Starting to Write Your Novel
Start Date
Package
Starting to Write Your Novel
Get your novel off the ground – with our support, you'll develop your idea, plot and plan your story, and write a confident opening.
Tutor
Anna DavisLength
6 weeksLocation
OnlineWriting Goal
Start writingWe’ll help you develop a compelling story and begin writing with confidence.
A brilliant introduction to all the fundamentals of fiction writing – I frequently dip into the notes I made on the course, even now!
Author of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers
Perhaps you’re bursting to get your story down on paper but unsure of how to structure it and write it well – or maybe you’re yet to discover an idea you can feel passionate about. All you need to take this course is the desire to write a novel and the willingness to give your best time and attention to this great endeavour.
We’ll give you all the tools you need to take the seed of a story and grow it into something much bigger. By the end of the six weeks, you’ll have written at least the first few thousand words, and have made all the important decisions to enable you to move forward with confidence.
Tutor
Anna Davis
Anna Davis is the founder and Director of the Curtis Brown Creative writing school. She is the author of five acclaimed novels which have been published in twenty languages. She has been a journalist and Guardian columnist, as well as a Curtis Brown literary agent. She taught creative writing at the University of Manchester and in many other settings before founding Curtis Brown Creative in 2011.
WHAT DOES THIS COURSE GIVE YOU?
Our bestselling course has been given a major upgrade with brand-new teaching videos, a new module, substantially updated notes and new tasks. Enrol now to experience the supercharged edition of this much-loved course, available from September 2025.
- Video modules: Work through six modules comprising teaching videos and substantial notes by Anna Davis. Topics covered include hunting down an idea, plotting your story, developing characters, writing their dialogue, finding your narrative perspective, and nailing that all-important first chapter.
- Writing tasks: Weekly writing tasks to help you explore and understand the teaching topics and progress your novel. Weekly posts to the forum from Anna will reinforce these lessons.
- Resources & notes: You’ll get access to expansive resources and teaching notes with case study examples from classic and recent fiction, including over 40 writing prompts to help you generate ideas, guides to the three-act structure, plotting, building characters, narrative point of view, writing dialogue and much more – plus a list of recommended reading.
- Professional feedback: An expert CBC editor will post to the group and give brief written feedback on several of the students' practical assignments every week, with all students receiving feedback on one of their writing tasks. Students are also given the option to purchase additional end-of-course feedback from our expert editors.
- Student forum: Find your writing community on our private student forums. Upload your completed writing tasks, give and receive peer-to-peer feedback, and discuss the week’s topics with your fellow students and the CBC team.
WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THE UPGRADED EDITION?
A module on how to write zingy dialogue – completely new to this course.
All six modules include . . .
- Substantially improved and expanded materials from our Founder and Managing Director Anna Davis. Every teaching module has been revisited, rethought and boosted with new topics and new techniques.
- Brand-new teaching videos with higher production values than the originals, in which Anna presents her new and revised teaching materials.
- New and revitalised writing tasks and prompts.
- Lots of new and revised resources to enrich the module content, plus updated case studies.
COURSE SCHEDULE & DELIVERY
Our online courses are designed for flexible learning. Allocate your own study time and take part from wherever you are in the world. Each week, we recommend spending at least four hours on the course. It’s also important to be planning and working on your novel throughout the six weeks.
Week 1
Inspiration & ideasWeek 2
Plotting, planning & storyWeek 3
A question of characterWeek 4
Narrative voice & point-of-viewWeek 5
DialogueWeek 6
Writing your opening
ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK
All students will be given the option to purchase feedback on their final task from a CBC editor.
- CBC report: For an additional fee of £155, you can obtain a detailed 500-word report on your work (of up to 3,000 words) from one of our editors.
- CBC report + tutorial: For an additional fee of £260, you can obtain a 500-word report from one of our editors and have a 30-minute video or telephone tutorial with them to discuss your work.
Our How to Write Your Novel Series
This is the first course in our popular How to Write Your Novel series, designed to take you from your first idea to final draft. It is followed by Write to the End of Your Novel and Edit & Pitch Your Novel – take the courses in succession or choose the right course for your current stage in the writing process. All three courses have been updated with brand-new videos, expanded resources and revitalised teaching materials (available from September 2025).
GIFT THIS COURSE
Encourage your writerly friend or loved one to get creative! We have £250 digital gift vouchers available, enabling you to buy any six-week online course as a present.
