12 January 2022

Final advice from the Discoveries 2022 judges

by Discoveries Author Interviews, Discoveries, From the Agents, Writing Tips

CBC and Curtis Brown are proud to be partnering with the Women’s Prize Trust and Audible to run Discoveries, a writing development prize and programme, which offers practical support and encouragement to aspiring female novelists of all ages and backgrounds, from across the UK and Ireland. The final week for you to send in your submission to […]

05 January 2022

Jess Molloy: ‘I’m looking for stories with big heart and emotionally accessible characters’

by Discoveries Discoveries, From the Agents, Writing Tips

We caught up with Jess Molloy to find out more about what it is like working at a literary agency, what she enjoys reading and her advice for writers submitting to Discoveries 2022.

01 January 2022

New Year writing inspiration and prompt challenge

by Katie Smart Events, Writing Tips

The new year provides the perfect excuse to reflect on where you’re at with your writing journey – and where you’d like to be. Perhaps you want to dust off a long-forgotten project, start something new, or maybe even give writing daily pages a go? If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are some writing […]

15 December 2021

Rosie Pierce: ‘I am always looking for storytelling that is led by a fresh and confident voice’

by Discoveries Discoveries, From the Agents, Writing Tips

Rosie Pierce joined Curtis Brown in 2018, after working in the editorial department of an independent publisher in Edinburgh. She currently works alongside Felicity Blunt and is also building her own list of authors. Rosie is also one of the team working behind the scenes on Discoveries 2022, and is a reader for the prize.

06 December 2021

#CBCWinterStory writing challenge

by Katie Smart Events, Writing Tips

Welcome to our Instagram writing competition: #CBCWinterStory! This blog has the details of the story and competition structure, and will also be where we announce our winner. Find out more about our special festive writing competition, which is taking place on Instagram @curtisbrowncreative, including instructions of how to play, the prizes on offer and the rules here. […]

02 December 2021

From left: Lorraine Blencoe, Grace Quantock, Nichola Ibe & Hattie Clarke

Meet our latest group of talented Breakthrough mentees

by Katie Smart Events, From Our Students

The Breakthrough Writers’ Programme is an initiative offering free courses, mentoring and scholarships for under-represented writers. It is fully funded by CBC, the Curtis Brown literary agency and partners. We caught up with some of the talented writers currently taking part in our nine-month Breakthrough Mentoring Programme to find out more about what they’re working […]

29 November 2021

#5ActFestiveStory writing challenge

by Katie Smart Events, Writing Tips

Welcome to #WriteCBC’s #5ActFestiveStory! This blog has the details of the story and competition structure, and will also be where we announce our daily winners. Find out more about our special festive writing competition, which is taking place on Twitter @cbcreative (Mon 29 Nov – Mon 6 Dec), including instructions of how to play, the […]

25 November 2021

From left: Irenosen Okojie and Ayisha Malik

Winter 2021 | Our social media writing competitions

by Katie Smart Events

It has become a much-loved tradition here at CBC to run exciting winter-themed writing competitions on Twitter @cbcreative and Instagram @curtisbrowncreative to help celebrate the festive season. Read on to find out how to take part in this year’s competitions… Twitter: #5ActFestiveStory Every December our popular monthly Twitter competition #WriteCBC gets a festive twist. Instead […]

25 November 2021

Anthony Anaxagorou: ‘Write poems that surprise and behave in unusual ways’

by Katie Smart Author Interviews, Writing Tips

We’re so excited that our brand-new six-week online course – Writing Poetry – is open for enrolment. The course is led by the brilliant Anthony Anaxagorou. Anthony is an award-winning poet and spoken-word performer. His poetry has been published in POETRY, The Poetry Review, Poetry London, New Statesman, Granta, and elsewhere. His second collection After the Formalities, published with Penned in the Margins, is […]

24 November 2021

How to write a great opening line

by Discoveries Discoveries, Writing Tips

An opening of a novel should transport you into the world of the story. These writing tips and examples from fiction will help you write a powerful opening.