Writing Your Novel – Six Months (London)
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Writing Your Novel – Six Months
Study with us in London for six months on our flagship novel-writing course. Expert tuition and advice from publishing professionals delivered in lively evening sessions.
Tutor
Ali ShawLength
6 monthsLocation
LondonWriting Goal
Develop your writingOur flagship in-person Writing Your Novel course is designed for writers who are serious about developing their novel to its full potential.
Attending the CBC course was a major catalyst in my writing career.
Bestselling author of The Circus Train
With weekly teaching and workshopping on Wednesday evenings in the Curtis Brown offices on Regent Street, plus one-to-one tutorials and special masterclasses with publishing industry experts, this course will help you hone your craft and make real progress with your novel. It’s ideal for those looking for a practical in-person alternative to a postgraduate creative writing course.
You’ll join a group of 15 talented writers for dynamic and inspiring classes from experienced tutor Ali Shaw. Ali is an award-winning novelist, short story writer and creative writing teacher and has taught many novel-writing courses for CBC in London and online. Teaching will cover how to create a strong narrative arc and convincing characters, as well as key techniques that will help you bring your story to life, from dialogue to description, tone and style.
You will also get invaluable insights from publishers and literary agents during exclusive masterclasses throughout your time on this course. At the end of the course, you’ll be given the opportunity to share the opening of your novel with Curtis Brown and C&W literary agents.
This course will also take a six-week break over the summer, to allow students extra time to work on their novels-in-progress and to reflect on what they've learnt before joining us again in September, feeling refreshed and ready for more workshops, tutorials and teaching from Lizzie.
Over 250 of our students have gone on to become commercially published authors, including Bonnie Garmus, author of the million-copy bestseller, Lessons in Chemistry. Previous students of our six-month London-based course include Lucy Barker (The Other Side of Mrs Wood), James Bailey (The Flip Side) and Amita Parikh (The Circus Train). Whether you’re in the early stages of writing, halfway through a first draft or embarking on a major rewrite, this course will give you the push you need to get the most out of your novel.
Tutor
Ali Shaw
Ali Shaw is an award-winning novelist, short story writer and creative writing teacher. His novels are The Trees, The Man who Rained, and The Girl with Glass Feet, which won the Desmond Elliott Prize, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. His books have been translated into fifteen different languages, and his short fiction has appeared in multiple newspapers, magazines, and on BBC Radio 4.
What does this course give you?
- Live teaching in London: On Wednesday evenings tutor Ali Shaw will deliver two-hour teaching sessions in the Curtis Brown offices on Regent Street. Each session will include an hour of workshopping (three students will have work discussed each week) and an hour of teaching – on topics including how to hook readers from the outset, master point of view, build suspense and develop strong scenes. Ali will also set homework tasks to further your learning.
- 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 their trusted readers with us and formed strong working friendships that go on long after the course is over.
- Writing workshops: Workshops centre on 3,000-word extracts from your novel-in-progress, and your work will be workshopped by the group three times during the course. 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 two 30-minute, one-to-one tutorials with Ali during the course. Tutorials are based on 3,000-word extracts from your novel-in-progress and are an excellent opportunity to address specific concerns about your writing. Towards the end of the course, all students will also get a 45-minute one-to-one with an experienced CBC editor or a Curtis Brown/C&W literary agent who will read up to 6,000 words from your novel-in-progress plus your synopsis.
- Four industry masterclasses: We invite leading literary agents, authors and publishers to attend special sessions during which you will have the opportunity to ask questions about writing, editing, submitting to agents and the publishing process. Our special guests will draw on their experience of real-life publication journeys and share their insights with you.
- Guest tutor sessions: Guest tutor (TBC) will lead two guest teaching sessions midway through the course (as listed on the schedule), sharing their unique approach to writing through thoughtful and inspiring lessons. They will share wisdom from their writing career and set relevant tasks for the group.
- Synopsis & agent letter feedback: We’ll give you the vital ingredients needed for a great synopsis and pitch letter. You will receive notes on your synopsis from an experienced member of the CBC editorial team and attend a live pitching session with two Curtis Brown/C&W literary agents.
