Finish Your Novel – Eight Months
Applications
Finish Your Novel – Eight Months
Reach the end of your tricky first draft on this advanced course, with help and advice from three expert author-tutors and a supportive peer group.
Tutor
Jacob RossTutor
Simon IngsTutor
Laura KayLength
8 monthsLocation
OnlineWriting Goal
Develop your writingGet all the way to the end of that tricky first draft on this advanced course, with help and advice from three expert author-tutors and a supportive peer group.
This course was so useful… I finished my first draft just as the course ended, and now I'm working through it again, applying strategies and advice from all three tutors.
Our eight-month advanced course is designed for writers already at work on a novel who feel like they would benefit from a structured course plus a supportive peer group as they write. The course also includes dedicated writing time to ensure you continue to make steady progress on your novel throughout the eight months. We'll provide dedicated advice on your work-in-progress and teaching on useful topics from expert tutors, and smattering of deadlines to help you get all the way to that oh-so-elusive ending.
This course will run from 17 March to 11 November 2025.
Tutors
Simon Ings
Simon Ings is an author, editor and critic based in London. His eight critically acclaimed novels include The Weight of Numbers and Dead Water – and the science fiction novels Hot Head and The Smoke; while his non-fiction includes Stalin and the Scientists and The Eye: A Natural History. As editor of New Scientist magazine’s Arc project, he published Margaret Atwood, Kim Stanley Robinson and others. He writes an SF column for the Times, and was on the judging panel for the 2020 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Simon has run workshops and classes for literary festivals and for the Arvon Foundation, and has been a tutor and editor on many of Curtis Brown Creative’s courses.
Laura Kay
Laura Kay is a London based writer whose work has appeared in Diva Magazine and the Guardian. She has a Masters degree in History from the University of Sheffield where she received the Sir Ian Kershaw Dissertation Prize. Laura was one of ten writers selected for Penguin’s 2018 WriteNow programme, during which she developed her debut novel, The Split, which was published by Quercus in 2021. Her second book, Tell Me Everything, was published in May 2022.
Jacob Ross
Jacob Ross is a novelist, short story writer, editor and anthologist. Ross tutors Narrative Craft internationally. His crime novel The Bone Readers won the inaugural Jhalak Prize in 2017. His literary novel Pynter Bender was shortlisted for the 2009 Commonwealth Writers Regional Prize and selected as one of the British Authors’ Club’s top three Best First Novels. Ross’s collected short fiction Tell No-One About This was listed by the 2017 Bocas Literary Prize among the best Caribbean fictional works. His most recent crime novel Black Rain Falling was published in spring 2020. Jacob Ross is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Associate Fiction Editor at Peepal Tree Press.
What does this course give you?
- Flexible study: Teaching for this course is entirely online, meaning that you can take part from anywhere in the world, at a time that suits you. The course is delivered via interactive forum discussions with your tutor and fellow students hosted on our bespoke learning platform, which we have developed exclusively for our students. The ‘live’ elements of this course (taking place at set times) are the nine Zoom sessions led by the tutors, the special industry masterclass and your one-to-one-tutorials. Timings of these sessions will always be confirmed in advance.
- Live teaching sessions on Zoom: Each tutor will lead three Zoom teaching sessions, covering topics such as how to get rid of writer's block, how to inject pace into your writing and how to deepen your characterisations and nail that pesky plot.
- A community of writers: Our selective applications process means that you will be writing your novel in a peer group of 15 students working at a high level. Many of our former students have found trusted readers with us and formed strong working friendships that go on long after the course is over.
- Writing workshops: Your work will be workshopped by the group three times during the course. Workshops centre on 3,000-word extracts from your novel-in-progress, and discussion takes place on our learning platform with students and the tutor posting written comments across the week. These sessions offer in-depth feedback from your student group and tutor and are also designed to help develop your self-editing skills.
- One-to-one tutorials: You'll get three 30-minute one-to-one tutorial (one with each tutor), during which you can address specific concerns about your writing. Tutorials will be based on 3,000-word extracts from your novel-in-progress and will address your specific concerns and questions.
- Industry masterclass: This special live Zoom session will help to demystify publishing. Two Curtis Brown literary agents will answer your questions, speaking exclusively to you about writing, editing and the submissions process, and share real-life publication journeys.
- Alumni services: At the end of the course you'll be offered access to our exclusive alumni services (such as our full manuscript report, which will be available at a discount for three months after the course ends, discounted from £750 to £700 for a manuscript of up to 90,000 words – £35 extra for each additional 5,000 words). Read more about the opportunities available to our alumni here.
- Help submitting to agents: We’re committed to helping you submit the novel you worked on with us to literary agents at Curtis Brown and C&W. Whenever you’re ready – no matter how long after your course – we want to hear from you.
STAGE 1 WITH Simon Ings – Week 1
Mon 17 Mar – Sun 23 MarWeek 2
Mon 24 Mar – Sun 30 MarWeek 3
Tues 1 Apr – Sun 6 AprWeek 4
Mon 7 Apr – Sun 13 AprWeek 5
Mon 14 Apr – Sun 20 AprWeek 6
Tues 22 Apr – Sun 27 AprWeek 7
Mon 28 Apr – Sun 4 MayWeek 8
Tues 8 May – Sun 13 MaySpring Writing Break
Mon 12 May – Sun 25 MaySTAGE 2 WITH Laura Kay – Week 1
Tues 27 May – Sun 1 JunWeek 2
Mon 2 Jun – Sun 8 JunWeek 3
Mon 9 Jun – Sun 15 JunWeek 4
Mon 16 Jun – Sun 22 JunWeek 5
Mon 23 Jun – Sun 29 JunBreak week
Mon 30 Jun – Sun 6 JulWeek 6
Mon 7 Jul – Sun 13 JulWeek 7
Mon 14 Jul – Sun 20 JulWeek 8
Mon 21 Jul – Sun 27 JulSummer Writing Break
Mon 28 Jul – Sun 7 SeptSTAGE 3 WITH Jacob Ross – Week 1
Mon 8 Sept – Sun 14 SeptWeek 2
Mon 15 Sept – Sun 21 SeptWeek 3
Mon 22 Sept – Sun 28 SeptWeek 4
Mon 29 Sept – Sun 5 OctWeek 5
Mon 6 Oct – Sun 12 OctWeek 6
Mon 13 Oct – Sun 19 OctAutumn Writing Break
Mon 20 Oct – Sun 26 OctWeek 7
Mon 27 Oct – Sun 2 NovWeek 8
Mon 3 Nov – Sun 9 NovIndustry Masterclass
Tues 11 Nov, 7–8.30pm
Course Fees
The course fee of £1,500 (inc VAT) per student is payable, in full, by bank transfer or cheque, before the course begins. If you are unable to pay the full fee upfront, let us know and we can discuss a payment plan.
Ready to apply?
This course is suitable for anyone who is working seriously on a novel, irrespective of whether you’ve studied with us before. Former students of our three- or six-month Writing Your Novel courses (online or in London) will be given automatic entry to this course – on a first come, first served basis – on completing the application form. All applicants should already have produced at least 15,000 words of their first draft.
The CBC team will select applicants based on the quality of the writing sample provided. The deadline for applications is midnight, end of day Sunday 23 February, and we will respond to applicants by Thursday 27 February.
We read all application material promptly after the closing date and make our selection of students swiftly at that time. However if you require an earlier response from us in order to be able to take part in this course, please email us with full details and we will consider and respond on a case by case basis.
Please upload your application via the form at the end of this page. If you encounter any problems during the application process, or have any more questions about the course, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk for assistance.
