Curtis Brown Creative newsletters

 With details of upcoming courses and more:

Author Alex Hay and literary agent Alice Lutyens on Alex's award-winning debut The Housekeepers We caught up with former Writing Your Novel student Alex following a flurry of exciting news, from winning the 2022 Caledonia Novel Award to signing with Curtis Brown's Alice Lutyens and getting a phenomenal book deal with Headline     Read more   'A premise is inert until you make a story out of it, and to do that you need to identify the conflict within the conceit' Adam Roberts, award-winning author and leader of our new online Writing Science Fiction course, spoke to fellow SF writer Chris Farnell for Den of Geek. In this interview Adam shares his knowledge of how to write great science fiction, and delves into what the genre truly is. If you want to write a story that’s out of this world, enrol now to join the first course which begins 27 Apr. 10 tips to help you edit your novel Editing is a part of the process that most writers dread, but it is so often the stage at which your story fully comes to life. Read our guide on tackling the 'big picture' edit for advice on making your narrative shine. For more expert guidance, apply for our three-month online course: Edit & Pitch Your Novel – Advanced. This is the supercharged version of our bestselling course, featuring tutorials and feedback from author Abbie Greaves, plus Zoom masterclasses from publishing professionals. Apply by 15 May. Or, for a quick injection of encouragement to help redraft your novel, join our one-day Zoom Rewrite Doctor course with our founder Anna Davis on 17 May.   Our current courses   Writing Your Novel – Six Months Our biggest online course with expert tuition from author-tutors Laura Barnett and Cathi Unsworth – plus insider insights from publishing professionals. Includes a one-month summer break. Scholarship available. Course begins 30 May.   Apply by 2 May   Writing Your Novel – Six Months Our flagship London course with tutorials and workshops led by author-tutors Simon Ings and Lizzie Enfield. Features guest sessions with publishers and agents. Includes a one-month summer break. Scholarship available. Course begins 1 Jun.   Apply by 8 May   Writing Science Fiction with Adam Roberts Join our newest six-week online course and write an exciting story that departs from reality as we know it. Adam will help you distil your innovative ideas and bring your brave new world to life on the page. Course begins 27 Apr.   Enrol by 25 Apr     View all courses     Curtis Brown Creative Haymarket House 28 Haymarket London, Greater London SW1Y 4SP

Huge congratulations to alumna Bonnie Garmus! We're thrilled to share the news that former Writing Your Novel student Bonnie's brilliant debut Lessons in Chemistry has made it to number two on the Sunday Times bestseller list in its first week of publication     Read about Bonnie's path to publication   10 books to read this Easter If you’re looking to sit back and relax with a good book (or two) this Easter weekend, you’ve come to the right place! Grab your gold bunnies and crème eggs and get ready to settle down with a real page-turner. This reading list, featuring novels by our talented former students and teaching team, has a book for everyone – whether you’re after a heart-warming tale of friendship or something that’s completely out of this world. 'It’s not only about writing gorgeous prose – have you worked on the plot enough? Is the pacing good?' We spoke to Amita Parikh, who studied on our six-month Writing Your Novel course in 2014, about her time studying with us and the inspiration behind her debut novel The Circus Train. Her debut has been sold in multiple territories, it was published by HarperCollins Canada earlier this year and it is already a Canadian bestseller. This magical debut will be published by Putnam in the US and Little, Brown in the UK. 'A writer is someone who writes: so write as much as you can, write regularly, write and revise and get better at writing' We’re delighted to have award-winning author Adam Roberts on board as the tutor of our new six-week online Writing Science Fiction course. Adam has written over 23 novels, including Purgatory Mount – currently shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association’s 2021 Best Novel Award. In this interview he talks about his lifelong love of the genre and shares a little bit about what writers can expect from the new course. Enrol now to join the first course, which begins 27 Apr.   Our current courses   Writing Your Novel – Six Months Our biggest online course with expert tuition from author-tutors Laura Barnett and Cathi Unsworth – plus insider insights from publishing professionals. Includes a one-month summer break. Scholarship available.   Apply by 2 May   Writing Your Novel – Six Months Our flagship London course with tutorials and workshops led by author-tutors Simons Ings and Lizzie Enfield. Features guest sessions with publishers and agents. Includes a one-month summer break. Scholarship available.   Apply by 8 May   The Rewrite Doctor  –  One-Day Looking for extra guidance redrafting your novel? Join us on Tues 17 May for an immersive one-day Zoom course led by our founder Anna Davis. Learn how to approach the editorial process with confidence.   Apply by 1 May     View all courses     . Curtis Brown Creative Haymarket House 28 Haymarket London, Greater London SW1Y 4SP

'I like complex and layered characters' Former Writing Your Novel student Kate Evans on the inspiration behind her North Yorkshire-set DC Donna Morris crime series     Read more   'Everyone likes likeable characters, but if they’re too likeable, they aren’t believable' This month's #WriteCBC tip and task comes from former Writing Your Novel student Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons In Chemistry (soon to be on BBC2's 'Between the Covers'). Her advice will help you get to know your characters. Join in the fun on Twitter (@cbcreative), and you might win a free place on the six-week online writing course of your choice. Competition is open until 10am Fri 8 Apr (UK time). Our Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for LGBTQIA+ Writers is open for applications Five talented LGBTQIA+ writers (with limited financial means) will be awarded nine months of one-to-one mentoring. We are delighted to announce that we have an excellent team of mentors lined up for this programme, including award-winning author Julia Armfield (salt slow, Our Wives Under the Sea), Polari Prize winner Kirsty Logan (The Rental and Other Fairytales, Things We Say in the Dark), acclaimed queer romance writer Laura Kay (The Split) and bestselling author Jake Arnott (The Long Firm, He Kills Coppers). Apply by 12 June.   Our current courses   Writing Crime & Thrillers – Advanced Work on your crime novel or thriller with author and police psychologist Emma Kavanagh. Includes a special Zoom Q&A with bestselling author Lisa Jewell and her literary agent Jonny Geller.   Apply by 10 Apr   New course: Writing Science Fiction Write an exciting story that departs from reality as we know it. Award-winning author Adam Roberts will help you distil your innovative ideas and bring your brave new world to life on the page.   Enrol by 25 Apr   Edit & Pitch Your Novel – Advanced The supercharged three-month version of our bestselling course. Featuring tutorials and feedback from author Abbie Greaves, plus Zoom masterclasses from top publishing professionals.   Apply by 15 May     View all courses     Curtis Brown Creative Haymarket House 28 Haymarket London, Greater London SW1Y 4SP

Writing Crime & Thrillers – Advanced | Last chance to apply     Are you ready to take the next step with your thriller or crime fiction? Do you want in-depth teaching and dedicated feedback from industry and genre experts? Then our online Writing Crime & Thrillers – Advanced course is for you. Apply now to join a peer group of 15 crime and thriller writers taught by crime writer and police psychologist Emma Kavanagh. This course runs from 9 May to 11 Jul.   Read our interview with Emma for a taste of what's to come.   Apply by 10 Apr   Course features     Attend weekly live Zoom lessons led by Emma Kavanagh on Wednesday evenings, covering topics of significance to crime and thriller writers, such as how to plot a mystery, build suspense and construct a killer twist Workshop your novel with Emma and your student group of 15 talented writers Address specific concerns about your work in a 45-minute tutorial with Emma Join a live masterclass and Q&A with bestselling crime novelist Lisa Jewell and her Curtis Brown literary agent Jonny Geller     View all courses     Curtis Brown Creative Haymarket House 28 Haymarket London, Greater London SW1Y 4SP