R.L. Stein Is Teaching An Online Class On Writing For Kids & It's Under $100

If you grew up reading Goosebumps and dreaming of the day you too could write like the best-selling series' legendary creator, you might want to brace yourself, because I have some amazing news: R.L. Stine is teaching an online class on writing for kids, and you can sign up to take it right now.

Readers beware, you're in for a scare — or rather, a lesson in how to scare from the horror-writing legend himself. In a new online course from MasterClass, Stine's class on writing for young audiences, aspiring writers have the opportunity to learn all the tricks and tips that helped Stine become an internationally bestselling author. Over the course of 28 lessons which feature interactive exercises and instructional videos, the Goosebumps and Fear Street author will teach participants everything from generating story ideas and outline plots, to building suspense and breaking through writer's block. The course comes with plenty of helpful materials, too, including a class workbook and original Goosebumps outlines, character "cheat sheets," and a list of story starting ideas. Students who enroll can also take advantage of "Office Hours" which allows them to post videos about their work and get feedback from the rest of the class. A few of the luckiest students will even have their questions answered by Stine himself, and if that isn't a dream come true, I don't know what is.

Over the course of his celebrated career, Stine has written over 300 horror novels for middle grade and young adult readers. His books have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide, and the author himself has been the recipient of several noteworthy awards, including Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award, the Disney Adventure's Kids' Choice Award, the Thriller Writers of America Silver Bullet Award, and the Horror Writers Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. For decades, Stine has been at the very top of his writing game, and in his class, the author hopes to share some of the knowledge he's learned through his experiences. The goal, according to Stine, is to break down the writing process into smaller, more manageable steps that make the process both more doable and more fun.

"I have written a lot of scary books, but the process of writing those books wasn't scary," said R.L. Stine in a statement announcing his course. "You can create your own universe, and control people in that universe—you can make them funny or you can scare them. In my MasterClass, I hope to show students that writing doesn't have to be scary; and in fact, it can be a lot of fun."

Stines course on writing for young audiences is being hosted by MasterClass, an online education platform that offers a variety of classes taught by celebrity actors, writers, chefs, athletes, and more. The Fear Street author is the latest in a growing list of famous writers and authors to join the platform. Judy Blume, Bob Woodward, James Patterson, and Malcolm Gladwell. Other notable instructors and classes include Annie Leibovitz who teaches photography, Gordon Ramsay who teaches cooking, Stephen Curry who teaches basketball skills, Ron Howard who teaches directing, and so many more.

If you're interested in signing up for Stine's course on writing for young audiences, you can sign up for the single class for $90.