About a year ago when I signed up for the all access pass of MasterClass, I already had a list of classes I wanted to take. As I watched video after video and took notes, there were many more classes I stumbled upon. One of them was Storytelling and Humor by David Sedaris.
The Class Experience in One Line
If I have to sum up my experience in one line: I had no clue who David Sedaris was when I started. By the end of the class I was not only glad had I stumbled upon his class, but I had also found a writer so funny and flowing that he became one of the writers I’d truly like to meet some day.
Storytelling and Visuals
One of the best thing about this class (and likely about a lot of other classes on MasterClass) is the power of storytelling and visuals. Sedaris was talking, not just to anyone but to me. The visuals, the setting, the background, all of it adds to the feel. And while thousands of us may be watching it from all over the world, it somehow feels personalized. To add to it, Sedaris’ delivery is impeccable. He is just pleasant to listen to. The writing wisdom along with life lessons come off subtly. It almost feels magical.
Please don’t feel like your life is meaningless or that you’re not special. You just haven’t found it yet. – David Sedaris
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Classes and Workbook
The MasterClass comes with 14 Classes and a downloadable workbook. The workbook compliments the classes with a quick recap and more details about Sedaris and his work (which was pretty cool as I had no clue about his work when I started).
Insights from the Class
There are many things I learnt from the class. Some of my favorite pointers are:
- Keep a journal and mine it
- If you don’t need a laugh, don’t keep it
- Notice your reactions
- Lay out your work and see the rhythm
- At times you have to end with the truth, with what truly happened
It’s everybody’s dark secret. They’re selfish. – David Sedaris
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It takes Honesty and Courage
Through the class I came to know that Sedaris often writes about his family. His sister also comes along in a class to talk about it. Throughout all the videos there is one factor that seems to connect on a next level – how honest Sedaris is. And that too when writing about people around him. It sure does take a lot of courage. But it’s beautiful how it comes out and makes sense on a larger scale, which also corresponds with the words of Neil Gaiman, another magnificent writer and whose class is also available on MasterClass: You just have to be okay with what the world comes to know about you.
Final Takeaway
I think this class reminded me of how we are all simply human, with our flesh and bones. One of my best takeaways was on humility. Sedaris explains how important it is to be kind and to treat everyone with kindness. I was stunned to know that he takes a lot of time to talk to his audience members during book signings. He also goes on to share how he helped a person at a bookstore reminding that it’s the people there who will sell your books.
I got to see so many behind the scene aspects of a writer’s life – indeed much more than bestselling books and shiny covers. There’s a lot more. And they do it because it’s their life, their fuel. There’s some inexplainable charm and magic to writing that words themselves cannot seem to fully grapple.
Be the kind of person who somebody wants to help. – David Sedaris
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