Writing Memoir & Narrative Non-Fiction
Applications
Writing Memoir & Narrative Non-Fiction
Turn your life experience or the true story that fascinates you into a compelling book, with expert teaching from an award-winning author. Scholarship available.
Tutor
Wyl MenmuirLength
3 monthsLocation
OnlineWriting Goal
Develop your writingWrite a captivating narrative based on your life or a subject of particular interest.
Wyl always seemed to know exactly what I needed at that particular point in my writing journey. His seminars were filled with inspirational exercises that gave me new ways to think about my novel, some of which fed directly back into the narrative to open it out in exciting new directions.
Former Student of Wyl Menmuir
Hone your non-fiction writing skills in an inspiring and supportive environment. Teaching is hosted on Zoom and our bespoke online learning platform. You’ll join a group of 15 budding writers, all working on personal memoir or narrative non-fiction, for weekly Zoom teaching and workshopping on Wednesday evenings. Over three months Wyl Menmuir, former journalist and award-winning author of novels and non-fiction, will teach on key life-writing topics, including how to map out your story, create compelling characters that are true to life, weave facts into your story, and dramatise scenes from reality to place the reader at the heart of the action. You’ll learn how to strike the right balance between writing from memories and using research to capture the truth.
This course will help you cultivate your craft whether you’re working on a personal memoir like Safiya Sinclair’s How to Say Babylon or Tara Westover’s Educated; nature writing like Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk or Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life; a travel narrative like Chris Broad’s Abroad in Japan or Felicity Cloake’s One More Croissant for the Road; or a professional confessional like Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurt.
In addition to the weekly teaching and workshopping you’ll also attend an exclusive live industry masterclass on Zoom featuring insights from a top literary agent and non-fiction author. When the course ends, you’ll be given the opportunity to share your work with literary agents from Curtis Brown and C&W.
Over 240 of our students have gone on to become commercially published authors, including Dr Benji Waterhouse, author of the memoir You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here: A Psychiatrist’s Life (Jonathan Cape, May 2024).
Course runs from 2 October 2024 to 5 February 2025.
Tutor
Wyl Menmuir
Wyl Menmuir is a multi-award-winning author based in Cornwall. His 2016 debut novel, The Many was longlisted for the Booker Prize and was an Observer Best Fiction of the year pick. His second novel Fox Fires was published in 2021 and his short fiction has been published by Nightjar Press, Kneehigh Theatre and National Trust Books and appeared in Best British Short Stories. Wyl's first full-length non-fiction book, The Draw of the Sea, won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors and a Holyer an Gof Award. His second non-fiction book, The Heart of The Woods, was released in 2024. A former journalist, Wyl has written for Radio 4’s Open Book, The Guardian and The Observer, and the journal Elementum.
Photo by Oliver Udy.
What does this course give you?
- Live teaching sessions on Zoom: Wyl will deliver in-depth teaching sessions on Wednesday evenings (UK-time), tackling a variety of vital topics for memoir and narrative non-fiction writers, including finding your voice, developing a working structure, dramatising material and mastering dialogue (all topics detailed below).
- Writing workshops: Across the course, you’ll get two dedicated workshops with your tutor and the group centring on extracts from your work-in-progress. Workshops will take place on Zoom, with the opportunity to continue the discussion later in the group’s private forum area of our secure, bespoke online learning platform.
- A community of writers: Our selective applications process means that you will be writing your book in a peer group of 15 students working at a high level. Many of our former students have found their trusted readers with us – and form strong working friendships with classmates which go on long after the course is over.
- One-to-one tutorials: You'll get two 30-minute, one-to-one tutorials with Wyl based on 3,000-word extracts from your work-in-progress. Use these tutorials to address your specific concerns about your writing.
- Literary agent masterclass: Join a special Zoom session with C&W literary agent Sophie Lambert and her client Callum Robinson, they will talk about writing, editing and the submissions process, drawing on their experience of real-life publication journeys. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.
