#WriteCBC tip and task from Rachel Louise Driscoll
BY Alessia Quaranta
6th Mar 2025
Welcome to our March 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 Rachel Louise Driscoll, debut author of Nephthys – out now from Harvill Secker (Penguin Random House). The novel follows Victorian Egyptologist Clemmie, whose dark talents have torn her family apart, and her one chance to atone for the past. On a mission to save what remains of her family, Clemmie goes to Egypt where she meets unexpected allies and enemies, along with long-buried secrets and betrayals, that force her to step into the light.
Rachel was a student on our Edit & Pitch Your Novel course in 2019. She was also awarded the Write From Home Scholarship in 2020 and went on to study on our three-month Writing Your Novel course.
Rachel's writing tip:
- When you’re writing, spend time bringing the atmosphere of place to life. Use all of the senses – although not as a list and not all at once – and make your readers feel like they're there or want to go there. Make it believable, real, and familiar.
Some of my favourite examples of great settings include The Marsh/Barkley Cove (Where the Crawdads Sing), Manderley (Rebecca), Le Cirque des Rêves (The Night Circus), The Monkey House (Little), and Satis House (Great Expectations), to name a few. Think about your favourite fictional worlds, and what makes them so memorable and evocative?
In Nephthys, Rachel paints the magic and mystery we associate with Egypt, whilst also showing how it has been wounded through the ages, and what it was like in the 19th century.
Read this passage from the opening of the novel, in which we’re introduced to the protagonist, Clemmie, and her unusual work as an Egyptologist:
‘The room is so thick with spice you could take a spoon to the air. We must evoke atmosphere, he always says, so she's scattered the cloves and lit the lavender candles: the ones that normally burn at a wake to mask the smell of the dead. It's fitting really, and the headiness mingles with the myrrh oil she's dripped about the place, not bothering to see if it stains the Turkish rug or mars the beeswax shine on the mahogany. The smell will linger for days, but there's something pleasant and exotic about it, as if they've travelled to another land. Her shoulders relax – the oils must be working – and she can almost forget that the audience relies on her as much as the unwrapper.’
Rachel lures the reader in with rich, sensory details, painting a setting that feels tangible, and easy to imagine. Through setting, Rachel brilliantly builds anticipation in the reader, making them curious about the situation they’re entering and wanting to know more.
This brings us on perfectly to Rachel’s prompt . . .
Rachel's writing task:
- Write a mini-scene where the setting is central. Is it friendly, hazardous, or a victim? Try to convey not just the place, but the importance of its role. That might mean bringing in conflict or raising a question that involves the setting.
Give me a feel of the setting, whether historical or contemporary. It can be real or fictional – a gloomy mansion, an exotic island, or a bustling city that you’ve always called home – but transport me to the location. Make the setting central to the scene. Take me on a journey, and, most importantly, make me want to read more.
Here are few more tips to inspire you:
- How do they feel: The emotional state of your character affects the way they interact and experience the space around them. If your character is anxious, they would probably notice things they otherwise would not. Does the room feel claustrophobic? Are they getting overwhelmed by the harsh lighting streaming through the windows? Would they start picking on the rough texture of the sofa they’re sitting on?
- Sensory details: When crafting an immersive setting, don’t rely solely on sight but involve all senses. Consider what your characters see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. What sounds are unique to this place? Is there any background noise? Are there any unusual smells in the air? What colours dominate the scene? What details catch the eye?
- Setting as a character: It can be helpful to think about the setting in your story as another character with its own personality. Is the setting meant to evoke fear in your character? If so, what elements of your setting need to be highlighted to instil terror in your protagonist? Does your setting have any quirky or unique elements? Personification is a powerful tool in writing a scene which engages your readers!
We can’t wait to read your Bluesky post-length scenes. Reply to us over on @cbcreative.bsky.social with your responses to Rachel’s task and you might win a free six-week online writing course place. Competition closes Fri 7 Mar, 10am (the winner will be announced on Bluesky and this blog at 11am).
Congratulations to this month's winner, @thesquatpenrests.bsky.social:
- Gulls cried above. It seemed the cliff had grown around the hotel, as if it existed from time immemorial. Once magnificent windows were shattered. Inside, he found parquet flooring riddled with scratches, evidence of long departed guests; a heavy stillness, like the place grieved itself.
What an amazing entry! We absolutely love how this writer uses the setting to craft such a vivid atmosphere. The cries of the gulls immediately immerse you in the scene, giving the place an eerie quality. The imagery of the cliff enveloping the hotel is a brilliant way to convey the building’s integration with its surroundings, as if it’s always been part of the landscape. Here, the setting is far more than just a backdrop, it’s a character of its own. You really nailed Rachel's #WriteCBC task! Well done – you get 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 – Clare Draycott @claredraycott.bsky.social and Jo Warren @jowarren.bsky.social. Congratulations, all!
To redeem your prizes, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk
Get your hands on a copy of Nephthys.
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