I Took Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass - Here's What I Learned.

День тому

Here's the best writing advice I learned from Neil Gaiman's excellent Masterclass.
Looking to improve your writing? Apply for my Story Coaching program: jedherne.com/coaching
⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
1:55 Truth in Fiction
5:35 Sources of Inspiration
9:36 Finding your Voice
13:13 Developing the Story
20:07 Short Stories
22:02 Dialogue and Character
25:59 Worldbuilding
29:31 Descriptions
32:42 Genre
34:08 Writer’s Block
37:14 Editing
41:15 My biggest takeaway
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Hi! My name's Jed. I'm a fantasy author with three published novels and a bestselling video game. On this channel, I draw from my 10+ years of writing experience to help you become a better writer.
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КОМЕНТАРІ: 113

@Jed_Herne Рік тому

Write, finish, and publish an incredible novel that readers will love with my advanced Story Coaching program. Find out more & apply here: jedherne.com/coaching

@forestgrumpy119 4 місяці тому

would you be able to cover alan moor if you havent?

@bramderacourt9499 10 місяців тому

"The best way to be an interesting writer is to live an interesting life " Welp, it's over. Dream was nice while it lasted.

@SusanFourtane 5 місяців тому

Not really. You now know you have to first step out of your boring life and go on adventure to make your life interesting. You can start as easy as going on a short train trip. Explore the train. Watch the people. See the scenery. You will soon find yourself creating a story just there. Plus, you will be enriching your life. Carry a regular notebook and pen with you. Have fun!

@candy6852 Місяць тому

@@SusanFourtane also talking with people and other writers! For my last story I went out for a few short camping trips at night either alone or with strangers. The notes about what it feels like to set up camp at night in a forest went to my friends. Tldr a lot of journey themed stories should feature a lot more stumbling and walking into cobwebs.

@fionatsang9353 24 дні тому

@@SusanFourtane great advice! Film director Hayao Miyazaki (whom Gaiman worked with on his English script adaption of Princess Mononoke) would drive to the studio with a camera in his car recording the view of his commute, and he would get ideas for films from that. Leading an 'interesting' life doesn't mean living a grand, impressive or outlandish life; it can be just finding the extraordinary in the mundane. It's easier to start with a baseline normal life and deviate from it into fantasy than to try to jump straight into the fantastic (both in writing fiction and in life)

@GleamDrawz 10 днів тому

@@SusanFourtane the problem is when you can’t; when you’re young, unable to go anywhere, see anything, when you’re cooped up in your room because of your lack of rights. When the world moves on without you because that’s how you’ve let it be, and now even if you wanted to change it, all you can truly do is wait. And so you sit there, dreaming about faraway lands with interesting people who went on these crazy journeys and had these exciting lives because that is what you can’t have, freedom.

@sebastiansilverfox6912 11 місяців тому

On that last point about the "arrogance", I once took a class where the teacher took a line of dialogue and said to cut it. I was fine with most of her advice but that phrase was, in my opinion, important and even vital to keep. That said, if she said to cut it, I knew that something about the flow in that section must be off. I altered and restructured the entire section of the page just to keep that line. When I submitted the edit, she circled it and remarked that it was "much improved". It felt extremely rewarding because I had simultaneously "won the argument" by keeping the line but also greatly improved the quality of that section of the story. The challenge of the "amicable adversary" is one that is not only good IN a story, but great for writing one too.

@ghostdreamer7272 9 місяців тому

That’s a great example!

@DrasticSkuba 4 місяці тому

It also shows the mark of a great teacher that she didn't let her OWN arrogance/pride get in the way of you improving your writing based on her feedback word-for-word. A good teacher guides their students to learn more in a way that suits them, not tell them they are learning incorrectly. As an English teacher, I can respect this a lot from a teacher's perspective.