- Synopsis & agent letter advice: We’ll draw on our expertise to give you the vital ingredients needed for a great synopsis and the all-important pitch letter. Individual feedback will come from experienced members of the CBC editorial team and/or a Curtis Brown/C&W literary agent.
- End-of-course submission: All students will be invited to submit the 3,000-word opening from their book, plus a synopsis, to be shared with the agent teams at Curtis Brown and C&W. This is not a formal submission but a chance to give the agents a taste of your work at this stage. However, when you are ready to formally submit your memoir to agents from Curtis Brown or C&W – no matter how long after your course has finished – the Curtis Brown Creative team will give you guidance and support with your submission. Full information about this free service is provided during the course.
- Alumni services: You’ll be given access to a range of exclusive writing services, available only to the alumni of our selective courses, which you’ll be able to access after your course finishes. These services include individual mentoring, editorial reports on your completed book, submission reports on your ‘pitch package’ and coaching from experienced practitioners. Read more about the opportunities available to our alumni here.
MASTERCLASS SPEAKERS
Join a special live Zoom session with a leading literary agent and author.
Course schedule & delivery
Wyl will lead weekly Zoom sessions on Wednesday evenings from 7.00pm to 8.45pm (UK time) unless otherwise stated. Please note that precise dates of masterclass sessions and details of course speakers are subject to change.
WEEK 1 – ORIENTATION & COMMITTING: PART I
Weds 2 Oct, 7–8.45pmWEEK 2 – VOICE PART I
Weds 9 Oct, 7–8.45pmWEEK 3 – VOICE PART II
Weds 16 Oct, 7–8.45pmWEEK 4 – MAPPING
Weds 23 Oct, 7–8.45pmWEEK 5 – SYNOPSIS
Mon 28 Oct – Sun 3 NovWEEK 6 – SENSORY WRITING
Weds 6 Nov, 7–8.45pmINDUSTRY MASTERCLASS
Tues 12 Nov, 7–8.30pmWEEK 7 – HOW TO WRITE EMOTIONALLY DIFFICULT SCENES
Weds 13 Nov, 7–8.45pmWEEK 8 – PEOPLE
Weds 20 Nov, 7–8.45pmWEEK 9 – DIALOGUE & SCENES
Weds 27 Nov, 7–8.45pmWEEK 10 – ENDINGS
Weds 4 Dec, 7–8.45pmWEEK 11 – AGENT LETTER WORKSHOP
Mon 9 Dec – Sun 15 DecWINTER BREAK
Mon 16 Dec – Sun 5 JanWEEK 12 – EDITING
Weds 8 Jan, 7–8.45pmWEEK 13 - CLINIC
Weds 15 Jan, 7–8.45pmCOURSE CONCLUSION & COMMITTING: PART II
Weds 22 Jan, 7–8.45pmEND OF COURSE SUBMISSION
Weds 5 Feb
COURSE FEES
The course fee of £1,800 (inc VAT) per student is payable, in full, by bank transfer. Funds must reach our bank account before the course begins. If you are unable to pay the full fee upfront, let us know and we can arrange an instalment plan.
READY TO APPLY?
Please apply with the first 3,000 words of the memoir or narrative non-fiction book you’d like to work on during the course, and a synopsis of no more than a page (both need to be in the same document, as you can only upload ONE file in the application below). Our form will also ask you to make a short statement about the type of story you’re working on (e.g., personal memoir, travel writing, nature writing, food writing, professional memoir etc.). Unfortunately, this course is not suitable for those writing medical papers, academic texts, or technical manuals.
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 8 September, and we will respond to applicants by Thursday 12 September.
We read all application material promptly after the closing date and make our selection of students within a week. 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.
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.
SCHOLARSHIP PLACE
The Breakthrough Scholarship for Memoir & Narrative Non-Fiction Writers with Low Income will award one talented writer with limited financial means a place on this three-month course. Deadline Sunday 22 September.
Breakthrough Scholarship for Memoir & Narrative Non-Fiction Writers with Low Income
