Author Walter Mosley Talks About The Role Of Identity In Writing For New Fiction MasterClass

Award-winning author Walter Mosley has had a long-spanning career writing mystery and crime novels like “Devil In A Blue Dress,” following one of his most famous characters, Easy Rawlins, and he is easily one of the notable and few Black writers to dominate the space. Now, the author wants to help aspiring writers improve their craft while teaching the importance of race and representation in storytelling with a brand new workshop.

This week, Mosley and MasterClass unveiled the author’s new thirteen-lesson package for fiction and storytelling with topics ranging from using vivid language and plot structure to Mosley’s writing method, which is every day to improve your skills and how to live a creative life as a professional writer.

“Throughout his impressive career, Walter has used writing to illuminate important racial issues and as a means of personal discovery,” said David Rogier, founder and CEO of MasterClass in a statement sent to BLACK ENTERPRISE. “In his MasterClass, he not only sheds light on the importance of race and representation in fiction but helps members eliminate any barriers to writing their own stories.”

In a phone interview with BE, Mosley says the importance of representation and identity in storytelling is not just for Black writers but all who hope to write inclusive stories with dynamic characters that feel real to the reader. In October, the National Book Foundation announced Mosley would be the lifetime achievement award recipient.

“Fiction is one of the few things in the modern world in which you can make something from nothing,” Mosley said in the statement. “In my MasterClass, I will show you how writing can create a whole new understanding of the world and hopefully leave you with the confidence to write your own stories.”