#WriteCBC tip and task from Lucy Rose
BY Maya Fernandes
3rd Apr 2025
Welcome to our April 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 former CBC student Lucy Rose, author of the Sunday Times bestselling debut The Lamb – out now from W&N.
The Lamb is a literary folk horror novel. Margot and Mama live a quiet, isolated life in the forest, waiting for the ‘strays’ Mama loves to feed and devour. But, when a mysterious stranger named Eden arrives during a snowstorm, Margot is forced to face her family’s dark secrets, wrestle with her desires and fight for her freedom.
Lucy was mentored by CBC tutor Kirsty Logan after being awarded a place on our Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for LGBTQIA+ Writers in 2022.
Lucy's writing tip:
- I began writing horror because, long ago, I was once afraid of it. Now, I list the things that frighten me from the mundane (the sting of a deep papercut), to the ridiculous (the grotesque body horror of nuclear fallout) and everything in between. So, I dare you to ask yourself: what frightens you?
In The Lamb, Lucy crafts vivid descriptions of Margot and Mama’s life in the Cumbrian countryside, creating a sense of unease and intrigue.
Read this passage from the opening of the novel, in which the protagonist, Margot, shares a memorable moment from her childhood:
‘On my fourth birthday, I plucked six severed fingers from the shower drain. The tub yellowed near the plughole and there was a peachy hue up the curve of the bath. It was the same colour as my skin. Milky and a little buttery, like the outer edges of a bruise. Mildew and dried-up water peppered the glass screen. Black mould has crawled up the plaster and between the grout. The bathroom was small and the dark corners harboured cobwebs, rings of damp and hairline cracks. I wanted to lick the black speckles of mould littered along the wall. I hoped it would taste as it smelt. Like musty brambles or rain splashing in a muddy puddle.’
In this visceral opening, Lucy pulls the reader in with a series of striking, unsettling images that are impossible to ignore. The grotesque sensory details clash against the readers pre-existing expectations of domestic life and the child’s POV. The opening of the novel immediately sets the reader up for the horrors to come and leaves us eager to know more about this unconventional family and the choices they make.
This brings us on perfectly to Lucy’s prompt . . .
Lucy’s writing task:
- Let’s revisit a classic. You’ve gone to bed and turned off the light, and as you close your eyes, you feel a warm breath come upon your cheek. Your senses are fizzing. There is a new darkness swarming in the corner of your room. What happens next?
Think about how your character responds to this unsettling situation. Are they inclined to run from the room, or face their fears head on? What is the source of this mysterious breath? Are the fears imagined, surreal or surprisingly mundane? And remember, you don't need blood and gore to create a sense of unease. Leaving some things to the reader’s imagination can be just as effective.
Here are a few more tips on writing a suspense-filled scene to inspire you:
- The emotional state of your character affects the way they interact and experience the space around them. In this scenario, your character is scared; think about how this fear manifests itself.
- Build suspense by showing the intensification of the emotions, fears and sensations of your protagonist as they are thrown into danger. Remember that smells, sounds and even tastes can add to a creepy atmosphere, as well as what the character sees, feels and thinks. It’s also worth considering that sometimes fear isn’t always caused by something right in front of you, the unseen can be just as scary.
- Remember to tease the reader with snippets of information and partial disclosure rather than telling story flatly – it’s always more intriguing that way. Ask questions which you don’t immediately answer. Readers like to work so give them some work to do.
We can’t wait to read your Bluesky post-length scenes. Reply to us over on @cbcreative.bsky.social with your responses to Lucy’s task and you might win a free six-week online writing course place. Competition closes Fri 4 Apr, 10am (the winner will be announced on Bluesky and this blog at 11am).
Congratulations to this month's winner, @vickyshell.bsky.social:
- The scent of sweet milk fills my nostrils. I look at the tiny figure, sleeping soundly beside me. The darkness shifts, watching, assessing. It’s time. I reach towards the boy. They say the first possession is the easiest, but I’m not so sure.
What an incredible entry! We absolutely love how this writer flipped the narrative and built tension in such an intriguing way. By contrasting the peaceful image of a ‘tiny figure, sleeping soundly’ with the creeping presence of darkness, this excerpt creates a real sense of unease. The juxtaposition of tenderness and horror makes it all the more captivating, leaving readers questioning the narrator's internal conflict and what might happen next. You really nailed Lucy’s #WriteCBC task! Well done – 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 – @cali-warham.bsky.social and @nattykbrown.bsky.social. Congratulations, all!
To redeem your prizes, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk
Get your hands on a copy of The Lamb.
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