in your work. That was a nice tip.

While he talks about creating ideas and going with them, he nudges his students to give plot lines so that the reader gets crazy with the suspense of what is going to happen next.  This way, you get to keep your readers hooked, which is the art of writing novels.

2. Research for the Readers

James says that it is essential for a writer to do proper research on what they will write about because the authenticity of factual matters is key to winning a reader’s mind.

'You could be writing one of the best pieces ever, but if it lacks relatable and authentic content to the real world, the reader will not read further and put the book down."

He says that if you intend to give the best shot, you are supposed to walk out of that comfort zone and explore places to collect inspiration for the story. It could be anything from the image of a park, people waltzing around, kids playing with each other, etc.

3. Using Outlines

Making outlines is incredibly helpful if you are going to write something big because it gives a clear-cut vision into how the story will be laid down. By doing this, you can track your work and how well it has been going so far.

James says that it is the easiest way to break down the complexity of writing a novel. I never thought you could make outlines for writing as well, but it seems like you can.

NOTE: James Patterson shows the outline he used for his novel, Honeymoon, in this section.

4. Giving life to Characters

Determining the traits of a character is vital in creating a character. The section gives clarity about the subject of giving life to characters and how unique that should be.

James recommends adding significant detailing and relatable touch to the character, which the reader can remember. It should not be artificial but something realistic and appealing.

“With respect to characters, you want things that really dig deep and say a lot very very quickly, to get us interested in the person.”

If I had to learn about building a character, I probably should have taken a workshop separately, but I am glad that he had included every part of writing in his MasterClass.

5. Conversation with Characters

Followed by creating a character, you are entitled to be giving them dialogues to live through it. That is something James emphasizes because any character can be given any dialogue. Still, it is how real the dialogue resonates with the audience. Wise words, right? It is true, though.

He also says that you can unleash a character’s intro by giving a solid dialogue to walk by, which can be catchy and conversational.

There is a tip that he drops in the middle of the lesson where he suggests covering up the emptiness of time by adding dialogues in between, which was eye-opening to me.

6. Writing the last word

In this section, James talks about ending a book and the key components you should consider while doing so. Don’t worry. He gives brilliant examples for ending a book which can be taken as an inspiration as well. The examples were helpful to know how it is done.

“Everything you write should be moving your story forward.”

Though he said that it is crucial to be careful in the ending part, it is not something done in a single go. You can write multiple times to get that satisfying end for the readers.

7. After writing

The real deal comes after successfully writing because it is the part where you have to put your marketing clothes on and do whatever it takes to publish that masterpiece of a book.

James clears all the doubts that you might be asking yourself how to publish a book, whom to contact, which agent to choose, how to market your published book, etc.

“Do not sit there like, ‘Oh I don’t feel like it today. I don’t feel like it tomorrow.’ Feel like it! Do it! Force yourself.”

He thoroughly goes through every scenario that is bound to happen after completing a book. I was able to know a lot of things that go behind the process of publishing a book. He covered it from finding the right agent to writing query letters to market online, leaving no doubts about it.

Then he goes in-depth about the advertising aspect of a book which includes giving a proper brand image, an appropriate title using creativity, a catchy tagline to go along with it, and many more.

Who is James Patterson’s MasterClass made for?

What I feel can be improved in James Patterson’s MasterClass?

The MasterClass by James Patterson could have covered layers apart from the commercial aspect of it. I felt he was biased and subjective about only his writing and did not hesitate to change it.

People who might be interested in exploring more into diverse writing might be disappointed. And there was no comparison with other writers, which led me to learn from one single road.

James spills the tea about his book constantly throughout the course, which might destroy the suspense of reading his books altogether. Most importantly, it might be sad news for his fans.

Lastly, he takes excerpts from his work as examples, but again, he could have used various examples from other established writings.

James Patterson MasterClass Pricing?

At the moment, MasterClass has cut down its single plan and is offering only a yearly subscription plan which can cost around $180/- per year (billed as $15/- per month).

Don’t freak out. It is not only for James Patterson’s MasterClass but an All-Access Pass to the entire MasterClass course collection, which means you get free access to all the 80+ courses available in MasterClass by paying only for one single course. Mind-blowing, right?

You can use this opportunity and make the most benefit out of it. For example, while taking James Patterson’s MasterClass, I was also learning singing from Christina Aguilera MasterClass, which was incredible.

There’s more, Gordon Ramsay teaches cooking, Hans Zimmer teaches film scoring, and if you are someone who is into magic, I’d recommend Penn and Teller’s MasterClass. You have countless options, so what are you waiting for? Take multiple courses before the subscription ends.

Learn Writing With James Patterson

What will you need to take James Patterson’s MasterClass?

There’s not much requirement for James Patterson’s MasterClass since it is designed only for writing. You will need only the prominent materials, a pen, and paper, to take notes while writing. I’d suggest taking proper notes as it’ll be helpful to look after completing the course.

Are there any alternatives to James Patterson’s MasterClass?

Not everybody would like every course that they take. Well, in that case, I got you covered.

While surfing through the internet and looking through every course available, I was able to explore many more options for writing itself, including courses handled by big celebrities.

The following courses are some of the best picks for someone interested in writing or a student who wants to take a different course other than James Patterson’s MasterClass. They are:

• R. L. Stines MasterClass “Teaches Creative Writing for Young Audience.”
• Malcolm Gladwell MasterClass “Teaches Writing.”
• David Baldacci MasterClass “Teaches Mystery and Thriller Writing.”
• Amy Tan MasterClass “Teaches Fiction Writing.”
• Margaret Atwood MasterClass “Teaches Creative Writing.”

Apart from the above list, there are many more in MasterClass. I’d recommend you take another course for writing while taking James Patterson’s MasterClass because it can give a different perspective. You also get to learn from other professionals in the field. It’s a win-win situation.

Pros & Cons of James Patterson’s MasterClass:

The following are some of the reasons to take up James Patterson’s MasterClass and some downsides that come along with it.

Pros:

• Professional teaching.
• Provision of practical workbooks.
• Gain knowledge about the writing process.
•  Understandable concept of learning.

Cons:

• Biased opinion.
• Limited only to his work.

James Patterson MasterClass Review: Conclusion (2024)

To sum up the entire MasterClass by James Patterson, I’d say that he focuses more on the marketing factor of a book than the writing aspect of a book. I am not saying it is incorrect.

As a writer, you are supposed to know what all it takes after writing a book, which includes proofreading, editing, publishing, marketing, establishing, etc.

Explore James Patterson MasterClass

But James stuck only to that part while giving less importance to writing, which made me upset.

Apart from that, I learned so much about dealing with publications, making them a writer, handling writer’s block, marketing a book online, giving incredible plot twists, and more.

In conclusion, it was nice learning from James Patterson but certainly not so great.

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