'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:

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

'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...

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: '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 🔮 🍂

'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:

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:

We're so excited for this event at @bmthwritingfest.bsky.social! ✨ Get practical advice on confidently submitting to agents from CBC's Senior Courses Manager Abby Parsons and Curtis Brown's Helena Maybery. Get your tickets here: www.pdsw.org.uk/events/how-t...

Lauren Schott Pearson: ‘I love watching writers re-discover what they loved about their story in the first place’ 🌟 We caught up with CBC tutor & author Lauren Schott Pearson to discuss her advice for writing an effective pitch and the inspiration behind her debut adult novel, #VerySlowlyAllAtOnce.

Write a romance novel that readers will fall in love with this Valentine’s Day! 💘 Learn more from bestselling author @jennycolgan.bsky.social on our six-week online Writing a Romance Novel course. Course starts this Thurs: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

Honoured to have been chosen for this month’s winner! Thank you CBC, I’m so excited to join the course and deepen my skill to get my book (all about goodbyes) ready for querying! ❤️🐦🪶

Happy publication day to former Writing Your Novel student, @glennbarden.bsky.social 🎉 Glenn's historical crime thriller #Stench is out now in paperback! Get your hands on a copy here:

Have you been mulling over a good story idea but failing to get it started? Or perhaps you're putting words down but feeling unsure of where you're headed with it? 🤯 Our founder Anna Davis shares her advice on how to start writing a novel:

Honoured for this on the last #WriteCBC, especially with one that was very personal. It’s been so much fun, have connected with some wonderful people and hope the community continues even when the monthly competition doesn’t ❤️

A big thank you to @cbcreative.bsky.social for running #WriteCBC. I have been taking part since 2020 and learnt so much through the monthly challenges. I have also been introduced to so many gifted writers and most of all had a lot of fun. Many thanks again. Maybe one day… #WriteCBC will return.

Our Spring Novel-Writing Intensive is open for applications! 🌷 Join us in the Curtis Brown offices in Central London for four days of teaching from author & experienced creative writing tutor Lizzie Enfield. Plus, you'll practise pitching with two Curtis Brown agents. Don't miss out – apply now!

We're thrilled that @anthonyshapland.bsky.social, author of #ARoomAboveAShop and Laura Barber, Associate Publishing Director of @grantabooks.bsky.social are masterclass speakers on our London Writing Your Novel course. Applications closing this weekend! www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

Last chance to apply for Writing YA & Children's Fiction! Write exciting children's fiction with teaching from prize-winning author Catherine Johnson and a Zoom masterclass with Curtis Brown agent Steph Thwaites & bestselling author Struan Murray 🚀 www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

Thank you so much to all the amazing #WriteCBC-ers who’ve joined us over the years! 💛 Follow us on Instagram for free writing competitions & giveaways. And keep your eyes peeled for an announcement about the exciting new thing we’re developing – coming very soon 👀 Follow us on Instagram:

Thanks to everyone who joined us for #WriteCBC this month, we’ve loved reading your entries! Shout-outs go to: @rustomdavar.bsky.social‬, @writeywright.bsky.social, @lyndseycroal.bsky.social & @1956cursons-69.bsky.social 💐

Our #WriteCBC runners-up are @moomin1.bsky.social and @sarahwriteaway.bsky.social‬! 👏 Huge congratulations to you both, you’ve each won a £50 course discount! We can’t wait for you to join one of our courses soon:

Congratulations to our final #WriteCBC winner, @faye-dg-author.bsky.social! 🏆 You’ve won an online writing course (worth up to £230). We absolutely loved the reflective atmosphere you created in this scene. Read the winning entry here:

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...

We’re really enjoying reading all of your #WriteCBC entries so far. You have until 10am tomorrow to join in on the fun! ✍️

I received a scholarship place in 2022 and it was invaluable in terms of how I now view craft, approaching the blank page, and my own self-belief. Opportunities like this are so important for diversity in the industry. Apply!!!

Our February Bootcamp courses are starting soon! ✍️ 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...

We’re currently accepting applications to three different FREE opportunities for under-represented writers as part of the Breakthrough Writers’ Programme! Details below:

I can't believe this is the last #WriteCBC competition! I had to enter. There's plenty of time for you to enter too! #writingcommunity

Tilly Rose: 'A memoir has the power to change the world' 🌟 Former CBC student, patient advocate & author of the bestselling memoir #BePatient @thattillyrose.bsky.social shares her journey to publication and advice for budding memoir writers. #BePatient is out now in paperback with Octopus!