- End-of-course celebration: To mark the course coming to a close, you will attend a special reception with tea, cake and fizz. This celebration will give you a chance to mingle informally with your fellow students, the CBC team and literary agents from Curtis Brown and C&W.
- Submitting to agents: Ahead of the end of course celebration, all students will be invited to submit their 3,000-word novel opening, plus a synopsis, to be shared with the agent teams at Curtis Brown and C&W as well as a select group of agents from other UK-based agencies. This is not a formal submission but a chance to give the agents a taste of what you’re working on. When you are ready to submit formally – no matter how long after your course has finished – the CBC team will provide guidance and support with your submission to the Curtis Brown and C&W agents.
- Alumni services: At the end of your course, you’ll be given access to a range of services, available only to the alumni of our selective courses. These services include exclusive discounts, guidance on getting your ‘pitch package’ ready and help submitting your book to Curtis Brown and C&W literary agents. Read more about the opportunities available to our alumni here.
COURSE SCHEDULE & DELIVERY
All teaching and workshop sessions will take place on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm (unless otherwise stated below). Classes will be held in the Writers’ Room of the Curtis Brown offices (Cunard House, 15 Regent Street, London, SW1Y 4LR).
In extenuating circumstances, classes may be moved from London to Zoom, with prior notification to all concerned.
Please note that precise dates of sessions and details of course speakers are subject to change.
WEEK 1: INSPIRATION AND READING AS WRITERS
Weds 10 Sept, 7–9pmWEEK 2: OPENINGS
Weds 17 Sept, 7–9pmWEEK 3: CHARACTERISATION I
Weds 24 Sept, 7–9pmWEEK 4: STORY, PLOTTING & PLANNING I
Weds 1 Oct, 7–9pmWEEK 5: STORY, PLOTTING & PLANNING II
Weds 8 Oct, 7–9pmWEEK 6: WRITING FROM LIFE
Weds 15 Oct, 7–9pmWEEK 7: VOICE & NARRATIVE POINT OF VIEW
Weds 22 Oct, 7–9pmOCTOBER HALF TERM
WEEK 8: OPENINGS II
Weds 5 Nov, 7–9pmWEEK 9: SYNOPSIS – ONLINE
Monday 10 Nov – Sunday 16 NovWEEK 10: PLACE & SETTING
Weds 19 Nov, 7–9pmWEEK 11: DESCRIPTION, TONE & STYLE
Weds 26 Nov, 7–9pmWEEK 12: GUEST TUTOR SESSION
Weds 3 Dec, 7–9pmWEEK 13: GUEST TUTOR SESSION 2
Weds 10 Dec, 7–9pmWEEK 14: ENDINGS I
Weds 17 Dec, 7–9pmWINTER BREAK
WEEK 15: CHARACTERISATION II
Weds 7 Jan, 7–9pmWEEK 16: DIALOGUE
Weds 14 Jan, 7–9pmWEEK 17: BUILDING SUSPENSE
Weds 21 Jan, 7–9pmEND OF COURSE TUTORIALS
Mon 26 Jan – Fri 6 FebWEEK 18: ENDINGS II
Weds 28 Jan, 7–9pmWEEK 19: EDITING AND REWRITING
Weds 4 Feb, 7–9pmWEEK 20: AGENT LETTER/PITCH WORKSHOP
Weds 11 Feb, 7–8.30pmWEEK 21: CONCLUSION
Weds 18 Feb, 7–8.30pmWEEK 22: END OF COURSE SUBMISSION
4 Mar 2026END OF COURSE CELEBRATION
TBC, 5–6.30pm
Course fees
The course fee of £3,450 (inc VAT) per student is payable, in full, by bank transfer or cheque before the start of the course. However, 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 novel 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).
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 27 July 2025, and we will respond to applicants by Thursday 31 July.
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.
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.
Still deciding?
If you’re thinking about applying for this course and want to know if it’s the right fit, book a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your needs.
Consultations will take place on Tuesday afternoons (14.00 to 17.00) or Friday mornings (10.00 to 13.00). Times listed are UK times.
