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Lee Child
Writing Popular Fiction
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.
35
video lessons
Course notes
The course
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.
Your Maestro
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.
Lessons
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5 mins
Lee introduces himself and his Jack Reacher franchise, and lays out the plan for his course on writing popular fiction.
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15 mins
Lee discusses the evolution of fiction from non-fiction, and what it is about a good story that instinctively draws people in.
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15 mins
Lee explains how you can start writing at any age, and without any specific experience. The only crucial qualification? Being a reader.
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14 mins
The only bad thing about reading a good book is finishing it – so why stop at writing just one?
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17 mins
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.
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17 mins
Find out how to carve out a niche for yourself within any genre of fiction.
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25 mins
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.
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19 mins
Find the right balance between writing in first person, third person, and even second person perspective.
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16 mins
The key to holding your audience’s attention is finding your unique tone of voice and keeping it sounding natural.
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15 mins
Discover how moments of calm can be just as integral to the momentum of your story as fast-paced action scenes.
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17 mins
How you tell your version of the story is more important than originality of plot itself.
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14 mins
Look to the most iconic heroes to create well-written characters with enduring appeal.
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14 mins
Without a strong lead, you’ve got no one to carry your story forward, no matter how good your plot is.
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13 mins
Even the best advice can be bad advice without a healthy measure of common sense on the side.
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10 mins
Learn how to write characters with timeless appeal, like Jack Reacher. Hint: they’re just as multi-faceted and complex as you are.
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12 mins
Don’t forget to add a little humanity when writing even the baddest of your bad guys.
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10 mins
Create characters that your readers can’t get enough of – and remember, sometimes less is more.
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14 mins
Sometimes even the best laid plans require a little flexibility – or abandoning altogether.
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16 mins
Learn how to trust yourself as a reader in order to trust yourself as a writer.
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14 mins
Find the balance of plausibility vs accuracy when incorporating research into your story.
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15 mins
There’s more to editing than just cutting bits out, as Lee discusses in this lesson on the path to publication.
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9 mins
From tidying up rogue commas to adding in extra context, Lee talks you through his reader-centric editing process.
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24 mins
Lee shares a little insight into how he learnt to deal with third party input, and the value of a good editor.
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12 mins
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.
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10 mins
Writing a novel with mass appeal is no mean feat.
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5 mins
Lee talks about the importance of treating writing novels like any other job, and how he doesn’t believe in ‘writer’s block’.
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24 mins
Discover the secret to finding your rhythm and writing natural-sounding dialogue.
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21 mins
Learn how to write a narrative that will keep your readers turning the page – right to the very end.
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15 mins
Discover the real recipe for success when it comes to weaving suspense into your stories.
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17 mins
Creating momentum is all about the balance of slow and fast paced scenes and making sure to deliver big in those crucial moments.
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14 mins
Unlock the secret to capturing the imagination of your readers and holding their attention from Page 1.
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20 mins
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?
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17 mins
Just because your readers have reached the end of a chapter doesn’t necessarily mean you want them to stop reading…
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27 mins
Lee shares his experience of the publishing process, from eye-catching jacket designs to handling press tours.
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1 min
A final word from Lee, and then it’s over to you to start writing your next bestseller.
Get started
Single course
- Learn with Lee Child
- Enjoy over 8 hours of video lessons at your own pace
- Watch as many times as you like
- Own course for life
- Download course notes and exercises
$90
one-off payment
Buy Course
Annual subscription
- Access every BBC Maestro course, including Lee Child
- Enjoy over 100 hours of video lessons at your own pace
- Watch as many times as you like
- Explore brand new courses added throughout the year
- Download all course notes and exercises
- Learn with the world’s greatest such as Marco Pierre White, Jed Mercurio, Alan Moore and Julia Donaldson
- 30-day money back guarantee
$120
for a one year subscription
Subscribe to BBC Maestro
Course notes
136 pages
A downloadable PDF full of tips, tricks, and exercises to help you apply Lee’s teachings and get you started on your next bestseller.
What people are saying
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
Looking to inspire the next big popular fiction author?
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Unlock the secret to capturing the imagination of your readers and holding their attention from Page 1.