Curtis Brown Creative

How to weave backstory into your narrative Cynan Jones, author of the short story collection Pulse, shares his advice for embedding a backstory into your short stories.

'You need to know the person you are writing about' ✒️

Acclaimed author and tutor of our Writing Short Stories course Cynan Jones shares his advice for weaving a backstory into your narrative.

Our February Bootcamp courses start next week!

Join us for 30 days of online lessons, prompts & tasks to help you focus and get to your desk every day 📝

Both our original 30-Day Writing Bootcamp and Bootcamp – Vol 2 start 1 Apr, just £40: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/30-day-writi...

Six ways to build suspense Start your writing journey with expert teaching from acclaimed writers and top literary agents. Courses online and in London.

'The reader should begin to feel unease or concern that something isn’t quite right within the first few sentences' 👀

Former student and psychological thriller author @jennyquintana.bsky.social shares her top tips for building suspense in your novel.

Write an exciting story that departs from reality as we know it 🚀

Our next Writing Science Fiction course starts next Thursday! Join award-winning author, Adam Roberts, for a six-week voyage into the genre ✍️

Enrol now: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

5 essential editing tips to make your novel fly It’s a huge accomplishment to make it all the way to a completed first draft of a novel. We know it can be daunting to start the editing process – but it can also be fun because it is at this stage…

Editing a novel can feel daunting, but don’t worry!

Finishing your first draft is a huge accomplishment. We know it can be scary to start the editing process, but it’s also where the real magic happens 🌟

Here are five top tips from our founder, Anna Davis, to help you through the process:

Write an exciting story that departs from reality as we know it! 🚀

Join award-winning author Adam Roberts for a six-week voyage into the sci-fi genre.

Our Writing Science Fiction course starts 26 Feb. Enrol now: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

Lizzie Enfield on writing | Author interview Lizzie Enfield, novelist and tutor of our upcoming Writing Your Novel – Six Months course in London, shares her advice for aspiring authors, writing to deadlines and how to create believable…

'A novel can be such a big sprawling endeavour that I think the only way through is to break the writing down' 🖊️

Author and tutor of our upcoming Novel-Writing Intensive, Lizzie Enfield, shares her advice for aspiring authors on writing to deadlines and how to create believable characters.

Not long left until our Writing Gothic & Supernatural Fiction course!

Award-winning author Kirsty Logan will help you bewitch readers with stories that delight and unnerve in equal measure. Welcome to the world of the nightside... 🌙

Starts 26 Feb: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

Jennie Godfrey Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income This scholarship, sponsored by Jennie Godfrey, will award one talented writer with limited financial means a place on our three-month online Writing Your Novel course.

Jennie is also generously sponsoring the Jennie Godfrey Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income which will award one writer a free place on our online Writing Your Novel – Three Months course. Find out more and apply by 16 Mar: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/jenni...

In Conversation with Jennie Godfrey | Online Event Bestselling author Jennie Godfrey will talk about the inspiration behind her latest novel The Barbecue at No. 9, her writing process, the things she learnt during her time studying with us and other…

In Conversation with Jennie Godfrey, Weds 29 Apr (7-8.30pm).

Jennie will discuss #TheBarbecueAtNo9 and her bestselling debut #TheListOfSuspiciousThings, her writing process and the things she learnt during her time studying with us. Get your £12 ticket: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/in-co...

We had a lovely time at the launch of @jenniegauthor.bsky.social's second novel #TheBarbecueAtNo9! Get your copy: uk.bookshop.org/a/11853/9781...

Jennie is a former student of our flagship Writing Your Novel course and we can't wait to host a 90-minute Q&A with her on 29 Apr (details below).

Bootcamp is back! 💪

Join us for 30 days of online lessons, prompts & tasks to help you focus and get to your desk every day.

Both our original 30-Day Writing Bootcamp and Bootcamp – Vol 2 start 25 Feb, just £40: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/30-day-writi...

4 tips for building setting & atmosphere Tips on how to build setting and atmosphere. Thriller author Heather Darwent shares advice to help you conjure a sense of place while keeping up the pace.

'Draw a full picture, and bring the entire world of your characters to life' 💫

Former CBC student and author of #TheThingsWeDoToOurFriends & #ASharpScratch, Heather Darwent shares her tips for how you can establish a setting and create the right atmosphere for your novel.

Read more:

Take your first draft all the way to polished novel with teaching from author & former agent, Lauren Pearson ✍️

Plus get Zoom masterclasses with guests including publisher Sam Eades, novelist Jenn Ashworth and editor Sara Nisha Adams.

Apply by 2 Mar: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/edit-...

It Must Be Love: Welcome to Modern Stories’ Romance Writing Competition Headline and Curtis Brown Creative have teamed up to find exciting new voices in romantic fiction, in association with Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf. What we’re looking for Modern Stories: It …

We’ve teamed up with Headline Eternal to launch Modern Stories: It Must Be Love, a new romance novel-writing competition seeking to uplift and support emerging writers from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and/or multiple ethnic backgrounds.

Enter by 14 Apr!

M.K. Oliver on writing dark humour In this interview M.K. Oliver, author of the debut crime thriller A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage, shares his advice for writing dark humour.

