Margaret Atwood MasterClass Review 2022: Is It Worth It?

This article on “Margaret Atwood MasterClass Review” will provide you with the opportunity to read an in-depth evaluation of Margaret Atwood’s Masterclass, including information on how the lessons are presented, who the course is best suited for, the cost, and what I liked about it, etc.

Given that I’ve read a few of Margaret Atwood’s books, I know she’s capable of vivid descriptions. Because of this, I was taken aback by her brevity in her introductory words. Afterward, she discusses what it means to be a writer in general.

“Of all the arts, reading is the most interactive.” A result of the brain’s need to feed everything with the words employed as cues, clues, and intense material results in increased brain activity from readers. What you’re doing is providing the reader with a score, which the reader then interprets. And as a writer, all you can do is produce the best book you possibly can.”

The introductory remarks by Margaret Atwood are by far the greatest of all the MasterClasses I’ve taken. They created an atmosphere and raised my bar. For the MasterClass as a whole, yes She was the one who made the delivery.

Atwood’s creative writing class was one of the best experiences of my life. I gained a lot of useful knowledge from this course. This MasterClass, even though I’m more of a non-fiction writer, was full of valuable insights into the writing process that I haven’t seen in any other MasterClass.

The Margaret Atwood MasterClass is, in my opinion, MasterClass’s best writing course. Let’s take a closer look, though, to discover if this MasterClass is really worth your money. So let’s explore the world of writing here in this Margaret Atwood MasterClass Review.

Who Is Margaret Atwood?

Margaret Atwood is a well-known Canadian author of poems, short stories, and novels, all of which have received critical acclaim. Among Atwood’s best-known books are The Circle Game (1966), The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), Oryx and Crake (2000), and The Tent (2003) (2006).

Since Atwood’s books were first published, they have been translated into a variety of languages and sold around the world. As a result of the phenomenal success of The Handmaid’s Tale as a television series in 2017.

Margaret Atwood’s work has found a new audience in the general public. One of Canada’s best-known authors, Margaret Atwood, is based out of Toronto. Probably best known as the author of the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, which came out in 1986.

Booker Prize and Hammett Prize winners for The Blind Assassin, her historical fiction novel.

Both the Los Angeles Times Innovator Award and the Franz Kafka International Literary Prize were given to her in recognition of her work.

On top of that, you can find Margaret Atwood on Twitter, where she has more than 2 million followers, and she regularly shares interesting and thought-provoking anecdotes with her audience there.

What Is MasterClass?

MasterClass is an online instructional resource that offers more than 150 video courses from well-known personalities. Gordon Ramsay, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Dan Brown are among them.

It’s no surprise that MasterClass has become so well-known among audiences, given its roster of well-known instructors. Both the site’s famous professors and its high production value and quality are well renowned.

As per our Margaret Atwood MasterClass Review Even though, MasterClass isn’t suitable for everyone. Educators vary widely in their degree of knowledge, which might lead to a lack of depth for some students.

Then, might you benefit from taking Margaret Atwood’s MasterClass in Creative Writing at the New School? Find out more by reading on.

All of the courses are broken up into a series of short video lessons, which can range from a few minutes to a few hours in length. There are usually around 20 classes in a course.

You can purchase a single MasterClass for $90, which includes lifetime access, or an All-Access Pass for $180 every year.

If you plan to take a lot of classes over the course of a year, the All-Access Pass is a great option. Two additional months will be added to your subscription if any of your friends decide to sign up as well.

Course Overview – Margaret Atwood MasterClass

I decided to listen to Margaret Atwood’s MasterClass this time around. In addition to her novels, I’ve loved Negotiating With the Dead: A Writer on Writing, which is the result of a series of lectures given by the author over the years.

As the author of The Handmaid’s Tale, which was recently made into an award-winning television series, you may be more familiar with her.

As a result, I had high expectations for Atwood’s MasterClass presentation and was pleasantly surprised when she delivered on those expectations.

Overview

High-quality production values were evident in this MasterClass course as well. Once again, the video and audio quality was excellent, and the website interface made it simple to move between lessons. At the price, you’d expect a high level of professionalism.

A more literary and creative approach is taken in these classes, which are comparable to those taught by Patterson but would be found in a university course on creative writing. Story and storyline, structure, point of view, and the creation of characters are only a few of the topics covered.

Atwood conveys authority and extensive knowledge while maintaining a friendly and approachable demeanor. Despite the fact that she conveys her counsel with a cheerful demeanor, you get the impression that her opinion has a lot of weight behind it.

What’s Great About The Course

Although Atwood’s teachings are brief, he packs a lot into each one. Compared to Patterson’s course, the information in this course seems to have been carefully crafted. The videos follow the same format as that course, with each video split down into a single lesson and then a single lesson into chapters.

Atwood’s use of specific examples was extremely appealing to me. There are several ways to begin a story, such as telling it from the perspective of the wolf’s grandmother (for example), or telling it from the point of view of the wolf’s mother (for example).