@sebastiansilverfox6912 4 місяці тому

@@DrasticSkuba She was a great teacher. Sadly, I didn't appreciate it at the time. MY arrogance got in the way. She had the habit of constantly "shrinking the box" (as I put it then). For a creative writing class, I found it repugnant because I was an outside the box thinker. I misjudged her actions and assumed she was trying to force the class further and further INTO the box of "cookie-cutter" writing. What I failed to see at the time was how her process separated the truly creative from the pack and allowed them to be stretched and challenged while the ones who were not never would have gained much from her class in the first place. I regret my attitude at the time and now see her not as an adversary but as she really was; a very good and gifted teacher who never got the respect from me that she rightly deserved.

@Philxia66 11 місяців тому

33:50 - I'm glad he talked about subverting expectations in a positive way. So many poor examples today show that giving the audience what they don't want, in an unexpected way, is unsatisfying, almost insulting, and they almost always reject it. Giving them what they want, in an unexpected way, is satisfying. Which is probably the only way to keep them coming back for more. And what the audience wants is that the author follow through on their promises (aka the stuff hinted at with the hook at the beginning, as well as other setup/foreshadowing, etc.). You really have to be careful now, because trust is not so readily given in this regard anymore, especially to new writers.

@wowkir 20 днів тому

I totally agree. And you can thank Game of Thrones for that.

@Mattatronian 6 місяців тому

Congrats on the 1,000,000 words! I'm on 56,000 of my first and writing is changing my life. Your videos have been invaluable.

@leigh-anjohnson Рік тому

In Neil's lesson on short stories, I love the example he gave on the pirate queen Anne Bonny now hidden in polite society with her little girl Mary, and the possibility of Mary being put in danger and Anne having to become the pirate she use to be again to save her. I put that concept in my story idea binder

@DrasticSkuba 4 місяці тому

A line from my own writing that extends on messages from media I've consumed in the past: "Being brave isn't the absence of fear. Being brave is feeling fear and facing it anyway. When you love something more than you love yourself, fear is just an obstacle."

@PhoenixCrown 4 місяці тому

Great video! I took his masterclass when I was just getting into writing a few years ago, and the ending piece of advice stuck with me as well. I love the complexity in his thought about rejection: You must both be humble and display an arrogance normally reserved for 7 year-old boys =P Love it!

@blah914 8 місяців тому

i gotta say i disagree with the "you gotta find it within yourself" schitck. Its an outright disease now for readers/critics to bash writers based on something their characters did. Oh they wrote it, so this must be their opinion. which is nonsense. As writers, we need to talk about the fact that we are not our characters.

@jeffchandler8834 Рік тому

Finally got around to watching this. Great stuff, Jed. I really enjoyed the three foundational principles of short stories bit and the key principles in developing dialogue. Both were very intriguing and informative! "Dialogue and character are the two legs a character needs to walk" is such a genius sentence. Neil is a treasure.

@Jed_Herne Рік тому

Glad you enjoyed it, Jeff! Hope it helps with the book

@krushingproductions4725 Рік тому

Really appreciate you giving us the summary for the Masterclass. I've always considered using it. Great advice here. Working on a script right now and I'm slowly but surely moving forward

@nolancapps8654 11 місяців тому

Hi Jed--I'm a writer myself, and I've been loving your content! I agree so much about style and voice. It's not something to worry about, if you write long enough you're going to sound like yourself, and it's a waste of time to worry about your voice. Keep up the great work and great advice!

@nickprocter1560 Рік тому

More great stuff Jed 👍. Thanks and keep them coming! 😃

@Jed_Herne Рік тому

You bet!

@lotuslake111 10 місяців тому

Thank you for sharing! A lot of fantastic advice.

@Jed_Herne 10 місяців тому

Glad you enjoyed it!

@alexandrastefanescu3784 6 місяців тому

Omg,thank you so much ,you are a genius !

@12345gerrard 10 місяців тому

I love the art of writing it's so zen

@wowkir 20 днів тому

I took Neil’s Masterclass a few years ago. It was so inspiring, his was my absolute favourite of all the writing-related courses on Masterclass. I’m still riding pn the coat tails of that inspiration today.

