For Christmas I was given the Harlan Coben BBC Maestro course on writing thrillers, you can find it here if you want to check it out.
It took me just over a week to complete the classes, there are twenty three in total ranging from ten minutes to twenty minutes in length. This works out perfectly because you don’t feel under pressure to reserve a couple of hours to sit and study, you can work through a session when you have a spare half an hour.
Harlan himself is a great teacher. I’m a fan of his books anyway, which is why I was gifted the course, but he talks in a way which is easy to understand, and he doesn’t overcomplicate the art of writing. Instead he gives practical advice which you can use while writing your manuscript.
Moreso than the classes themselves, it is interesting hearing Harlan talk about his writing process and the tips and tricks he’s learned along the way to help deal with things such as writer’s block. I found the classes on endings, and editing were the best for where I am at the moment in my book, but towards the end of the course we hear from Harlan’s Editor and his Agent, both of whom offer insight as to what they are - and what they’re not looking for.
Through the Writing Room I have spoken to Editors and Agents, so a lot of what was on the BBC Maestro course I had already heard before - plus, when you’re in a classroom setting you can ask questions and bounce of the other students.
If you don’t have access to the Writing Room and/ or you would rather work at your own pace, then I would definitely recommend the Harlan Coben BBC Maestro course. Whatever stage you’re at in your journey, you will find something of interest - even if it’s just confirmation of what you already know from another source.
It was good to have a week off from re-writing my novel and to give my brain chance to look at it from a different angle. Back to it now.