#WriteCBC task from Anna Davis: I'd you to write a mini-scene or story which features a goodbye. It can be poignant, humorous, dark, exciting, strange or whatever you like. Your goodbye should be the end of something and also a beginning – make me want to read on!

#WriteCBC tip from Anna Davis: From tears at the airport or grief at a funeral to the jubilation of ending a toxic relationship or the tentative first steps in shedding an addiction: Every goodbye is the start of a new story and I would like to hear yours.

Last #WriteCBC today… 🥹 I’ll miss it! It encouraged me to use tools from my writing toolbox - some that’d never been used - and try them out in different ways. It has also built a little resilience to rejection. Still hard but I get over it much quicker! Thank you for this @cbcreative.bsky.social

We’re thrilled that Curtis Brown CEO & top agent @jonnygeller.bsky.social and Publisher of @transworldbooks.bsky.social Bill Scott-Kerr will be masterclass speakers on our London six-month Writing Your Novel course! Applications close this weekend: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

Our six-week online Writing a Romance Novel course starts this week! Learn how to write a swoon-worthy love story with teaching videos, notes and writing tasks from bestselling author, @jennycolgan.bsky.social 📖💓 Starts 12 Feb. Enrol now: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

'The opening scene of your pilot is your contract with the viewer. In other words, it makes a promise to them about what they’ll be getting in this drama.' Acclaimed TV dramatist and showrunner Colin Teevan shares six tips to help you write a gripping opening to your drama pilot 📺

Discover David Nicholls' writing secrets on our 5-week online course: Writing Fiction with David Nicholls! Watch exclusive teaching videos & read extracts from David’s sketchbook as he was writing iconic novels like #OneDay ✍️ Starts 12 Feb, enrol now: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

Last chance to join our five-week course with award-winning novelist and short story writer Tessa Hadley! Learn how to sharpen your sentences and master your craft with exclusive video lessons from the award-winning novelist and short story writer. Enrol now, course starts Thurs:

'Weaving comedy into a darker story is something that needs a lot of care' We caught up with bestselling novelist @mariankeyes.bsky.social to discuss her approach to crafting characters with believable dynamics and what she loves most about working with budding writers.

📣 Last chance to join our Writing Your Synopsis masterclass! If you're struggling to summarise your story, bestselling author and experienced editor, @richardroper.bsky.social will guide you through the tricky art of writing a synopsis step by step. Runs tomorrow:

Join us for a very special final #WriteCBC ✨ This Thursday, #WriteCBC returns for the last time with a writing tip and task from Anna Davis, Founder & Managing Director of CBC.

'Short stories are at their best when they work as an invocation of tone or mood, a small slice of something tangible' ✍️ We asked our expert tutors and former students for advice on how to navigate the challenges of writing short fiction. Read full advice blog:

Do you have ambitions to write TV drama? 📺 Our six-week online Writing TV Drama course with expert tutor, screenwriter & showrunner, Colin Teevan, will teach you the fundamentals for writing a pilot. Course starts 12 Feb. Enrol now: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

'You should know and love the people you’re writing about as deeply as you possibly can' 💓 Bestselling romance novelist & tutor of our six-week Writing a Romance Novel course, @jennycolgan.bsky.social talks about her approach to writing & shares what makes a page-turning love story.

Writing Fiction with Kate Mosse starts this week! Learn more from the bestselling historical fiction author on our five-week online course. You'll discover how to develop rich narrative worlds and voices & find joy in your writing ✨ Enrol now: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/course/writi...

The synopsis is a short, lively overview of your novel. It sits alongside the opening of your novel and your agent pitch letter in your pitch package, and it lays out the complete narrative arc of your plot 📈 Follow our top tips on how to write a really good one-page synopsis of your novel:

We're so excited about our new programme of live events! We're hosting monthly online (and London-based) events for budding writers with world-class authors, top publishers and leading literary agent guest speakers. Tickets start from just £12. Find out more:

Maame Blue: 'Relationships are fundamental to who we are, so they need to be written about' 💞 We spoke to award-winning author & CBC editor Maame Blue about her approach to crafting authentic relationships and what she loves most about working with budding writers.