@marticarreras 11 місяців тому

Thank you for your videos, they are very motivating and help a lot 💜

@BrentGalloway Рік тому

Great video! I took Neil Gaiman's Masterclass as well. It's filled with so much advice and inspiration! I go back to it often for a writer's pep talk. Would love to recommend you also do one on N.K. Jemisin's Masterclass!

@Jed_Herne Рік тому

Cheers Brent! Her class looks cool - I might have to give it a shot sometime

@rianamcgovern 2 місяці тому

This video is so good. Neil Gaiman has such an infectious confidence and goodness about him that just makes you feel like anything is possible. Thank you for putting this together. The strange thing is, a lot of the things he said in this video, are things that I have recently sort of "fathomed out" on my own. It's as if the universe is confirming what I was already starting to believe. Like just yesterday, I told myself that I must finish my first novel, even it's my worst novel. Because like Neil, I have reams and reams of half written stories, exciting little ideas that never went beyond 5000 words. I also think that humility is an important part of being a successful writer, not setting your expectations too high but just saying "Ok, I'll be happy if I write a mediocre story as long as I finish it". Thanks!

@user-gf4if4qo6d 5 місяців тому

Thank you.

@Dontwantahandle111 Рік тому

Thanks!

@Jed_Herne Рік тому

Wow, thanks a lot! I really appreciate the support :)

@irmanizajamal6132 10 місяців тому

Im so glad to discover your video. Thank you for making it. It was thanks to Neil Gaiman and his works that I understood the meaning of favorite writer. Lol. Listening to his advice from the Masterclass followed by your thoughts has been inspirational and I know it might seem cliché but it's making me want to revive an old fantasy fiction that I started 7 years ago but has stopped due to 'writer's block'. 😂 Thank you again!

@Jed_Herne 10 місяців тому

Glad you enjoyed it!

@djcalli7210 Рік тому

I really enjoyed his class

@fralou_sind_kreativ 7 місяців тому

Cannot wait take this Masterclass myself!

@sylvesterpenn 8 місяців тому

42:24 - Biggest Takeaway I've written this one down for myself, to remember.

@transvestosaurus878 7 місяців тому

Gaiman's subverted/modernised fairy tales are similar to Angela Carter, her collection of short stories 'The Bloody Chamber' is incredibly influential, so check it out (also see Carol Anne Duffy and Shirley Jackson).

@unicorntomboy9736 Місяць тому

I remember reading that book in university. I actually had to write an essay about it

@transvestosaurus878 Місяць тому

@@unicorntomboy9736 the worst wolves are hairy on the inside uwu

@unicorntomboy9736 Місяць тому

@@transvestosaurus878 I don't understand what you mean

@jakeadlam9255 Місяць тому

I love the Snow White example that Neil Gaiman gives, purely because it reminds me of a meme I made when I was like 14, which was basically exactly this. It was a photo of the true love kiss scene from Disney's Snow White when she's lying in the coffin. The text I wrote read 'its not true love, it's necrophilia' and now Neil Gaiman has made 14 yr old me feel like a literary genius. 😅

@venwarrezo4313 10 місяців тому

Jed I just wanna put this here, Thank you so much you're helping us and we appreciate your efforts...Also Neil is my favourite author i love him so much he always inspires me, as he said it's kinda scary to know that we don't know where the ideas are coming from.

@Jed_Herne 10 місяців тому

My pleasure!

@RYDERBENABOUD 2 місяці тому

You're the same age as me yet you're such an accomplished person! It's quite amazing!

