In this James Patterson MasterClass review, we’ll determine whether spending time and money on this course is worthwhile.
I’ve been quite interested in writing since I was an early teenager.
Fortunately, I’ve even written some pieces, while some are yet to be completed.
However, to polish my writing skills, I wanted a guide from an expert (to get out of the writing block and find some new ideas to put into my stories).
I already had the MasterClass Individual subscription, so I enrolled in James Patterson MasterClass to finish my writing work and learn new skills.
So, did this MasterClass make me learn new skills?
Is this MasterClass course worth it for the new aspiring writers?
We’ll figure these things out right here.
Let’s begin, shall we?
Quick Summary: James Patterson MasterClass
In a hurry? Here’s a summary of James Patterson’s MasterClass:
What you’ll learn: Learn the writing secrets from James Patterson on how to start and finish your book.
Course duration: 3 hours 31 minutes divided into 22 video lessons
Best pairs with: Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing, David Mamet Teaches Dramatic Writing, R.L Stine Teaches Writing For Young Audiences
Recommendation: I 100% recommend this course to anyone starting their journey to write their first book or novel. Learn how to create and finish your book and everything in between.
About James Patterson
James Patterson is a famous American author.
According to MasterClass, James Patterson is the author of 19 consecutive No.1 New York Times bestsellers.
He has sold copies of his books to around 325 million worldwide.
He was also on Forbes’ list of highest-paid authors between 2013 and 2016.
If you are looking for an expert author who has been immensely successful commercially and popular among book readers, this course will undoubtedly be for you.
In 2015, James Patterson was awarded the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.
In a nutshell, James Patterson is the perfect author from whom any aspiring writer must seek learning to improve their work.
How Much Does James Patterson MasterClass Cost?
Before we dive deep into the MasterClass course, let’s understand how much this course is going to cost you.
However, to access James Patterson MasterClass, you don’t have to pay individually for this course.
Instead, you have to buy the annual membership of MasterClass.
Fortunately, MasterClass has three-tier plans for giving you access to their premium courses.
These are:
- Individual Plan
- Duo Plan
- Family Plan
You can check out my detailed experience of MasterClass cost here.
However, let’s have a quick overview of these plans.
Individual MasterClass Plan
This is the first plan that MasterClass offers.
It was formerly known as the Standard plan on MasterClass.
The Individual plan costs $180 per year.
That means if you take at least one course a month on MasterClass, the monthly cost becomes $15.
However, with the Individual MasterClass plan, you get:
- Access to James Patterson and other 180+ premium courses
- Quick access to newly launched courses on the platform
- Access to additional supplemental materials with each course
- Access to the community with each course
Therefore, the Individual MasterClass plan is best suited for individual learners.
Even I also have the individual plan only.
Duo Plan
The MasterClass Duo plan is the next plan after the Individual one.
It costs you $240 per year with an average of $20 monthly.
However, apart from all the individual plan features, the duo plan gives you access to MasterClass on up to two devices simultaneously.
Therefore, it is best suited to a couple of learners or those who want access to MasterClass on two devices.
Family Plan
The top-most plan on MasterClass is the Family plan.
Also, it is the most expensive one.
Formerly known as the ‘Premium’ plan, the MasterClass family plan costs $276 annually.
That means, on average, per month cost of the Family plan becomes $23.
Main USP?
The main USP of the Family plan is that it brings access to MasterClass on up to six simultaneously under one account.
Therefore, it is best suited for those needing bulk MasterClass access (six devices).
You get all the features of Individual and Duo plans.
So, MasterClass offers these plans, and you can opt for either to access James Patterson MasterClass and other 180+ courses.
Complete Breakdown of James Patterson MasterClass
As you know how much James Patterson MasterClass costs and about your instructor, it is time to break down the course entirely.
To begin with, let’s understand what this course promises to teach you by the end of it.
What Does James Patterson MasterClass Promise?
In short, James Patterson MasterClass promises you how to start writing a book.
The trailer of the course itself says, “We’ll deal with outlines, how to create a scene.”
Even James Patterson himself says, “Why am I doing this? Because I’ve been there, it’s daunting to sit down and start a book.”
Therefore, one can easily take out that this course is going to:
- Make you learn some skills and tools
- These tools will help you take an idea out
- Build an outline out of the idea
- Then, build the characters, scenes, and chapters of it
- Finally, create a whole book from start to finish
However, at first, it seemed quite a significant promise that by the course’s end, I’d have everything to start a book.
However, I had practical expectations that after three hours of class, I would have some basic skills by which I could start working on my idea.
I was also sure that three hours would not make you the master in the first place. Mastery comes only after a lot of practice.
Therefore, if you are looking for expert guidance to start your first book or novel, this course has almost everything you need.
So, did this course live up to what it promised initially?
Will it make you better at writing?
We’ll explore and find answers to these in the upcoming sections.
What Do You Get In The James Patterson’s MasterClass?
