CLASS 46: So You’ve Written a Novel? 10 Things Bestselling Authors Do to Make Their Manuscripts Sing

Bestselling author Alex Finlay offers this course on practical tips to make your manuscript sing.  Early in his writing career, Alex interviewed nearly 100 bestselling writers – Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Lisa Gardner, among others – about their “rules” of writing.  Along the way, he realized that many literary legends identified some of the same rules.  This course distills those bestsellers’ rules into 10 practical tips – things you can do to immediately improve your manuscript.  This course is not about “big picture” advice, but small, yet important, things you can implement right away to add a final professional touch, and ensure your manuscript is ready for an agent or editor’s eyes.

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Alex Finlay is the bestselling author of the 2021 breakout novel, Every Last Fear, the 2022 Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Mystery and Thriller, The Night Shift, the 2023 Library Reads Hall of Fame recipient, What Have We Done, and his latest release, the USA Today bestseller, If Something Happens to Me.  Alex’s novels are regularly on "best of the year" lists, have been translated into twenty-five languages, and have been optioned for film or television.  Every Last Fear is in development for a major limited series, and his May 2025 release, Parents Weekend has already been acquired for film.  Alex lives in Washington, DC and Virginia.