@Karen-J-Carlisle 8 місяців тому

is that the Mortlock Library in Adelaide? It's an awesome space and a favourite of mine

@Jed_Herne 8 місяців тому

Sure is! I loved that place

@AnotherDuck Місяць тому

One thing that struck me about the dragon/bully example was that it's something I've unconsciously written about as well. Way back in the first six grades of school there was this infamous troublemaker who started fights and randomly kicked people. Most were afraid of him when he passed by and he was difficult to speak with. But he never attacked me, and I could speak with him just fine. Despite being an introvert, I never had trouble speaking with people, regardless of what clique they belong to. And in stories when I write, I like to write characters who can speak casually with both the heroes and the villains. Didn't make the connection until now.

@jettsimmons7441 Рік тому

As an aspiring writer, I love the crap out of this. But I also am scared...because with AI now being a thing. What happens if it takes you out of the job? I want to be a writer, and I want to create things. All I can do now I guess is just try and get there. To beat the odds and inspire people.

@Jed_Herne Рік тому

That's something I talked about in this video: ukposts.info/have/v-deo/qJGCqIKvpI2L0Gw.html. Tl;dr - I think people will still value the experience of feeling the connection with another human that comes through stories ... but it's also more important than ever to build an author platform so that you have readers who have that human connection with you. In short: there's always reasons to be scared. The radio, TV, social media, now AI - there's been plenty of times when authors looked like they were getting crowded out. Just write anyway.

@Vitearys 11 місяців тому

As a digital artist AI also scares me, but one thing that makes me happy is how people are pushing against it all, hashtags like #protectyourartist and art shares where AI is not allowed show how we can all help each other, and to be honest anything done by AI lack human touch, the little quirks of an artist's stable but human hand that sometimes make little mistakes that make it charming, a writer's style being recognizable in the way they form phrases or use adjectives. We'll be alright friend, don't give up on writing

@Rain-nm1ee 11 місяців тому

For AI to write a proper story with internal consistency and be more unique it would need to be self aware and that’s gonna be impossible for a few decades at least imo

@alexanderellis-robbins4835 10 місяців тому

Also if you look at Chat gpt whilst it is possible to jail break it, it only remembers up to about 1,500 words and there is a whimsical way that it writes things. Tbh it is better to use it to edit than write I think. I am writing my first novel and I am using AI to help me but the story is entirely mine.

@blah914 8 місяців тому

@@alexanderellis-robbins4835 chat gpt is the best way to start the day. i give it a scene prompt, and the utter garbage it spews out makes my imposter syndrome evaporate 😂😂

@rubyseverinwhitworth9066 3 місяці тому

I know this isn't relevant but like can Neil just read vaguely interesting articles to me this explaining voice is amazing. Listening to so much about writing is aspiring to thinking about animation.

@sinodattv Рік тому

First 😊love your channel and hopefully after I finish my first draft I can make my way into your coaching program

@sinodattv Рік тому

Halfway into the video and it’s very helpful

@Jed_Herne Рік тому

Thanks! Best of luck with the writing :)

@danbrooks2874 2 місяці тому

I had a beta reader read one of my stories one time. He liked the story, but he scolded me about a certain line i had my protagonist say. By the time he had gotten that far in the story, he knew her better than I did. I kept the line, but had someone else say it. It was embarrassing, but I learned a lot. I've kept her truer to herself since then.

@eruiluvatar6688 2 місяці тому

Nice ad

@CL-eg8mb Місяць тому

At 7 i was stung in the head by 40 wasps, it took about 45 mins to remove them all from my hair...they kept stinging. I am not scared of wasps anymore.

@bethbogert4300 4 місяці тому

Ditch the music.

@benedettabellucci2179 9 місяців тому

I always wonder if it's really important to have a notebook where put all the process of the story as Neil Gaiman and others authors do or let the story goes by itself writing it as Stephen King and others writers say

@crstph 2 місяці тому

i think it depends heavily on the person writing and the story being written. there is no one way to make good art yk

@matthewhuntcrothers7491 3 місяці тому

15:18 Honestly, I would automatically just go into director mode when it comes to storytelling, no I am not a director it is just a thing I do first I tackle the manuscript. first, I start off with a plot, then I start off with characters and then I tackle the plots for chapters.

