MasterClass – Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling. 19 lessons, 4+ hours. Included with membership. End of generated text.
Neil stands in front of a whiteboard. He draws a wavy line. "Fiction is the lie that tells the truth. You have to convince the reader that your world is real—even if that world has gods living in America or a boy with a lightning bolt on his forehead. The moment they stop believing, you’ve lost them. So, how do we build belief? We start with specifics." MasterClass - Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of St...
He acts out two voices, shifting in his chair. "Dialogue is not conversation. Real conversation is full of 'umms' and 'hellos' and 'how’s the weather.' Dialogue is a sword fight. Every line should either advance the plot or reveal character. And what they don’t say is more important than what they do. Subtext is the ghost in the room. Learn to write silence." MasterClass – Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling
NEIL GAIMAN TEACHES THE ART OF STORYTELLING End of generated text
Cut to a desk covered in index cards. "There are two kinds of writers: architects and gardeners. Architects know every room, every joist. Gardeners throw a seed in the ground and see what grows. I am a gardener. For The Ocean at the End of the Lane , I had a boy, a pond, and an old woman. That was it. The plot came from asking: 'What would happen if...?' But here’s the secret: character is plot. What does your character want more than anything? And what happens if they don't get it?"
Neil Gaiman sits in a high-backed leather chair, surrounded by bookshelves crammed with strange artifacts, first editions, and a raven skull. He leans forward, eyes twinkling.