Course notes
As well as video lessons, you’ll also enjoy access to a downloadable PDF put together by Ken Follett, full of tips, techniques, and exercises to help you start writing your own novel.
Have you always dreamed of seeing your novel on the shelves of your local bookshop? Of writing the next bestseller to top the charts? Learn how to approach your research, what goes into an outline, and how to navigate the world of publishing and finding an agent, with internationally acclaimed, best-selling author Ken Follett.
Join Ken Follett as he unpacks 50 years of experience and teaches you everything he knows about writing bestsellers.
Follow his tried and tested process, from establishing what makes a good idea and how to develop it, to incorporating research into your outline, and pacing your story to make it a real page turner. Plus, hear from Dr Margarette Lincoln, author and historian, on the importance of fact checking, and novelist Alexandra Overy on how to navigate the modern world of publishing.
Whether you've got the beginnings of an idea or a fleshed out first draft, Ken's course will help you refine your work and get you on the right track to seeing your book in the shops!
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Ken Follett is one of the world’s most respected and successful novelists. During his 50-year career, he has written 36 books with over 180 million copies sold worldwide. His work has been translated into 40 languages and is sold in 80 countries, earning him accolades from across the globe. As well as receiving a CBE in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to literature, he has picked up an Edgar Best Novel Award in America, Italy’s Premio Bancarella literary prize, as well as awards in Spain, Bavaria, and Hungary to name but a few.
Ken Follett describes the miracle of literature and tells you how he got started.
Most stories arise from a question that in turn generates further questions.
Ken takes a first look at some fundamental ways of developing the potential of your initial idea.
How to manage a complex story with multiple points of view.
The pleasures, perils, and practical value of detailed preliminary research, and how to record it for reference.
Ken explains why he finds advance planning the most efficient approach to writing and describes how the outline develops from a single paragraph to a step-by-step guide.
Comparing notes with a writer at the start of her career – packed with sound advice.
Why the first line matters and how it works its magic, with a wealth of examples.
How to keep the reader emotionally engaged while filling in the detail.
Ken considers the subtleties of character development, from how to add depth and complexity to respecting historical evidence.
Scene changes, story turns and maintaining reader engagement from the first line to the last.
Why they matter and why they should always communicate something beyond mere action.
How we tend to write what we like to read.
Ken describes his own style and compares it to some contrasting examples, including possible approaches to dialogue.
The value of expertise and how historical accuracy helps ground your story and enhance the illusion of reality.
Ken’s writing day and some tips for how to persevere through rough and smooth.
Reworking the first draft in the light of feedback, and how reader responses are always valuable even when superficially wrong.
Ken shares his years of experience of working with publishers to achieve the best possible outcome for your book.
Comparing notes with a writer at the opposite end of the spectrum, with plenty of practical encouragement.
How reading makes the world a better place.
Ken signs off with a reminder of what it takes to succeed.
Ken has been writing and selling books for fifty years. Here he answers your questions.
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As well as video lessons, you’ll also enjoy access to a downloadable PDF put together by Ken Follett, full of tips, techniques, and exercises to help you start writing your own novel.
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Check your inbox - your free lesson is on the way!
Please try again later
Sign up and get a flavour of Ken Follett’s course with a lesson on how to pace your novel to keep your readers hooked.