@danconstanciojr8476 3 місяці тому

Leniency… Regarding “Writer’s Block… Painted into a corner? Whom does your character(s) turn to? Got to be lenient to yourself (Author). Author… Listen to me… Give yourself a break. Everyone can do good, but doing better means you know how to collect yourself. Allowance to mistakes? Sure. You will make mistakes, Author. But, remember where you restricted yourself and what choice you made at a pinnacle decision. You can do it, Author…😊

@Fig_Faerie 2 місяці тому

I think Writer's Block is 100% real. If you're doing a mental and emotional labour heavy job like single parenting, or tip-toing around an unavoidable toxic-relation, you might be unable to tap into that part of your brain. Malnutrition and illness can also really fuck up a person's ability to think straight. For me, the writer's block was gluten-ataxia (brain-damage) that took four years to heal. Now the characters I write have all kinds of cognitive impairments (a lot of the people walking around visibly drunk/high aren't actually either).

@themightypen1530 8 місяців тому

I hate to be contrarian (that's not true I love it) but I don't really think a fictional story is a lie. A lie is meant to be a deceptive, where as fiction is meant to teach and entertain.

@andrewmiller8410 11 місяців тому

Yes! (#4) Writing ideas out tangibly is so useful and rewarding, I think. I see it and use it like sketching. When I translate notes into a digital doc, they are always getting edited or deleted after they are spent, and then it's like there is no record that the idea ever existed before. Often, my sketchpads are a mix of written and drawn ideas. I love it!

@anthonywritesfantasy Рік тому

This video has convinced me to actually purchase this masterclass! There are some incredible insights in here, that are implementable.

@Jed_Herne Рік тому

Enjoy!

@V_2077 Місяць тому

Was it worth it?

@karnliberated 5 місяців тому

16:00

@JaleaMagnetica 2 місяці тому

Ah yes; my master and messiah Neil Gaiman himself. Thanks for this.

@rustybrooks8916 3 місяці тому

I see why I will never write a story that other people will enjoy or relate to, and I suppose that is just something I will have to live with. You see, I don't believe in writing stories that are "about" anything. I don't see life as being about anything. Things happen, and not for greater reasons. Creatures with minds may do things for reasons, but reality in general does not. I could never write a story and be comfortable with saying it represents something like "you can face your fears and triumph" or "never give up hope". I think the only story I could conceivably write with a meta theme would be the one that just points out that stuff happens, and it has no meaning beyond what you give it. Oh well.

@crstph 2 місяці тому

legitimate question: do you ever read books or consume any media that you enjoy? what is it?

@2ndai385 7 місяців тому

How do you make good un relatable un empathetic characters/beings? Like things that are awesome in the literal sense

@HomeAtLast501 3 місяці тому

Asking where you get your ideas indeed IS a stupid question.

@HomeAtLast501 3 місяці тому

Given his list of topics, he's focusing on so many things that are just basic, intuitive dimensions of the creative process for ANTYHING you might do, not just writing fiction. Why isn't he getting into the skills of crafting a story, and writing skills? Why isn't he breaking down the components of a story, and then on writing techniques? Does he not have those skills?

@crstph 2 місяці тому

outside of a workshop, the most useful way to improve craft by far is to just write. there’s teaching about point of view, and tense, and line-editing to cut weak words etc etc, but i would argue that THAT advice is actually fairly generic and standard pretty much anywhere you find it. the problem is what makes a GOOD story, in terms of advice, is pretty much never universal. that’s why workshopping and feedback is so vital; the most important advice by far is whatever makes you just write and keep writing, and looking back at your work to see where YOU need to improve. a masterclass for millions of people isn’t going to be able to be specific enough to help you with that