M.K. Oliver: 'Success in writing ultimately comes from keeping going' ✍️

We caught up with CBC alumnus M.K. Oliver to discuss his debut crime thriller #ASociopathsGuideToASuccessfulMarriage, out now with Hemlock Press @harpercollins.bsky.social!

How to create a young adult or middle grade protagonist Great characters are the beating heart of novels, and that’s possibly even more the case for YA and middle grade fiction. So how do we go about creating compelling characters that younger readers…

'Great characters are the beating heart of novels, and that’s possibly even more the case for YA and middle grade fiction' 💞

Award-winning YA author and CBC tutor @lawrencepatrice.bsky.social shares her advice on how to create convincing characters for your YA or middle grade novel:

Breakthrough Scholarship for LGBTQIA+ Horror Writers This scholarship will award one talented LGBTQIA+ writer a free place on our new nine-week Writing Horror Fiction course with Zoom teaching and professional feedback.

Our Breakthrough Scholarship for LGBTQIA+ Horror Writers will award one talented LGBTQIA+ writer a free place on our new nine-week Writing Horror Fiction course with Zoom teaching and professional feedback.

Apply by 23 Mar:

HW Fisher Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers of Colour This scholarship, sponsored by HW Fisher, will award one talented writer of colour a free place on our flagship Writing Your Novel course with three months of teaching in London.

Our HW Fisher Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers of Colour will award one talented writer of colour a free place on our flagship Writing Your Novel course with three months of teaching in London.

Apply by 16 Mar:

Jack Meggitt-Phillips Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income This scholarship, sponsored by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, will award one talented writer with limited financial means a place on our three-month Writing Your Novel course in London.

Our Jack Meggitt-Phillips Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income will award one talented writer with limited financial means a place on our three-month Writing Your Novel course in London.

Apply by 16 Mar:

Jennie Godfrey Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income This scholarship, sponsored by Jennie Godfrey, will award one talented writer with limited financial means a place on our three-month online Writing Your Novel course.

Our @jenniegauthor.bsky.social Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income will award one talented writer with limited financial means a place on our three-month online Writing Your Novel course.

Apply by 16 Mar:

Breakthrough Scholarships | Curtis Brown Creative Our scholarships provide regular funded places on our courses to talented writers facing barriers to entry.

We’re currently accepting applications to four different free opportunities for under-represented writers as part of our Breakthrough Writers’ Programme!

Details below 🧵

Erin Kelly: 'The only thing all published writers have in common is that they finished writing their books' Bestselling author of He Said/She Said Erin Kelly on creative writing, teaching and what makes a good psychological thriller.

'Nothing is off the table as long as it’s done well'

Bestselling novelist and tutor of our six-week online Writing a Psychological Thriller course, @mserinkelly.bsky.social, shares her tips for aspiring psychological thriller writers 🔎

Write the story you’d love to read with advice from the one and only @mariankeyes.bsky.social ✒️

Across five weeks, Marian gives her take on how to find your authentic writing voice & have a beautiful time working on your novel.

Course starts tomorrow: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

Last chance to apply for our six-week online Writing TV Drama course with expert tutor, screenwriter & showrunner, Colin Teevan!

Learn the essentials of screenwriting and get to work on your own TV drama pilot 🎬️

Course starts this Thurs, enrol now: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

How to create chemistry between your romantic leads Bestselling romance author Jenny Colgan shares three tried-and-tested methods for sparking attraction between your protagonists. These tips will help romance writers and those writing a romantic…

Writing a romance novel but struggling to spark attraction between your protagonists?

Bestselling author & tutor of our Writing a Romance course, @jennycolgan.bsky.social, shares her tips on how to create chemistry between your romantic leads ⚡

Learn how to craft a story that connects with your readers’ deepest emotions – with unforgettable characters and dialogue that zings off the page! Join our five-week course: Writing Fiction with David Nicholls 🖊️

Course starts this Thurs, enrol now: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

India Rose-Bower on writing horror In this interview India Rose-Bower, author of the debut novel We Call Them Witches, shares her advice for incorporating horror into your writing and her 'femgore' reading recommendations.

India-Rose Bower: 'Horror is transformative, it is interested in the hidden and the daring'

@inkyrosey.bsky.social studied on our #Discoveries Writing Development course in 2023. We caught up to discuss the inspiration behind her debut novel, #WeCallThemWitches 🔮 🍂

How to set clues in your crime novel Award-winning crime novelist Vaseem Khan shares his advice on leaving a compelling trail of clues for your reader to follow, from foreshadowing to red herrings.

'Good crime novels set up multiple layers of intrigue and a range of questions that demand answers' 🕵️‍♂️

Bestselling crime novelist and chair of The Crime Writers' Association @vaseemkhanuk.bsky.social shares his tips on how to set clues in your crime novel:

It Must Be Love: Welcome to Modern Stories’ Romance Writing Competition Headline and Curtis Brown Creative have teamed up to find exciting new voices in romantic fiction, in association with Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf. What we’re looking for Modern Stories: It …

We’re delighted to partner with Headline Eternal to launch Modern Stories: It Must Be Love, a romance novel-writing competition seeking to support emerging writers from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and/or multiple ethnic backgrounds.

Opens for entries 12 Feb, learn more: