Neil Gaiman Masterclass Review: Worth The Money?

If you want to receive writing lessons from one of the best storytellers in the world today, then Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass worth is more than you expect. 

Gaiman provides a truly unique experience in his classes, and not only provides fans with insight into his own personal creative process but also offers numerous tips and advice for an aspiring writer. 

If you’re someone who is interested in Neil Gaiman’s writing course, then this might just be the perfect Masterclass for you. To find out more about the ins and outs of the classes to see Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass worth in, keep reading, as we take a closer look below. 

Who Is Neil Gaiman? 

Before we jump straight into Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass review, first, let’s take a look at who exactly Neil Gaiman is, for those who don’t already know. 

New fans will recognize Neil Gaiman as the key writer of the Netflix series, The Sandman. This popular series was based on Gaiman’s graphic novels of the same name.

As well as this, he’s become an iconic figure due to his release of the book Coraline, which has become a gothic favorite for both children and adults. 

One of Gaiman’s rare and unique talents is being able to create highly nuanced and flawed characters. Instead of being framed as simply ‘good’, or ‘evil’, his characters all have their personal driving forces and motivations. 

Gaiman is actually a Professor at Arts And Bard College in New York, where he teaches seminars on the writing process, as well as completing his own works of fiction on the side. 

Main Features Of The Masterclass 

Now that we’ve taken a look at the man behind the Masterclass, we can move on to discuss some of the key features of the Masterclass. This will help you to determine whether the tutorial is worthwhile. 

The first Neil Gaiman’s class is simply and introduction, which outlines the main topics that Gaiman will be covering throughout the classes. After this, you’ll find yourself immersed in an incredibly interesting tutorial that looks at the process of world-building.

This is something that many aspiring writers struggle with, and Gaiman teaches how to create a real and tangible world for readers. 

Another thing that Gaiman looks at is how to find your own unique voice. He believes that each writer is unique, and should stick to the kind of tone that is most natural for them. 

One of his classes offers a detailed look at how he plots short stories, including the exposition.

As well as this, Gaiman offers an incredibly detailed insight into how he creates dialogue for different characters, as well as description, and even how to create humor. 

Because Gaiman is so interested in graphic novels, a fascination which began in childhood, he says, he has one class dedicated entirely to comic books, which might be particularly interesting to certain writers. 

Another one of his classes tackles one of the most dreaded issues experienced by writers – writer’s block. Gaiman offers incredibly helpful writing advice on how to overcome this issue, and make real progress in story writing.

One of the ways in which he tackles this is by discussing some effective tools for time management, which are incredibly transferable. 

Finally, there is also a class that Gaiman offers that is entirely dedicated to short story writing, which is incredibly helpful for those who are interested in this style of writing. 

The Best Things About The Class

Now that we’ve taken a look at some of the key features of the classes, we can move on to talk about some of the very best aspects displayed by the tutorial. 

One of the key things which stood out in Gaiman’s classes was his insights into how to create tangible characters.

One of the most interesting aspects in terms of this topic was his instructions on how to create truly terrifying characters.

Gaiman’s villains are renowned for being particularly frightening, so witnessing how he goes about this process of making them was incredibly insightful. 

Another great aspect of the classes was his discussions about the subconscious. In one of his tutorials, he gets really deep, and tells us to quiet our minds and simply write, without worrying about where our subconscious motivations come out on the pace. 

He also encourages readers to simply write, and that none of their material is wasted so long as they put it out there on the page. Not all writing has to be edited perfectly in the first draft, simply putting it out there is a great achievement. 

Another great thing about the tutorial was Gaiman’s lessons on showing the inner motivations of a character.

He says that over-explaining can be boring for readers, and instead, allowing the reader to derive their own conclusions can prove to be far more interesting. 

Things That Didn’t Work So Well 

Now that we’ve covered some of the things that did work in terms of Gaiman’s tutorial, let’s take a look at some things which didn’t work as well. 

One of the main things that might be an issue for some viewers, is that some of the information provided by Gaiman seems regurgitated. Although he provides countless interesting insights into the creative process, there are also lots of other lessons which seem trite. 

This is especially true for readers who have already taken part in numerous creative writing classes throughout their lifetime. For beginners, however, Gaiman’s classes are a great place to start. 

As well as this, some readers might be disappointed that Gaiman doesn’t provide viewers with writing templates.

Gaiman prefers to allow each writer to find their own unique voice, instead of giving structured examples of story arcs that are rigid in nature. 

Finally, some viewers might also dislike the number of exercises provided. If a writer is not disciplined enough, Gaiman’s classes won’t be for them, as the classes provide a lot of homework tasks to get started with the writing process. 

How Much Does Masterclass Cost? 

If some of you reading this article think that Gaiman’s classes sound intriguing, the next question you’re probably wondering is how much Masterclass costs. 

Masterclass is a one-time purchase, so you get their full services for one year for the price of 180 dollars.

With a subscription, you’ll be able to view countless different classes, not just resigned to writing, but over a whole host of different topics, including music, cooking, and crafting. 

The Masterclasses will usually come with supplements, which can be downloaded via a PDF file. 

Final Thoughts 

To sum up, we really think that Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass is worth viewing. This is especially true if you’re a beginner that’s just getting started out with writing, as Gaiman’s classes offer a lot of helpful pieces of help and advice.

We really hope that you liked this Neil Gaiman Masterclass review in which Neil Gaiman teaches about writing exercises.