When you enroll in the course, the whole course can be broken down into three sections:
- Video Lessons
- Downloadable Workbook
- Community
I’ll be breaking down each of the sections in detail. However, first, let’s go through the summary of the course.
About The Structure Of The Class
| Runtime: | 3 hours 31 minutes |
| Reviews: | 4.8 out of 5.0 ⭐ |
| Video Lessons: | 22 Marvelous HD Video Lessons |
| Supplemental Materials: | One workbook 1 sample outline |
The runtime of the course is perfect.
It is neither too long to bore you nor too short to not satisfy you.
I completed the course over the weekend (as I was also making notes offline).
However, if you want to binge-out the course, you can do it in a day.
Thanks to the playback speed switch feature that allows you to switch the playback speed up to 2x.
However, I don’t recommend going for any fast-track lesson plan or quick playback speed, as it hampers your learning experience.
Especially when you are taking a course for the first time.
For a better understanding of the concepts from the course, I recommend watching it with the normal speed (or 1.5x max).
Course Curriculum
The whole course follows a structured curriculum plan.
That means you will be following the video lessons in a structured manner.
For James Patterson MasterClass, the detailed curriculum is as follows:
- Introduction
- Passion + Habit
- Raw Ideas
- Plot
- Research
- Outlines: Part 1
- Outlines: Part 2
- Writer’s Block
- Creating Characters
- First Lines
- Writing Dialogue
- Building A Chapter
- Writing Suspense
- Ending The Book
- Editing
- Working With A Co-Author
- Getting Published
- Book Titles And Covers
- Marketing The Patterson Way
- Hollywood
- Personal Story
- Closing
You can see here the course is well-structured to address everything from a writer’s perspective.
For a quick overview, here’s the lesson summary for the whole course.
Lesson Summary
The course begins with an introduction to James Patterson.
Even though some learners might find this section unnecessary, in this part, Patterson gives a taste of what you will have ahead in the course.
He even talks about who this course is geared towards.
After that, the main course begins.
Patterson talks about passion and habits first.
Then, he goes on to talk about the raw ideas.
By the end of the writing class, you learn about finding and growing compelling story ideas.
He even talks about how you can test an idea to determine the potential of an idea and create freshness from disparate ideas.
Ultimately, you know which idea will sell by these lessons.
Later on, James Patterson takes you through the plot of the idea.
He says, “Character is revealed through action.”
He talks about drama and conflict and even emphasizes these sections for building the plot.
Moreover, this section teaches you how to condense your plot to keep your readers hooked with your story.
The best part is that this section unfolds the difference between plot and story, which most newbie writers often underestimate.
After that, James even takes you through the research section. He shares how much research is essential for the writing process.
One of the best parts about James Patterson is that he has divided the outline into two parts.
As the outline is one of the essential sections of a story, James spends a reasonable amount of time on these sections.
The first and second parts combined teach you:
- How to determine what an outline needs
- How you can put outlines to focus on the story
- Setting yourself daily writing goals
- Creating scenes with your outline
- Move the story forward and create a pace
- Create exciting and suspenseful plots
Once you know enough about the plot and outline, James teaches you about creating characters in your plot.
James says, “You have to create that character they’re not going to forget.”
For creating characters, James talks about:
- Determining who your character is
- Adding realistic and relatable traits to your character
- Make your hero and villain complex
- Identifying what makes your character interesting
- And many more inside tricks and tips
The best part of this section is that James even gives you examples of some heroes and villains to make you understand the concepts.
He believes that characters must have certain elements to make them believable and to make us want to follow their journey.
James even talks about giving ample attention to secondary characters in your story.
After that, Patterson talks about how to write your first few lines, which must be one of the most essential parts of your writing.
However, I’ll now end this summary here so as not to spoil everything. To learn ultimately, you can check out the whole course.
To know more about the course, check out my hands-on experience below.
Detailed Breakdown Of James Patterson Teaches Economics And Society MasterClass
James Patterson MasterClass: Video Lessons Experience
The video lessons are of premium quality.
I want to appreciate the MasterClass team who created such masterpiece video lessons.
Apart from the content, the video-watching experience is premium in itself.
The expert production team knows how to produce top-of-the-line video content.
Throughout the video lessons, you also get visuals on the screen, which makes your learning more engaging.
Apart from this, James Patterson himself provides suitable examples wherever possible throughout the lessons.
Overall, the video lessons experience is top-notch.
The production quality and the content delivery style are appreciated, and you’ll also love how the content is represented on MasterClass.
James Patterson MasterClass: Supplemental Materials Experience
With every MasterClass course, you get a downloadable workbook PDF to your device.
With James Patterson MasterClass, you get a 66-page workbook.
Apart from that, you also get the Honeymoon outline for practice.
The good part about the workbook is that it contains the following:
- Subchapters
- Note pages
- Assignments
- And more content
Therefore, it is not just a normal PDF with tons of paragraphs.
Instead, the workbook consists of specifically divided content related to the video lessons and adds to your existing knowledge.
For instance, the assignments are in the workbook to put what you have learned into work and practice.
