Hey everyone!

I teamed up with Wattpad and MasterClass to share with you some things I learned from the MasterClass instructors. I will be explaining why you should be open to learning about writing and will be providing you writing tips and tricks on overcoming writer's block and writing dialogue I learned in my classes. MasterClass offers an immersive online experience that allows you to take lessons from the world's best in writing, culinary, film, and more. You can learn more about MasterClass here! #Sponsored

I have always been a stark believer that you need to learn how to write on your own.

Afterall, that's how I learned how to write.

By age thirteen, I have devoured so many books that I decided that I could write a book. Who better to write a story than someone who loves stories? Let me write a story that I, as a reader, would want to read.

I didn't read articles or watch videos teaching me the art of writing. I thought of an idea, I sat down and put it into words the best I can- grammar mistakes and all. If you have been reading my works for a while, you can actually see the progress of my writing. My own readers have told me how proud they were in being able to see my journey as a writer. So when aspiring writers have asked me for advice, I tell them that all they can really do is write and keep writing.

However, self-learning can only get you so far. I haven't reached the highest potential of my writing, I can always improve and I should never settle. That's why, like me, you should be open to this experience, to learning about a subject you believe you have only yourself to learn from.

I had a great experience using MasterClass. I had expected MasterClass to be the adult-version of KhanAcademy that would teach me about cooking and writing rather than just calculus and physics. I decided to watch the classes of instructor Neil Gaiman, author of Stardust and Coraline, whose introductory video is conveniently right here:

https://youtu.be/SinJ_hB8T1k

I enjoyed listening to Gaiman explain the different subjects of his classes because he spoke to me not as a teacher to his student, but as if we were colleagues. It was as if we were meeting at our shared favorite cafe to catch up and discuss our different writing methods and perspectives of a specific topic.

I always found writing to be a solitary activity. At the time I first began writing, I didn't have any writer friends and I rarely talked to my own friends about my writing since it was a personal hobby of mine. However, Gaiman spoke as if we both knew the subject of writing. I believed that whether you are just starting out writing or have written for some time, you would feel this same level of camaraderie when attending his class. He did not hold your hand and explain how to write a sentence but spoke almost abstractly so you can take his insight in whatever way works best for you.

For example, as both a reader and a writer, the most important writing element is the dialogue. I have been known for my witty banters and depend on the dialogue to carry the plot since it's more amusing to me than descriptive writing. So I was excited to see that Gaiman had a dialogue class. What struck me was when Gaiman explained that the characters you write become part of you and become separate from you at the same time. He continued further when he described how sometimes a character would not listen to him because they have their own free will. I was in awe with such insight because it sounded both ridiculous and brilliant.

I have my story's outline and I know my characters, so when I write a chapter I make them say what needs to be said, what should be said. So I didn't understand how a character's free will would make them refuse to say a line that I, their creator, had told them to say. Then I realized that sometimes, I would change something a character said, whether it be a small quirk or an entire line because they're their own person who would not say that or would do something different from what I had planned them to do causing me to edit my outline. Gaiman had given me an abstract insight of the topic of dialogue, a subject I believed I am good at, but I was able to fit it into my own understanding of writing and am able to move forward being more aware of my writing.

I am currently having writer's block with two of my books. I figured, if I have two writing projects, I would be writer's-block-proof because if I'm stuck with one, I can work on the other. However, it never crossed my mind if I got stuck on both stories. One of Gaiman's points on writer's block is that it isn't a strange phenomenon that occurs on a full moon- there's a reason behind it. That point made me reflect on why there are times I can write a chapter in one sitting while other times I barely can come up with a single word. I have to "retrace my steps" and see what had led me up to this scene. There's a scene I don't want to write because I'm too impatient for another scene I'm more excited to write about. However, does that mean I should sacrifice the plot for my personal desires, or should I force myself to write the scene because the plot needs it to be established first? These are the insights I need to reflect on so I can move forward and become a better writer.

With every class I watched, it made me want to start working on my book, but I knew that I should keep watching and learn more about writing. MasterClass trapped me in this catch-22 of watching classes about writing, making me want to write but wanting to keep watching classes so I can further learn how to write. So if you're an aspiring writer like myself, I recommend you attend one of the many writing classes in MasterClass and see how much more excited you will be to pick up a pen and start writing. 

Along with the launch date of my TGGBB merchandise in Redbubble on September 30, 2020, I have decided to give away three one-year MasterClass subscriptions! Instructions on how to join the giveaway will be posted in the later weeks but will involve purchasing some merchandise for a super-secret code. I'll be sure to update the instructions here before the merchandise launch date. Thank you for reading this piece and I hope it excites you enough to subscribe to MasterClass!