Original subtitles

[MUSIC PLAYING]

DAN BROWN: One of the things I love

about books is that they are different things to all people.

When you write a novel, you're not writing one novel.

You're writing a million novels.

And each person reads it in a different way,

imagines your character in a different way.

Your job is to create a framework,

to create the points of interest that the reader's imagination

fills in and connects.

Help them imagine the story.

Give them just enough to move to the next point

and to bring their imagination to fill in all the blanks.

At the end of this MasterClass, I'm

going to admit something to you that I have never

admitted to anyone on Earth.

I'm also going to show you an artifact that nobody except me

has ever seen.

And that is your first lesson in suspense.

I love the creative process of writing.

And I wanted to teach this MasterClass

in hopes of helping other writers overcome some

of the natural obstacles and frustrations that

are inherent in the process of writing a novel, so they could

get to the point where they're actually doing it,

loving the process, and being successful at it.

I can't tell you what idea to have

or what to write your novel about.

But I'm hoping that I can give you a roadmap of sorts

to turn your idea into a story.

This class is specifically designed

to talk about writing thrillers.

But I'm hoping that it actually helps writers

of all different genres.

Because what makes thrillers work

are elements that actually make all stories work.

And this art form of storytelling

is at the core of every single art form.

Paintings tell stories.

Music tells stories.

You, as a writer, as a storyteller,

are participating in the oldest creative art form on Earth.

I was very fortunate to grow up the son of a teacher.

My father was a was a mathematics professor.

My mom actually was a music teacher.

Some of the people I've respected most in my life

are teachers.

So when I set out to write a thriller and to create a hero,

I said, well, he's going to be a teacher.

He's going to be just like these people that I respect,

that have helped me so much.

And in some way, you sort of feel

like you're giving back a little.

You're reminding people that teaching

is the noblest of all professions,

and that if we can do one thing for the people around us,

it's to help them.

And that's what teachers do.

That's what this class is trying to do.

Written language is how our species has progressed.

It's how we remember what we've accomplished

and pass it on to the next generation.

When I first started out as a writer,

I got a lot of very ethereal advice.

Write what I know.

Write what I'm passionate about.

Write a page a day.

Show, don't tell.

And there's some truth to all of that.

But the reality is, it's not all that helpful

when you're trying to sit down to figure out

how to put a book together.

What I'm hoping to do in this class is give the actual nuts

and bolts of, how do you put a story together?

How do you create tension?

How do you build character?

How do you even decide what to write about?

How do you write a finale?

How do you weave multiple plot lines together

in a way that your reader can follow them,

and that they serve each other, that they play off

of each other?

In the world of writing, you learn by doing.

And I've been doing this a long time.

And what I'm hoping to do here is

to help you learn from the mistakes

that I've made along the way, the things

that I've learned by doing.

I also hope that I can share with you

a lot of the information that I've gotten

from a bunch of great teachers.

Above all, what I'm hoping is that this class

provides some truly practical tools

to help writers create stories.

And also, I'm hoping we have a little fun along the way.

I'm Dan Brown, and this is my MasterClass.