Writing Your Novel – Six Months

Our flagship in-person Writing Your Novel course is designed for writers who are serious about developing their novel to its full potential.

With weekly teaching and workshopping in the Curtis Brown offices on Regent Street, plus one-to-one tutorials and special masterclasses with publishing industry experts, this course will help you hone your craft and make real progress with your novel. It’s ideal for those looking for a practical in-person alternative to a postgraduate creative writing course.

You’ll join a group of 15 talented writers for dynamic and inspiring classes from an experienced tutor. Teaching will cover how to create a strong narrative arc and convincing characters, as well as key techniques that will help you bring your story to life, from dialogue to description, tone and style.

You will also get invaluable insights from publishers and literary agents during exclusive masterclasses throughout your time on this course. At the end of the course, you’ll be given the opportunity to share the opening of your novel with Curtis Brown and C&W literary agents.

Over 280 of our students have gone on to become commercially published authors, including Bonnie Garmus, author of the million-copy bestseller, Lessons in Chemistry. Previous students of our six-month London-based course include Lucy Barker (The Other Side of Mrs Wood), James Bailey (The Flip Side) and Amita Parikh (The Circus Train). Whether you’re in the early stages of writing, halfway through a first draft or embarking on a major rewrite, this course will give you the push you need to get the most out of your novel.

What does this course give you?

• Live teaching in London: Your tutor will deliver weekly two-hour teaching sessions in the Curtis Brown offices on Regent Street. Each session will include an hour of workshopping (three students will have work discussed each week) and an hour of teaching – on topics including how to hook readers from the outset, master point of view, build suspense and develop strong scenes. Your tutor will also set homework tasks to further your learning.
• A community of writers: Our selective applications process means that you will be writing your novel in a peer group of 15 students working at a high level. Many of our former students have found their trusted readers with us and formed strong working friendships that go on long after the course is over.
• Writing workshops: Workshops centre on 3,000-word extracts from your novel-in-progress, and your work will be workshopped by the group three times during the course. These sessions offer in-depth feedback from your student group and tutor and are also designed to help develop your self-editing skills.
• One-to-one tutorials: You’ll get two 30-minute, one-to-one tutorials with your tutor during the course. Tutorials are based on 3,000-word extracts from your novel-in-progress and are an excellent opportunity to address specific concerns about your writing. Towards the end of the course, all students will also get a 45-minute one-to-one with an experienced CBC editor or a member of the Curtis Brown/C&W agenting team who will read up to 6,000 words from your novel-in-progress plus your synopsis.
• Four industry masterclasses: We invite leading literary agents, authors and publishers to attend special sessions during which you will have the opportunity to ask questions about writing, editing, submitting to agents and the publishing process. Our special guests will draw on their experience of real-life publication journeys and share their insights with you.
• Guest tutor sessions: A guest tutor will lead two guest teaching sessions midway through the course (as listed on the schedule), sharing their unique approach to writing through thoughtful and inspiring lessons. They will share wisdom from their writing career and set relevant tasks for the group.
• Synopsis & agent letter feedback: We’ll give you the vital ingredients needed for a great synopsis and pitch letter. You will receive notes on your synopsis from an experienced member of the CBC editorial team and attend a live pitching session with two Curtis Brown/C&W literary agents.
• End-of-course celebration: To mark the course coming to a close, you will attend a special reception with tea, cake and fizz. This celebration will give you a chance to mingle informally with your fellow students, the CBC team and literary agents from Curtis Brown and C&W.
• Submitting to agents: Ahead of the end of course celebration, all students will be invited to submit their 3,000-word novel opening, plus a synopsis, to be shared with the agent teams at Curtis Brown and C&W as well as a select group of agents from other UK-based agencies. This is not a formal submission but a chance to give the agents a taste of what you’re working on. When you are ready to submit formally – no matter how long after your course has finished – the CBC team will provide guidance and support with your submission to the Curtis Brown and C&W agents.
• Alumni services: At the end of your course, you’ll be given access to a range of services, available only to the alumni of our selective courses. These services include exclusive discounts, guidance on getting your ‘pitch package’ ready and help submitting your book to Curtis Brown and C&W literary agents. Read more about the opportunities available to our alumni here.

COURSE SCHEDULE & DELIVERY

All teaching and workshop sessions will take place between 7pm and 9pm (unless otherwise stated below). Classes will be held in the Writers’ Room of the Curtis Brown offices (Cunard House, 15 Regent Street, London, SW1Y 4LR).

In extenuating circumstances, classes may be moved from London to Zoom, with prior notification to all concerned.

Please note that precise dates of sessions and details of course speakers are subject to change.

Course fees

The course fee of £3,450 (inclusive of VAT, please note that additional fees may apply if you’re based in a country with a higher VAT rate than the UK) per student is payable, in full, by bank transfer or cheque before the start of the course. However, if you are unable to pay the full fee upfront, let us know and we can arrange an instalment plan.

Ready to apply?

Please apply with the first 3,000 words of the novel you’d like to work on during the course, and a synopsis of no more than a page (both need to be in the same document, as you can only upload ONE file in the application below).

The CBC team will select applicants based on the quality of the writing sample provided. The deadline for applications is dependant on which course start date you're applying for. Use the drop down 'select date' toggle to see currently available start dates and their associated deadlines. Be sure that you've selected the right course start date before you click the 'Apply Now' button.

We read all application material promptly after the closing date and make our selection of students within a week. However, if you require an earlier response from us in order to be able to take part in this course, please email us with full details and we will consider and respond on a case-by-case basis.

If you encounter any problems during the application process, or have any more questions about the course, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk for assistance.

Still deciding?

If you’re thinking about applying for this course and want to know if it’s the right fit, book a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your needs.

Consultations will take place on Tuesday afternoons (14.00 to 17.00) or Friday mornings (10.00 to 13.00). Times listed are UK times.

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