Course notes
A downloadable PDF full of tips, tricks, and exercises to help you apply Lee’s teachings and get you started on your next bestseller.
Lee Child, the bestselling author of the Jack Reacher novels, is one of the world's most successful authors of all time. Since he began writing in his 40s, he's sold an incredible 200 million books, topping the best seller charts worldwide for three decades. For the very first time, and exclusively on BBC Maestro, Lee breaks down his writing process. He'll show you how to turn your blank page into a complete story, covering idea development, research, planning, character development and, ultimately, how you can make a living as a writer – whatever your age and experience. Lee's long and unparalleled career is proof that it's never too late to get started.
Unlock the secrets to writing compelling fiction from the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author Lee Child. Taking a practical, career-focussed approach to writing, Lee Child is confident you will likely have already picked up everything you need to know from your many years' experience as a reader, you may just not know you know – yet! And that's where Lee comes in – to help you tap into and apply that innate knowledge. On this course, you'll discover how to switch from first-person to third-person prose without making your readers 'seasick', develop characters with depth and complexity, and learn how to find your niche and making a living as an author.
Check your inbox - your free lesson is on the way!
Please try again later
Capture attention with your first sentence with writer, Lee Child
With over 200 million copies sold worldwide and multiple awards under his belt, Lee Child is the undeniably successful author of the popular Jack Reacher book series, which have also been adapted for the screen with two blockbuster movies, as well as a new TV series on Amazon Prime. And to add to his inspirational success story, Lee Child is also living proof that it’s never too late to get started, as he only started writing at the age of 40 after being made redundant from his job.
Lee introduces himself and his Jack Reacher franchise, and lays out the plan for his course on writing popular fiction.
Lee discusses the evolution of fiction from non-fiction, and what it is about a good story that instinctively draws people in.
Lee explains how you can start writing at any age, and without any specific experience. The only crucial qualification? Being a reader.
The only bad thing about reading a good book is finishing it – so why stop at writing just one?
Writing novels is the perfect career for later in life, as Lee found to be the case when he lost his job at the age of 40.
Find out how to carve out a niche for yourself within any genre of fiction.
Overcoming the pressure of writing your next book is a hurdle all writers must face, but there are a couple of techniques that can help you take the leap.
Find the right balance between writing in first person, third person, and even second person perspective.
The key to holding your audience’s attention is finding your unique tone of voice and keeping it sounding natural.
Discover how moments of calm can be just as integral to the momentum of your story as fast-paced action scenes.
How you tell your version of the story is more important than originality of plot itself.
Look to the most iconic heroes to create well-written characters with enduring appeal.
Without a strong lead, you’ve got no one to carry your story forward, no matter how good your plot is.
Even the best advice can be bad advice without a healthy measure of common sense on the side.
Learn how to write characters with timeless appeal, like Jack Reacher. Hint: they’re just as multi-faceted and complex as you are.
Don’t forget to add a little humanity when writing even the baddest of your bad guys.
Create characters that your readers can’t get enough of – and remember, sometimes less is more.
Sometimes even the best laid plans require a little flexibility – or abandoning altogether.
Learn how to trust yourself as a reader in order to trust yourself as a writer.
Find the balance of plausibility vs accuracy when incorporating research into your story.
There’s more to editing than just cutting bits out, as Lee discusses in this lesson on the path to publication.
From tidying up rogue commas to adding in extra context, Lee talks you through his reader-centric editing process.
Lee shares a little insight into how he learnt to deal with third party input, and the value of a good editor.
Even if you’ve got big dreams for your books to eventually be made into movies, it’s important to keep focused on one thing at a time.
Writing a novel with mass appeal is no mean feat.
Lee talks about the importance of treating writing novels like any other job, and how he doesn’t believe in ‘writer’s block’.
Discover the secret to finding your rhythm and writing natural-sounding dialogue.
Learn how to write a narrative that will keep your readers turning the page – right to the very end.
Discover the real recipe for success when it comes to weaving suspense into your stories.
Creating momentum is all about the balance of slow and fast paced scenes and making sure to deliver big in those crucial moments.
Unlock the secret to capturing the imagination of your readers and holding their attention from Page 1.
Description is vital to storytelling, but it’s also the thing readers of popular fiction often complain there’s too much of – so how do you find the right balance?
Just because your readers have reached the end of a chapter doesn’t necessarily mean you want them to stop reading…
Lee shares his experience of the publishing process, from eye-catching jacket designs to handling press tours.
A final word from Lee, and then it’s over to you to start writing your next bestseller.
$10 / month (billed annually)
Access every BBC Maestro course
$89
Select 1 course to own for life
A downloadable PDF full of tips, tricks, and exercises to help you apply Lee’s teachings and get you started on your next bestseller.
I like that this course is simply the writer talking about his craft, and nothing else. It's as if I were invited to his house for coffee, and he's sharing some of what he's learned over his decades of experience, candidly and honestly.
- Duncan Ros
Lee Child has practical, intuitive, and supportive advice and a unique view on "the rules" of writing which resonates with me.
- Keenan Powell
Lee Child provides great detail about his creative process, and also provides a depth of knowledge about the history and mechanics of storytelling.
- Rob Griffith
Even after writing and publishing 3 suspense novels, this is hands-down the best course on writing and mindset that I’ve ever experienced. I feel like I’m sitting across from Lee Child and he’s speaking directly to me, and he makes total sense. I only wish I’d had access to this before I struggled to write my previous books!
- Karen Dodd
The instructor is very knowledgeable and conveys relevant and essential information clearly, offering outstanding examples to support his thesis.
- Thomas Weissmuller
What an excellent course on creative fiction writing. He's a better lecturer than most of my undergrad professors. I'd recommend this course to novice or experienced writers who really want to take a chance on their writing.
- Rebecca Green
Lee is a great story teller, and he is literally leaning forward, sharing his story on how to write popular fiction. I love it.
- Art J
Lee explains things very clearly and cuts through all the industry rubbish to give you realistic essentials.
- CS Franco
BBC Maestro is a subscription-based streaming platform, created to educate and inspire people to explore their creativity. Through pre-recorded lessons and detailed course notes, anyone can learn a wide range of disciplines and follow in the footsteps of experts respected all over the world.
BBC Maestro offers single course purchases or an annual subscription.
BBC Maestro is currently available in the following territories: United Kingdom, Isle of Mann, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Australia, South Africa, Canada, India, Brazil, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong, UAE and USA. We are planning on launching BBC Maestro in other territories in the future. Please subscribe to our mailing list and follow our social media channels for updates.
Yes, you can buy an annual subscription to get full access to all BBC Maestro courses, lessons and course notes for one year. Find out more
Yes, all our courses have English subtitles that can be accessed by clicking the CC button on the video player. We also have downloadable PDF course notes to go with each course, which offer more detailed information and tips.
No, all our courses are self-paced and no courses will be removed from the site or ‘expire’. If you have an all-access annual subscription, you can watch any content while your subscription is valid. If you don’t have an all-access subscription, but instead have bought one or more individual courses, the purchased content is yours to keep for life, and lessons can be watched as many times as you like.
Yes, you can see a full list of our current courses here.
We offer a 30-day money back guarantee for your first all-access annual subscription, if you aren't completely satisfied with your purchase. See our terms and conditions for details, or email [email protected]
You can choose between buying a single course as a one-off purchase, or you can sign up for an annual subscription which gives you access to all BBC Maestro courses for one year.
If you buy a single course, then it’s yours for life. You can watch the course as many times as you like, whenever you like. Our single courses include downloadable course notes to complement the video lessons.
Alternatively, if you buy an annual subscription to BBC Maestro, you can access every course for one year. You can watch each course as many times as you like within the year, and you’ll also be able to download the course notes for each course.
After one year you’ll have the option to renew your subscription, or you can choose not to renew once your subscription year is over. Subscriptions are billed annually, and we offer a 30-day money back guarantee to receive a full refund if you’re unhappy with your purchase.
Subscribers will have instant access to new courses as they are released. Please note that any courses in the Upcoming Courses section may be released outside of your annual subscription period. If you have any questions about an upcoming course, please email [email protected]
You can buy a gift card for any individual course or an All Courses Pass on our gift cards page. When you buy a gift card, you can choose to send the email with the gift card PDF attached to yourself or directly to the recipient. You can also choose to specify which date you would like the gift card email to send to your recipient.
Gift cards can be redeemed on the Gift Cards page. Once the card is redeemed, if the gift is for a single course the giftee will have lifetime access to the course and be able to re-watch as many times as they like. If the gift is for an All Courses Pass, the giftee will have one year’s access to all BBC Maestro courses, and immediate access to any new courses that are released within their yearly access period – from the date that they redeem their gift code.
Please note, anyone outside of our available regions will not be able to redeem a gift card.
Check your inbox - your free lesson is on the way!
Please try again later
Capture attention with your first sentence with writer, Lee Child