30 June 2022

6 tips to help you research your historical novel

by S J Parris Writing Tips

Stephanie Merritt (S J Parris) is the author of the number one bestselling historical thriller series about Giordano Bruno. The sixth book in the series Execution is out now, with the seventh instalment to be released in 2023. She is also the tutor of our six-week online Writing Historical Fiction course. The below tips have been adapted […]

28 June 2022

Esme King: ‘People watching can be a great source of inspiration when it comes to thinking about your own fictional characters’

by Katie Smart Author Interviews, From Our Students, Writing Tips

Esme King took our three-month online Writing Your Novel course in 2018. Esme is a former news journalist and award-winning short film director. Her debut novel Reasons to Go Outside was published May 2022 by Hodder & Stoughton. We spoke to Esme about her time on our course, where she finds the inspiration for her […]

21 June 2022

Joanne Clague: ‘Be thorough in your research but wear it lightly; you’re not giving a history lesson’

by Katie Smart Author Interviews, From Our Students, Writing Tips

Joanne Clague studied with us on a six-month online Writing Your Novel course led by tutor Suzannah Dunn in 2017 – now Joanne is one of five students from her group with a debut out this year! Joanne’s debut historical fiction novel The Ragged Valley was published earlier this month by Canelo. We caught up […]

14 June 2022

Sean Lusk: ‘You really do have to love the act of writing and be willing to continually hone your craft’

by Katie Smart Author Interviews, From Our Students, Writing Tips

Sean Lusk took our London-based Writing Your Novel course in 2015. He has gone on to become an award-winning short story writer, winner of the Manchester Fiction Prize, the Fish Short Story Prize and runner-up in the Bridport and Tom-Gallon Trust prizes. He has lived in Greece, Pakistan and Egypt, working variously as a gardener, […]

01 June 2022

Announcing the Discoveries Prize winner 2022

by Discoveries Author Interviews, Discoveries, Events

We’re delighted to announce the winner of this year’s Discoveries Prize selected by our judging panel from the 2,500+ unpublished women that submitted their works of fiction. The winner of the prize is Sui Annukka with her compelling novel-in-progress Thursday. As the winner of Discoveries, Sui recieves an offer of representation by Curtis Brown Literary […]

25 May 2022

Announcing the Discoveries Prize shortlist 2022

by Discoveries Discoveries, Events

We’re delighted to share this year’s Discoveries Prize, shortlist comprised of six novels-in-progress from unpublished women writers currently residing in the UK and Ireland. Over 2,500 women submitted their works of fiction to Discoveries (up from 2,300 in 2021). Sixteen authors were initially longlisted by a judging panel that included chair of Chair of judges Kate […]

17 May 2022

Nicola Masters: ‘Don’t hold things back for the author you plan to be one day. You deserve those things now.’

by Katie Smart Author Interviews, From Our Students, Writing Tips

Nicola Masters studied on our three-month Writing Your Novel course with Laura Barnett. Her debut novel, Happy Happy Happy, will be published by Lake Union Publishing on 19 May. We caught up with Nicola about the inspiration behind her novel and her writing journey so far… You took our three-month Writing Your Novel course in […]

12 May 2022

Kirsty Eyre: ‘Allow the reader to read between the lines and draw their own conclusions about what might be funny’

by Katie Smart Author Interviews, From Our Students, Writing Tips

Kirsty Eyre studied on our three-month Writing Your Novel course in 2017. Two years later, she won the inaugural Comedy Women in Print award with her debut novel Cow Girl – which she developed on the course. She has gone on to write further romantic comedy novels under a pseudonym, Ginger Jones. Her latest work […]

11 May 2022

Announcing the Discoveries Prize longlist 2022

by Discoveries Discoveries, Events

We’re delighted to share this year’s Discoveries Prize longlist, comprised of 16 novels-in-progress from unpublished women writers currently residing in the UK and Ireland. Over 2,500 women submitted their works of fiction to Discoveries (up from 2,300 in 2021). We were extremely impressed by the quality of work submitted and would like to thank all […]

10 May 2022

Liz Webb: ‘Write precise, visceral prose that pulls your reader into sensation rather than thought’

by Katie Smart Author Interviews, From Our Students

Liz Webb has studied on six of our online writing courses, including the complete How to Write Your Novel series and our Writing a Psychological Thriller course. Her debut thriller The Daughter, will be published by Allison & Busby later this month. We found out what Liz enjoys about our courses and what inspired her […]