#WriteCBC tip and task from Abigail Johnson
BY Maya Fernandes
8th May 2025
Welcome to our May 2025 #WriteCBC prompt challenge. I hope you’re ready to be inspired by our latest writing tip and task! If you haven’t taken part in a #WriteCBC competition before, we’re excited to welcome you to our writing community. Please note that #WriteCBC is now hosted on Bluesky. Get up to speed by reading our blog full of information about how to play and the prizes on offer. It’s a lot of fun, and you might just win a free place on one of our online writing courses (worth up to £230).
This month’s special guest is author Abigail Johnson, who was a student on our three-month online Writing Your Novel course in 2020. Her debut novel The Secret Collector is out now from Pan Macmillan.
The Secret Collector tells the story of elderly widower Alfred and troubled teen Kian, as they forge an unlikely intergenerational friendship that changes both of their lives forever.
Abigail’s writing tip:
- Think carefully about how you can use your setting to reveal clues about your characters and create mood and tension. Small details can really bring your readers into the world you've created.
Building tension is important when you are writing any type of fiction, but particularly when you are preparing for a big reveal. Readers want to feel concern for the characters and curiosity about what is going to happen to them or how they will deal with a situation.
In The Secret Collector, elderly war veteran Alfred stays mainly indoors, keeping his collections hidden from the outside world until his life is turned upside down by a wayward teenager and his secret is exposed, setting off a series of life-altering events.
Read this passage from the opening of the novel, in which we are first introduced to Alfred:
'Alfred had not let anyone inside his house for almost three years. Not that anyone cared. The overgrown weeds and bushes that swamped the small front garden were usually enough of a deterrent to any potential callers. If the postman arrived, Alfred opened the door the couple of inches that the chain allowed and instructed him to leave whatever he had on the doorstep. It was better to keep yourself to yourself. The trouble with people was that they liked to interfere, and Alfred had had quite enough of having his business poked into.'
Here, the reader is given a window in Alfred's mind and his opinions on the world around him. Whilst the opening of the novel doesn’t give away much, we feel as though we know Alfred right away. We're eager to read on and discover what secrets hide behind the 'overgrown weeds' and why Alfred has become so reclusive.
This brings us on perfectly to Abigail’s prompt . . .
Abigail's Writing Task:
- Secrets are a great way to add intrigue and drama to your story. Write a mini-scene in which a character discovers that someone they know well has been keeping a secret from them. How do they deal with this discovery?
You could take two characters from a novel or story you’re working on and put them in a situation where a secret has just come to light. Or you could take this opportunity to come up with something new: an exciting story – or fragment of a story – which introduces us to a character right at the moment something previously unknown has been uncovered.
What we’re looking for is an intriguing little scene that lets us – the reader – in on a mystery. We need a clear idea of your character – what type of person are they? What was their motive for keeping the secret? Were they protecting a loved one from the truth or only interested in saving their own skin? Are you going to show us a confrontation scene where one character exposes their secrets and accuses them of hiding something? Or will you decide to show us a subtle scene in which the reader knows that one character’s secret has been found out, but the secret-keeper is yet to know that they’ve been discovered?
You could give us a glimpse of what your characters get up to when they think no one is watching: A wife watches their partner sneak into a restaurant when they’re supposed to be working late . . . Someone is found riffling through their neighbours’ rubbish bins . . . Or maybe you’ll show us a conversation in which your character trips up over their own web of lies.
Here are few tips to inspire you:
- Characterisation: Can you give us a hint into the backstory between your protagonist and the character revealing the secret? You don’t need to tell us everything but knowing their history will help you to bring this scene to life on the page.
- Setting: It can be helpful to use setting as a tool to reveal clues about the actions and behaviours of your characters. These minor details can help the reader to feel more immersed in the story.
- Interiority: You can give the reader a better understanding of your protagonist by giving us access to their thoughts, feelings and reflections.
- Reaction: Once you’ve decided how your character is feeling about this revelation, think about how you’re going to convey that to the reader. Does your character feel betrayed? Do they lash out at others, or themselves? How might this come across in their actions, or thoughts, or dialogue?
We can’t wait to read your Bluesky post-length scenes. Reply to us over on @cbcreative.bsky.social with your responses to Abigail’s task and you might win a free six-week online writing course place. Competition closes Fri 9 May, 10am (the winner will be announced on Bluesky and this blog at 11am).
Congratulations to this month's winner, @madeleinewrite.bsky.social!
- Rob watched as Leo stacked coloured blocks with chubby hands. It was so obvious, now he knew. The eyes; the intent frown… Leo wobbled to his feet and toddled over, arms outstretched. Rob swung him up, surprised at the weight of him, inhaling the milky scent of this boy who wasn’t his.
What a brilliant entry! We absolutely loved how this writer captured the emotional complexity of a secret through subtle details. The interaction unfolds with intimacy and the unspoken realisation of 'this boy who wasn’t his' is delivered in a way that encourages the reader to reflect upon this tender moment. You really nailed Abigail's #WriteCBC task! Well done Madeleine, you’ve earned a free place on an online writing course (worth up to £230).
And well done to this month’s runners-up – each getting a £50 course discount – @rosalynp.bsky.social and @emmacox.bsky.social. Congratulations, all!
To redeem your prizes, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk
Get your hands on a copy of The Secret Collector.
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