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Fictionista, Foodie, Feline-lover

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Masterclass with James Patterson

As you know, I habitually cruise Craigslist looking for jobs and gigs. I'm on there enough that I've seen the same scams posted over and over ("Quick, fast writing gig") and noted the emergence of the phony Yelp rating business and marveled at the unbelievable gall of people who are trolling for people to exploit. But I've also made about 50 percent of my income from CL ads in the last eight years and among the gigs I scored was one beta-testing this MASTERCLASS WITH JAMES PATTERSON.

Yes, I was paid to take a class (complete iwth workbooks and assignments) that is being offered to the public for $90.  the "lessons" are edited from a series of interviews and in them Patterson takes his "students" through his process--from getting ideas (one of the lessons I found most engaging) to marketing. Along the way he tells some engaging stories.

You might want to check it out.  Here's more information on the people behind the Masterclass concept.

2 comments:

  1. Not sure if my earlier comment/inquiry got posted properly. I wondered if you could get some feedback on the masterclass. Do you think it is worth it? Thanks!

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  2. Hi Precious, sorry for the late response--You know it's tough to say. Money's tight. But if you're like me, you probably have bought books on how to write and if you add them all up, they're more than the cost of the class. I was lucky enough to be a beta tester, so I didn't pay for it, but I believe it's incredibly valuable. Patterson is an engaging speaker and his lessons are valuable. One of the early ones, and a lesson I found incredibly useful, was one on getting ideas. I actually don't have much of a problem finding ideas but i found myself taking notes. And doing the lessons in the workbook.

    There are things you've heard before, but when he talks about how he got from where he was to being JAMES PATTERSON, it's inspiring. I ended up with a writer crush on him.

    Also, if you take the class, you have access to the masterclass group on Facebook. I'm not sure how many people are in it, but I saw writer CJ Lyon's name go by. It feels like a really supportive community, which is nice.
    And if you're filing a Schedule C with your taxes, the cost of the class is tax deductible. Bonus!!

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