The humorous approach between the pages makes it more enjoyable.
Moreover, the outline is provided to put your learnings into the work you have learned in the video lessons.
James Patterson MasterClass: Community Section Experience
Like a workbook, every MasterClass course has a community space where you can interact with the other learners and students.
And with the James Patterson MasterClass, you get a community or The Hub.
The primary purpose of this space is to make the students interact with each other, ask questions, and seek and provide feedback.
That means if there is any doubt or you are stuck at some point in the course, you can ask your doubts on the course community page.
And you are more likely to get a response from the MasterClass team or the other students.
However, remember that the MasterClass team monitors the community page and not James Patterson himself.
However, there are some video parts where James Patterson answers the students’ questions.
This video is still available if you are enrolled in the course.
Does James Patterson MasterClass Keep Its Promises?
So, finally, the question is whether this course keep its promises.
Well, the answer is yes!
The initial promise was to make you get started with the tools for writing a book and learn about outlines, plot, characters, and more.
After completing this course, I got a new idea for creating the plot (for my pending writing work) and even started working on it.
The lessons in which you are taught how to create the characters, build the story, and how a story differs from the plot make you a better writer.
Now, I know the tools and tactics I can implement in my upcoming writing piece.
Therefore, this course indeed keeps its promises and allows you to get started and become a better writer with the James Pattersons’ experience that he shared throughout the course.
Is James Patterson’s MasterClass Worth It?
After completing various writing courses and comparing with this one, I can say that this MasterClass course is 100% worth it for aspiring writers.
James Patterson’s course aligns more with finding an idea and creating a writing piece that is best for business.
However, another key point here is that it is more towards general writers and not aligned towards writing thrillers/mysteries.
Therefore, only writers interested in writing their first book or novel will find this course valuable or relatable.
However, the good part is that the MasterClass’ all-access pass allows you to choose other courses.
That means, if you are interested in the creative writing course, the Margaret Atwood course will be your best choice.
Therefore, in a nutshell, James Patterson MasterClass is worth it for the new upcoming writers looking to learn the tools and tactics to start their journey.
Pros And Cons Of James Patterson MasterClass
To summarize, here are the pros and cons of the James Patterson MasterClass:
Pros:
- Learn from the expert
- The funny approach makes the course enjoyable
- Suitable examples whenever needed
- Talks about almost every step of writing
- Section on writing for Hollywood
- You get an outline for practice
- Additional workbook for further reference
Cons:
- Not a lot of visuals
- Not much breakdown from his own books
James Patterson MasterClass: 5 Key Takeaways
Honestly, there is a lot to learn in the course.
However, to pick my favorite ones, here are the top five key takeaways.
1. Passion is important
James Patterson talks at the very start of the course.
He talks about his passion for writing a book, which will be far more important.
2. Research Is Crucial When Writing A Novel
Research is essential whether you are looking for ideas for your story or plot.
James Patterson shares how much writers need to read and research to write the best piece.
When Patterson was in college, he read 10-12 novels per week.
3. Reveal characters through action.
Even though characters drive the plot, you should always reveal them through action.
4. Write every chapter as if it’s the first chapter in your book
This is one of the beautiful learnings from James Patterson MasterClass.
Writing every chapter as it is the first chapter of your book enables you to put the best of your words and create a masterpiece that your readers will love.
5. Outline is important
Not outlining your story or plot is a mistake.
You should always outline to build your story upon it.
James Patterson writes three to six drafts of an outline and believes it to be one of the most important elements of writing a book.
FAQs About James Patterson’s MasterClass Course
James Patterson’s MasterClass comes with the annual membership of MasterClass.
Therefore, you must buy a membership from an Individual, Duo, or Family plan, which costs $180, $240, and $276 per year.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced writer, James Patterson’s MasterClass suits everyone.
It has learning suitable for all skill-level writers, so there are no perquisites for enrolling in this course
There is no free method to get James Patterson’s MasterClass or any other MasterClass course for free.
However, MasterClass offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, which enables you to get a refund in case you are not satisfied with your membership to MasterClass.
Check out the
satisfaction guarantee page of MasterClass here.
Verdict: Do I Recommend This MasterClass? If Yes, Then To Whom?
Honestly, by the end of this James Patterson MasterClass review, I can say that it is one of the best writing courses that I’ve taken online.
And considering everything into account, I 100% recommend James Patterson’s writing classes to all aspiring writers and novelists.
Whether you are a beginner or a pro writer, you’ll find tons of learnings from this MasterClass.
From tackling writer’s block to building a plot and story while chapter writing suspense ending that keeps your readers engaged, you’ll learn almost everything in this course to get started with your first piece of writing.
Here’s the course trailer to have a quick sneak peek into the course:
Contents
- 1 Quick Summary: James Patterson MasterClass
- 2 About James Patterson
- 3 How Much Does James Patterson MasterClass Cost?
- 4 Complete Breakdown of James Patterson MasterClass
- 5 Is James Patterson’s MasterClass Worth It?