Writing

Craft Compelling Stories

Edit Your Work & Get It Published

Hone Your Writing Process & Voice

Overcome Writer's Block & Other Hurdles

Spark Creativity & Generate Ideas

Write Vivid Characters

Teaches Writing

Judy Blume

The honest, everyday struggles of Judy Blume’s characters resonate with millions of readers. Now, she’s your instructor. Judy invites you to discover your own process by hearing what worked for her.

1. Introduction

Introduction

Judy was an anxious kid and used stories she invented as companions and a creative outlet. Hear her talk about the early beginnings of her rich imagination.

2. Judy’s Childhood

Judy’s Childhood

Judy believes the most powerful stories come from within, yet writers need to be highly attuned to the world around them. She shares her process for identifying and developing strong ideas.

3. Finding Ideas - Part 1

Finding Ideas - Part 1

Judy discusses the highly personal calculation every writer will make about whether to raid their own lives for material. She also talks about the importance of letting ideas percolate before committing them to paper.

4. Finding Ideas - Part 2

Finding Ideas - Part 2

Judy shares the inspiration behind some of her most iconic and enduring books and characters: Margaret, Fudge, and Blubber.

5. Idea Case Studies

Idea Case Studies

Learn how to tap into the childhood version of yourself to authentically relate to younger readers. Kids have big questions and want their lives reflected in the books they read.

6. Writing for Younger Readers - Part 1

Writing for Younger Readers - Part 1

Give kids credit—they understand more than you think. Judy explains that authors should never write as adults talking to children.

7. Writing for Younger Readers - Part 2

Writing for Younger Readers - Part 2

Judy deconstructs how she researched her sprawling novel, which she based on series of unbelievable-yet-true events that happened in her hometown when she was a teenager.

8. In the Unlikely Event Case Study - Part 1

In the Unlikely Event Case Study - Part 1

Judy calls her notebooks her security blankets. Take a peek inside them to see how she bridged information with imagination to fictionalize a story she personally experienced.

9. In the Unlikely Event Case Study - Part 2

In the Unlikely Event Case Study - Part 2

Compelling and layered characters drive stories forward and keep readers wanting to turn the page. But before that happens, writers need to get to know their characters as if they were real people.

10. Creating Memorable Characters - Part 1

Creating Memorable Characters - Part 1

Judy encourages you to explore voice and point of view until you land on a storytelling style that fits your characters. That style should reflect all the details that contribute to a character’s experience and journey.

11. Creating Memorable Characters - Part 2

Creating Memorable Characters - Part 2

Realistic dialogue elevates and sharpens your characters. Judy shares her love of writing dialogue and her ideas for troubleshooting if you don’t love it as much as she does.

12. Writing Dialogue

Writing Dialogue

What characters say to each other has the power to reveal. And sometimes, what they don’t say reveals even more.

13. Dialogue Case Studies

Dialogue Case Studies

Don’t be intimidated by the thought of writing an entire book. Judy wants to help you tackle a book scene by scene, beginning with how to find your starting point.

14. Creating Plot Structure - Part 1

Creating Plot Structure - Part 1

Judy discusses how settings can act as secondary characters and how to give your book the ending it deserves.

15. Creating Plot Structure - Part 2

Creating Plot Structure - Part 2

For Judy, early drafts require leaning on her notebooks as well as “letting the mess come out” and looking at potential problems later.

16. Judy’s Writing Process - Part 1

Judy’s Writing Process - Part 1

In later drafts, Judy goes deeper into character to propel a story forward. She also shares her feelings about what to do if writer’s block appears.

17. Judy’s Writing Process - Part 2

Judy’s Writing Process - Part 2

Judy shares what she always does before submitting a manuscript. She also teaches you how to write a killer query letter to find an agent.

18. Getting Ready to Submit

Getting Ready to Submit

A young editor discovered Judy in the slush pile and changed her work—and life—forever. Judy shares how she approached working with editors to arrive at the best possible version of her work.

19. Working with Editors

Working with Editors

Rejection is a fact of life if you want to be a writer. Learn how Judy overcame her doubts when the letters piled up—and how she used rejection to fuel her determination.

20. Rejection

Rejection

Writers should understand the power that cover art and titles can have on perception and sales. Judy shares lessons from the trenches, as well as her view on the importance of keeping a clear sense of your own identity within an ever-changing market.

