MasterClass – Writing Courses
Beautifully produced writing courses from world-famous authors including Neil Gaiman, James Patterson, Margaret Atwood, and N.K. Jemisin, available via an all-access annual subscription.
Best for: Authors who want craft inspiration from world-famous writers and understand they are paying for insight, not step-by-step publishing instruction
Cheaper than 6 of 20 tools · this price is per year
Tools at this price point typically fit a Professional Stack ($2,000+ total).
Details
- Skill Level
- All Levels
- Course Focus
- Writing Craft
- Instructor
- Neil Gaiman, James Patterson, Margaret Atwood, N.K. Jemisin, Dan Brown, and others
- Format
- Video Course
- Topics Covered
- Writing Craft, Storytelling, Character Development, World Building, Voice, Fiction, Nonfiction
- Commitment
- Self Paced, Membership
MasterClass is a premium subscription platform offering beautifully produced video courses taught by world-famous practitioners. Its writing category is one of its strongest, featuring lessons from authors who have collectively sold hundreds of millions of books across virtually every genre.
A single annual subscription unlocks all writing courses plus 200+ other courses across topics from cooking to business, making it exceptional value if you are willing to explore beyond writing. The platform is available on desktop and via a polished mobile app with downloadable lessons for offline viewing.
Featured writing instructors:
- Neil Gaiman — The Art of Storytelling (craft, imagination, and the mechanics of narrative)
- James Patterson — Writing and Getting Published (plot, pacing, commercial fiction, and the business of being an author)
- Margaret Atwood — The Art of Speculative Fiction (worldbuilding, voice, and the social function of fiction)
- N.K. Jemisin — Speculative Fiction (genre, worldbuilding, character, and writing "otherness")
- Dan Brown — Writing Thrillers (tension, pacing, research, and plot architecture)
- Judy Blume — Writing (voice, character, and writing for younger readers)
- R.L. Stine — Writing for Young Audiences
Pricing tiers:
- Standard (1 device): $120/year
- Plus (2 devices): $180/year
- Premium (6 devices): $240/year
- 30-day satisfaction guarantee on all plans
What MasterClass is: Inspirational, beautifully crafted craft instruction from the best writers in the world. Lessons are engaging and thought-provoking, and many authors report breakthroughs in voice, structure, and story instinct from the most unexpected instructors.
What MasterClass is not: A structured course with feedback, assignments, or community accountability. There are no exercises graded, no instructor interaction, and no self-publishing business content. It is craft-focused and inspirational by design.
Best for: Authors who want to deepen their craft and draw inspiration from the best writers in the world, and who understand they are paying for insight and inspiration rather than step-by-step self-publishing instruction. An excellent complement to a more structured self-publishing course.
More Courses & Education Tools
Showing 3 of 21 alternatives
See all 21 toolsStory Grid Guild
Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl's year-long Story Grid membership teaching the structural anatomy of story through 20 Core Scenes, with weekly scene-analysis and craft training, monthly live workshops, certified-editor scene breakdowns, and Story Grid AI — for serious literary and commercial fiction writers.
Also offers Writing Craft
Higher price than MasterClass – Writing Courses
- Instructor:
- Shawn Coyne & Tim Grahl
- Best For:
- Serious fiction writers who want a year-long systematic education in narrative structure and the tools to diagnose what isn't working in a manuscript
Reedsy Learning
50+ free email-delivered mini-courses for authors covering self-publishing, marketing, Amazon ads, book design, and writing craft, plus paid video courses including the How to Write a Novel masterclass.
Also offers Writing Craft
- Instructor:
- Various (Ricardo Fayet, Tom Bromley, Martin Cavannagh, others)
- Best For:
- Authors at any experience level who want high-quality free education across the full publishing spectrum from a trusted industry source
Alessandra Torre Ink Courses
Step-by-step online courses for fiction authors from 7x New York Times bestselling author Alessandra Torre, covering novel writing, self-publishing, and book marketing at an unusually affordable price point.
Also offers Fiction
Similar price to MasterClass – Writing Courses
- Instructor:
- Alessandra Torre
- Best For:
- Romance, suspense, and thriller fiction authors who want no-nonsense, budget-friendly instruction from a working bestselling author
Complete Your Toolkit
Other tools authors typically need alongside courses & education.