Lauren Schott Pearson: ‘I love watching writers re-discover what they loved about their story in the first place’
BY Maya Fernandes
27th Jan 2026
In this interview Lauren Schott Pearson, much-loved member of the CBC tutor team, shares her advice for writing an effective pitch and the inspiration behind her debut adult novel, Very Slowly All at Once.
'Once you’ve started editing, if you identify big issues, give yourself time: go for a walk, spend time gardening or swimming or whatever it is you love but don’t have to think about too much, and let your brain work on things without you noticing.'
We caught up with Lauren to discuss what she enjoys most about working with budding writers, her editing process and her transition from children's to adult fiction.
You are an integral part of the CBC tutor team and have been teaching our students for a number of years now. What do you find is the most rewarding part about teaching creative writing?
I love the a-ha! moment when I’m working with a writer who is struggling with a pitch or a plot problem, and they suddenly see a way forward. It’s watching them re-discover what they loved about their story in the first place.
Your debut adult novel, Very Slowly All at Once, is a suspenseful and bitingly funny look at the darker edges of the American Dream. What inspired this story for you, and how did you approach shifting from children’s fiction to a project with such a different tone and audience?
Very Slowly All at Once is about a financially overstretched couple who start receiving mysterious cheques in the post, and I think initially the idea was a touch of wish fulfilment. Who doesn’t want free money? But the novel is really about the darker side of reaching for your dreams . . . We all work hard and we want a good life for ourselves and our children, but sometimes we bite off more than we can chew: big mortgages, credit cards . . . this is about that moment when you’ve stretched too much, something’s gone wrong – in this case something very sinister – and it’s time to pay the piper.
When students begin shaping their pitch lines, many struggle to distil their story into a single compelling hook. What’s the main principle that you encourage writers to focus on when writing an effective pitch?
I always tell people to imagine they are selling the story to a friend who reads one book a year. That friend won’t care about themes or narrative technique or even the genre; they want a good story, something that sounds a lot like a hot piece of gossip.
As both an editor and an author, do you find it challenging to separate your editorial eye from your creative voice, or do you feel that having a knowledge of both perspectives enhances your writing process?
Ooo, that’s a tricky one. I do tend to over-edit myself when I’m starting something new, and I really have to force myself not to be too critical and to keep going so that eventually I have a manuscript I can then go back to and edit! But in some ways, it’s helpful – for example, I know how important it is to have an opening that grabs the reader, and I like to think I can feel when my own plots are wandering.
The flip side is that I think being creative makes you a good structural editor. I love brainstorming with writers, rather than just pointing out problems. They don’t use my exact ideas, of course, but the discussions are a great jumping-off point for edits.
What novel do you most frequently find yourself recommending to others?
When it comes to pitching, I talk a lot about Lanny by Max Porter. This is a gorgeous, experimental novel by one of our most literary writers, and yet I could still pitch you the story in a commercial way: 'This is a novel about a young boy who goes missing in a town that becomes a living, breathing character.' (There are actually a number of ways into that pitch, that’s what makes the novel so great . . . you can go in through the town, too, or the supernatural being who encapsulates it . . .) But I use Lanny when people say that their novel is too literary to be pitch-able.
Recently, I’ve also been recommending The Correspondent by Virginia Evans to anyone who will listen! It’s gorgeous.
Could you share your top three tips for writers who have completed their manuscript and are just beginning the editing process?
- Take your time. Give yourself a few weeks of distance before you dive back in and start editing.
- You might hate the manuscript for a little while, and that’s ok. Once you’ve started editing, if you identify big issues, again give yourself time: go for a walk, spend time gardening or swimming or whatever it is you love but don’t have to think about too much, and let your brain work on things without you noticing.
- Be careful with your Beta readers. Your family and friends will always love what you write!
Lauren Schott Pearson is a long-standing member of the CBC tutor team. She has worked in publishing for more than 20 years, both in the US and in the UK. A former agent, most recently with Curtis Brown, she has worked with authors including Audrey Niffenegger, Gregory David Roberts, Babette Cole, Isla Fisher, Paula Harrison and Emily Barr. Now a freelance editor and writer, she is the author of the Crabtree School series (Scholastic) and The Sleepover (Orion Children’s Books).
Her debut adult fiction novel, Very Slowly All at Once, will be published this week with HQ.
Do you want to learn more from Lauren?
Nail your one-line pitch and learn how to write a great query letter on our one-day Pitching Your Novel course. Next course runs 18 Mar.
Or take your rough first draft all the way to finished and polished novel and put together a compelling pitch package ready to send to agents on our Edit & Pitch Your Novel – Advanced course.
The books linked in this blog can be found on our Bookshop.org shop front. Curtis Brown Creative receive 10% whenever someone buys from our Bookshop.org page.