21. Marketplace

Marketplace

Judy remains one of the most banned authors in the country, with books that are still challenged by censors. She shares her hard-earned belief that writers need to remain true to themselves and the truth of their stories.

22. Controversy and Censorship

Controversy and Censorship

Judy started writing because she was desperate for a creative outlet. She shares how her desire to feel normal led her to create enduring emotional connections with readers who wanted to feel the same way.

23. Career Journey

Career Journey

When you finish this MasterClass and begin your next project, Judy urges you to foster the most powerful force in your writing life: your own imagination. As she says, “No one can have too much imagination—let alone a writer.”

24. Closing

Closing

Judy Blume Teaches Writing

variant_1

Enjoy 7 days free

The promo may be over, but your opportunity isn't. Dive into the full experience, worry-free, with our 7-day money-back guarantee.

The offer has ended

Amount charged now

Your 7-day free trial starts today

Pre-enroll now to save 15% on the Breakthrough Innovation Strategy course.

Save 15% on this course when you pre-enroll by October 22, 2025.

Turn bold ideas to business impact—pre-enroll by October 22, 2025 and save 15%.

Pre-enroll now to save 15% on our Leadership and Decision-Making Under Pressure course.

Save 15% on this course when you pre-enroll by October 1, 2025.

Lead and make decisions under pressure—pre-enroll by October 1, 2025 and save 15%.

Celebrating 10 years of MasterClass by giving one member the chance to jump-start their writing career.

We're celebrating 10 years of MasterClass by giving one member a chance at a life-changing experience.

Watch her class, and you and a guest will have a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Esther's relationship retreat in Paros, Greece.

Watch her class, and you will have a chance at a 1:1 consultation and an all-expenses-paid VIP trip to Waco, Texas

We're celebrating 10 years of MasterClass by giving one member a chance at a life-changing experience. Win a 1:1 with the VC founder and tennis legend, plus a trip to NYC, a $15K seed fund, and more.

From TIME ©2022 TIME USA LLC. All rights reserved. Used under license.

Times

Wirecutter

Reviewed - USA Today

Scripting Your Own Success

Mindy Kaling

Achieve More With GenAI

Ethan Mollick

Allie K. Miller

Don Allen III

Manuel Sainsily

Teaches Creative Writing

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing

Teaches Creativity and Film

David Lynch

David Lynch Teaches Creativity and Film

Teaches Writing Thrillers

Dan Brown

Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers

Teaches Fiction, Memory, and Imagination

Amy Tan

Amy Tan Teaches Fiction, Memory, and Imagination

Teaches the Art of the Short Story

Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates Teaches the Art of the Short Story

Tell a Great Story

Michael Lewis

Teaches Creating Outside the Lines

Issa Rae

Issa Rae Teaches Creating Outside the Lines

Teach Developing an Original TV Series

The Duffer Brothers

The Duffer Brothers Teach Developing an Original TV Series

Teaches Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing

N. K. Jemisin

N. K. Jemisin Teaches Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing

Teaches Storytelling and Humor

David Sedaris

David Sedaris Teaches Storytelling and Humor

Reframe Your Thinking

Ava DuVernay

Teaches Reading and Writing Poetry

Billy Collins

Billy Collins Teaches Reading and Writing Poetry

Teaches Screenwriting

Aaron Sorkin

Aaron Sorkin Teaches Screenwriting

Teaches the Power of Storytelling 

LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton Teaches the Power of Storytelling

James Patterson

James Patterson Teaches Writing

Teaches Mystery and Thriller Writing

David Baldacci

David Baldacci Teaches Mystery and Thriller Writing

Teaches Fiction and Storytelling

Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley Teaches Fiction and Storytelling

Teaches Writing and Performing Poetry

Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman Teaches Writing and Performing Poetry

Teaches Writing for Social Change

Roxane Gay

Roxane Gay Teaches Writing for Social Change

Teaches Investigative Journalism

Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward Teaches Investigative Journalism

Teaches Storytelling and Writing

Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie Teaches Storytelling and Writing

Teaches Poetic Thinking

Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo Teaches Poetic Thinking

Teaches Dramatic Writing

David Mamet

David Mamet Teaches Dramatic Writing

Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing

Teaches Writing for Young Audiences

R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine Teaches Writing for Young Audiences