@HomeAtLast501 2 місяці тому

Here's an example of part of the "craft" that would be really beneficial to hear about, to get insight and advice on, to get a framework for thinking about. This is something that a lot of people might not ever figure out. Writing a party scene. I was writing a party scene for a novel I'm working on, and I figured out on my own how to structure it, and the mechanisms to use to create a party atmosphere. Then I reviewed the party scene in Gatsby and To A God Unknown, and confirmed that my framework was correct. Then I googled for advice online about party scenes to see how my insights stood up next to so-called experts, and I saw people who were giving advice who had no clue as to what the secret to a party scene is. I saw one article where they said their own instructor said party scenes are just too difficult to write, so just to avoid writing them. @@crstph

@coffeewithstas 11 місяців тому

Neil Gaiman videos should be prescribed instead of anxiety pills

@Jed_Herne 11 місяців тому

His voice is so soothing

@user-rl2uq6us1m 4 місяці тому

Dream was nice while it lasted.

@husseinhassan6750 Рік тому

Jed, I bet your friend Micheal R.Fletcher would like to disagree about the laying brciks part 🤨.

@Jed_Herne Рік тому

You'd have to ask him, but I think he'd mostly agree with me

@DABOSSEMPRAH 5 місяців тому

everytime you said Neil Gaiman i heard New Gamer.... 😂

@sallyhampson1170 7 місяців тому

It is all great stuff but please why the cheesy hotel lobby music in the background it just so off putting distracting and just not really needed.....

@helixxharpell Місяць тому

I'm sorry if this comment offends some people, (let's not all be so sensitive.) I lost some respect for Neil after finding out that he "allowed" (or went along with) how Sandman was changed in the Netflix series. It was interesting dgmw, but if I were Neil I would have said, "It's nice that you want my Sandman come to the screen, but I'm going to have the final say on any change you want to make." Someone out there may know more than what my opinion is based on, (please educate me here) but it just felt like Neil gave in to woke Hollywood politics. Neil may have thought that in order for his Sandman to reach a broader audience that he had to make concession(?) If woke Hollywood wants to make woke stories I'm fine with that but dont CHANGE ESTABLISHED GREAT STORIES TO FURTHER THE WOKE AGENDA. 😡

@5Gburn 7 місяців тому

I'm liking your content, but the backing track is distracting as hell. I want to hear Neil Gaiman--and I want to hear *you*.

@MacSmithVideo 3 місяці тому

Sounds as useless as the masterclasses that i took lol, no offense. These things are mostly just celeb PR gimmicks.

@ciaranlucas2878 8 місяців тому

This seems a little shady, and kinda stealing from Neil's course a bit?

@ChaoLiang_thecmancan 6 місяців тому

Neil can handle it.

@HomeAtLast501 3 місяці тому

Jesus, Gaiman is so full of it. I can barely listen to him.

@HomeAtLast501 3 місяці тому

If ideas don't just come to you, then I would argue you aren't a native writer---you're rather in love with a romanticization of the idea, or image, of being a writer.

@The_Gnome_Chomskee 8 місяців тому

How much did he charge for this? This is superficial, surface level stuff that every writer knows. Was it made just to grift people who thought they could write?

@heiker1351 3 місяці тому

As much as I enjoy listening to Neil, I highly doubt you asked permission to use his teachings for your channel and clicks. It's embarassing, sorry.

@diegooland1261 6 місяців тому

I question the ethics of this. Mr. Gaiman does make money selling the master class and for you to take it and say, "Here's what I learned" aka here is what is in it so you get clicks off his knowledge reeks of theft.

@jevonscantlebury9834 6 місяців тому

The masterclass provides notes and exercises plus the videos are almost an hour long. This is barely a summary of the masterclass if it was theft or a breach of copyright he could not upload it.

@V_2077 Місяць тому

Eh knowledge should be shared

@diegooland1261 Місяць тому

@@V_2077 Yes but some make their living off of sharing and some take advantage of that knowledge.

@zzgoober3251 Місяць тому

I seriously doubt Neil is strapped for cash lol

@diegooland1261 Місяць тому

@@zzgoober3251 That's not the point.