All language subtitles for Masterclass N. K. Jemisin Teaches Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing - 01.Meet Your Instructor N. K. Jemisin

[MUSIC PLAYING]

N. K. JEMISIN: One
of the things that I

liked about science
fiction and fantasy

when I was younger was the fact
that my parents had been giving

me lots of books of
African-American history,

trying to make sure
that I understood

where I had come from.

But with science
fiction and fantasy,

I could figure out
where I was going.

And that's the thing that
I really wanted to know.

I think I was like any child
who reads science fiction

and fantasy imagining
myself going into space

and doing cool space stuff.

Books were the only way that
I could see myself in space.

And even then, I
had to really work

at it because the books
weren't putting me there.

It was only my
imagination that would.

When I began my
career as a writer,

people were up front with me
about how hard it would be.

What I don't think
people said to me

is that if you were legit
good, if you work and hone

your craft, you will
eventually break in.

Because you're a good writer.

If you aren't good
yet, work hard.

Get better, and
then keep trying.

And you will eventually make it.

Yes, you're going
to doubt yourself.

Yes, you're going to be afraid.

Yes, you're going to struggle.

Yes, it's hard, but it's
worth it in the end.

ANNOUNCER: For the
2018 Hugo Award

for Best Novel, NK Jemisin.

[APPLAUSE]

NK JEMISIN: The stars
came closer for all of us.

The stars are ours.

Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I decided that I wanted to
become a professional writer

when I hit 30 and had
a baby midlife crisis.

Anybody that's older than
30 is laughing right now.

I'm laughing at myself.

The idea of a midlife
crisis at 30 is hilarious.

But anyway, I hit
30 and realized

I was not happy with the
direction of my life.

And I'd been a voracious
reader up to that point.

I continued to be
a voracious reader.

I've been one my whole life.

And I was reading books that
weren't as good as the stuff

that I was doing.

Like I was writing stuff
and realizing, you know,

this is actually pretty good.

And here's this published
book that someone

got paid actual real money for.

And I can do that.

I can be at least that good.

So I just decided at that
point that I wanted to try.

I have been an educator
kind of throughout

my professional life.

As a career counselor, I taught
counseling-related classes,

classes on how to
go forth and live

in the world as a professional.

And now as a fiction writer,
I enjoy doing the same thing

but living as a
professional writer.

And so if I can, through
sharing my expertise,

make another person's
journey a little easier,

or even if I can just sort
of help them understand

that what they're experiencing
is not abnormal, it's just,

you know, this is how it is.

If you are just beginning
that journey, just kind

of learning how
to just plain old

write sentences and
things like that,

you may not find this
super useful yet.

But if you have refined
your writing to the point

that, you know, you're starting
to look at other people's

fiction and published
novels, and you're like,

well, I can do that, or I can
at least get close to that,

or maybe I can do
better than that,

if you're now starting to
feel like the next step is

publication, this is for you.

We'll be covering how to
build a world pretty much

from scratch literally
from the planet level

on down to the people.

We will talk about
individual characters

and how to develop
characters that

are interesting and
complex for which I'll

be using my own techniques
that are kind of derived

from psychology and my own
background as a psychologist.

We'll be using
examples of my own work

to demonstrate ways to get
across information, ways

to explain character, ways to
engage readers with the plot.

We'll be using other
examples of work

as well to try
and talk about how

to become a professional
writer and how

to survive in this business.

At the end of the day, we
are all members of a society.

And we've all got to cope with--

with that society's
problems and ills and issues

The publishing world
is literally just

a microcosm of that.

The literary world is literally
just a microcosm of that.

The same difficulties we have
in finding good representation

among characters,
the same difficulties

that we have in our day job
workplaces in being seen

and heard if you are
of whatever background

and being seen and heard and
treated equally if you're

from a marginalized
background, those same problems

exist in publishing, in
fiction, in the writing itself.

And this is one of the
reasons why you as an artist

can help to change
that by making sure

that you do a better
job of depicting

the world within your
books than has existed

in the world around you.

Even if you're able
to only achieve,

you know, kind of moderate
success as a writer,

you got your voice out there.

You got your story out there.

You-- you helped to change the
profession by your existence.

I'm NK Jemisin, and
this is my MasterClass.

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