You can interact with other students in the course by leaving comments on the video lessons, just like you can in other MasterClasses. However, they appeared to come in at a rate of one or two a week, and they didn’t appear to be replied to. It’s unlikely that you’ll get much out of this course if you’re seeking a lot of social engagement.

Compared to the Patterson course’s PDFs, the ones provided with each lesson featured a much more extensive explanation of Atwood’s important points, which I found to be more useful. In order to get the most out of the course, you may simply read these instead of listening to a lesson, and still benefit.

I particularly like Margaret Atwood’s willingness to speak her mind and point out things she disagrees with, such as the “false distinction” between character-driven and plot-driven novels she refers to in her book.

What’s Not So Great About The Course

As someone who prefers to skim read and simply return to sections, I want to re-read, I wish the course had included transcripts. To be fair, the summaries in the PDFs are quite nice.

Because of the format, I would have preferred to hear more from Margaret Atwood on a variety of subjects. How much guidance can be offered in a 10-minute film about something as important as “structure”? Even if you’ve already read a number of blogs and books about writing, you’ll find a lot of useful information here.

What I Liked About Margaret Atwood’s MasterClass

Let me now share my thoughts in this Margaret Atwood MasterClass Review on Margaret’s MasterClass, now that you’ve seen the broad strokes of what this course will cover.

Many of the options were to my liking. In spite of this, I will also point out a few flaws.

Before choosing if this class is right for you, have a look at the pros and drawbacks.

01 – Learn Creative Writing From A Trusted Source

Margaret Atwood, a household name, is a trustworthy source for creative writing. In 2019, she published Testaments (the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale), making her both historically significant and relevant as a writer. We are able to learn directly from Margaret in her library.

MasterClass’s videos are of the highest quality in terms of production values. In addition, Margaret’s teaching style is simple and straightforward. She teaches with a mixture of wit and candor and gives her students a glimpse into her own writing process.

I appreciated the fact that she shared the results of her own study and even some of the materials she used to write her manuscript. When she appeared on stage, she was able to connect with the audience and show them that anyone can be a successful writer if they put in the effort.

02 – Craft Complex Dystopias

Her portions on science fiction were the most appealing to me. For those who are Margaret Atwood fans, this is likely to be a familiar experience.

As an example of “wonder tales,” she takes The Handmaid’s Tale as a lengthy case study. When writing dystopian novels, she considers the following factors:

• Bring your story to bear on current social challenges.
• Relating your story to issues already in our society.
• The difference between dystopian and utopian fiction.
• Creating instability within your narrative world.
• Finding significant themes.

It’s helpful to have the Workbook since it gives us assignments to work on at our own pace and provides further information on these sub-topics. A good “hands-on” companion to Margaret’s often esoteric suggestions in this video tutorial.

03 – Create Working Drafts

My favorite part of this lesson was getting to see Margaret’s early draughts for her books. Rather than seeing her writing as a finished product, she sees it as a work in progress.

While Margaret breaks down the writing process, she provides examples of how to plan, draught, and revise in order to help us better understand it. Authors may choose to hide the messiest aspects of their work.

We learned a lot about how to write realistically in this segment, which helped remove a lot of myths about how to write in a nice and linear method.

04 – Identify And Overcome Your Fears

Margaret is quick to address the worries that plague most novice writers, and she succeeds in contextualizing writing for anyone who is unclear about how to get started. As she points out the obstacles we face in our attempts to write, she also provides precise advice on how to overcome each one.

To help us conquer our own concerns and at the very least get started on our own projects, she shares the experiences of other writers in the past.

Ultimately, I believe Margaret’s guidance to be both uplifting and practical. How to get started and even how to take “creative pauses” are all part of her advice. She seems to have a remedy for any problem a writer might run into.

05 – Understand What Stories Need To Succeed

Even though this is covered in many MasterClass writing courses, I’ve been unable to find any that are exactly alike. Margaret’s course is just one of many ways to learn how to tell a good tale. Specifically, she shows us how to identify when something is or isn’t functioning in a story.

The Workbook includes a number of useful reading suggestions, ranging from examples of storytelling to critical writing guidelines.

Margaret’s examples weren’t the only ones she used; she also included examples from other works that were successful in conveying a story. It was a well-rounded course that went beyond just one type of writing.

06 – Practice Writing Every Day

Many of us, as Margaret points out, isn’t actually in the business of writing full-time. It’s not always easy to find time to write when we’re already swamped with other commitments. I appreciated Margaret’s candor and lack of pretense regarding the ease with which she was able to write every day.

Useful tips for keeping up with writing may be found in both video sessions and a companion Workbook. In addition to writing activities, Margaret offers pointers on how to fit in writing time throughout the course of a typical day.

07 – Good Balance Of Abstract And Concrete

In Margaret’s MasterClass, there is a wonderful balance between theory and practice. Although she discusses a number of useful literary words and theories (e.g. formality and sensory imagery as well as prose style) to help us better our work, she always provides specific examples.

In her own books, such as The Blind Assassin and Alias Grace, she provides examples to back up her argument. These several instances demonstrate how we might experiment with literature (and even how to imitate it as an exercise).

It was fascinating to observe Margaret’s writing process in action. It wasn’t just tactics that she taught us, but also how to reconstruct our stories on the page. Paragraphs were restructured with arrows, and pages were physically cut and pasted onto one another.

08 – Accessibility

This course is only accessible in English, although there are subtitles available for individuals who are deaf. Instead of relying on computer-generated captions, these subtitles are plainly intended for human consumption.

In addition, a Workbook is a valuable tool for those who prefer to learn through reading. You may also print it out and annotate it as you go.

Who Is This Course For?

MasterClass aims Margaret’s course toward novelists who want to improve their craft. Margaret’s first online course is aimed at a wide variety of students, many of whom are assumed to be novices.

Since the majority of her audience are aspiring writers, she maintains her jargon to an absolute minimum in order to speak to them effectively.

Margaret’s counsel may be well-known to experienced writers, but I believe she also provides a lot of her personal experiences and thoughts that are unique to her.

If you enroll in this program, you’ll learn how to:

• Start writing.
• Structure your novel.
• Bring characters to life.
• Craft dialogue.
• Revise your work.
• Research for historical accuracy.

This course can be beneficial to anyone in the range of 1-8 on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being a novice and 10 being a professional.

Plans & Pricing – Margaret Atwood MasterClass Review

Margaret Atwood’s Masterclass has three all-access pass options for those who want to participate:

• $25 per month subscription
• $60 per 3-month subscription (saves you 20%)
• $180 per year subscription (saves you 40%)

The cost Annual membership may sound expensive, but you get unrestricted access to all of MasterClass’ 90+ courses, including creative writing classes from James Patterson, Malcolm Gladwell, and Neil Gaiman’s The Art of Storytelling, to name a few notable authors.

That is to say, chances are that if you don’t appreciate the Margaret Atwood online course on masterclass.com, you’ll find something else that you do enjoy at MasterClass.

It’s also important to keep in mind that each MasterClass is the summation of a lifetime’s labor.

Alternatives Courses – Margaret Atwood MasterClass Review

There are a variety of writing courses offered by MasterClass. They consist of:

• David Mamet—Dramatic Writing.
• Neil Gaiman—The Art of Storytelling.
• Amanda Gorman — Poetry.
• R. L. Stine—Creative Writing for Young Audiences.
• Malcolm Gladwell—Writing.
• Judy Blume—Writing.
• David Sedaris—Storytelling and Humor.
• Dan Brown – Teaches Thriller Writing.
• Joyce Carol Oates—The Art of the Short Story.
• David Baldacci—Mystery and Thriller Writing.
• Billy Collins—Reading and Writing Poetry.
• James Patterson—Writing.
• Walter Mosley – Fiction and Storytelling.
• Salman Rushdie – Storytelling and Writing.

It’s possible to take all of them with a MasterClass subscription, of course!

If you’re interested in learning more about the craft of creative writing outside of MasterClass, check out Coursera, edX, and Udemy.

You can buy individual classes on all three of these sites. If you’re not interested in a subscription, this might be a plus.

Coursera and edX courses are taught by academics, but anyone may publish a course to Udemy, which is worth noting as well. For this reason, MasterClass may be a better option if you want to study from an established best-selling author.

What You Will Need

There are no additional materials needed for Margaret’s course. Simply use a word processor program or paper and pencil to get started.

Writing tasks and thinking experiments are the primary forms of “practice” in the lessons. In addition to simple note-taking, you can do this on the community forum if you prefer. However, there is some recommended reading that may be useful.

Margaret Atwood MasterClass Review: Is It Worth It?

Absolutely, as per our Margaret Atwood MasterClass Review. This course is an excellent introduction for aspiring writers to the process of conducting research and putting together manuscripts. It provides useful guidance on how to come up with new ideas and create enticing characters. If you’re interested in creating novels, this is the course for you.

In addition, a subscription gives you access to 150 additional classes, many of which focus on creative writing. While Billy Collins instructs students on the craft of poetry, Neil Gaiman’s books, short stories, and comics serve as excellent vehicles for teaching narrative.

Margaret Atwood’s works, particularly The Handmaid’s Tale, are well worth reading (on Amazon here). There are some snippets in the Workbook, but since this is her best-known work and a frequent subject of case studies, it’s a good idea to read the whole thing before beginning the course.

You, Will, Learn How to:

• Start writing daily
• Create strong plots
• Structure a novel successfully
• Bring characters to life
• Write compelling dialogue
• Revise your work for publication
• Research and write speculative fiction
• Take writing from a hobby to a vocation

Easy to follow and intelligent, this course exceeded my expectations. Writing can be difficult, but Margaret shows us how to deal with it.

Her zest for research was contagious, and I found it inspiring. Among all the courses I’ve taken, her final words on how to get published were by far the most direct and helpful I’ve heard.

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