Writing Your Novel – Three Months (London)

Select Date

Applications

Start Date

21st Apr 2026

End Date

28th Jul 2026

Application Deadline

30th Mar 2026

Applicant Notification

3rd Apr 2026

Price on Acceptance

£2100

Apply Now

Writing Your Novel – Three Months

Flagship

Length

3 months

Location

London

Writing Goal

Develop your writing

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Writing Your Novel – Three Months

Join us in London for expert novel-writing tuition and insights from literary agents delivered in lively evening sessions. Instalment plan available.

Tutor

Abi Daré

Tutor

Charlotte Mendelson

Length

3 months

Location

London

Writing Goal

Develop your writing

Our original course, helping writers for over 14 years.

Flagship

Our flagship in-person Writing Your Novel course is designed for writers who are serious about developing their novel to its full potential.

It was the smartest thing I could have done… I got to meet other writers.

Bonnie Garmus
Multi-million-copy bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

With weekly teaching and workshopping 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. Our compact three-month schedule makes this course ideal for those seeking a burst of motivation and regular, practical in-person support.

You’ll join a group of 15 talented writers for dynamic and inspiring classes from experienced creative writing tutors who have won awards for their books. 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 attend two masterclasses during the course where you will gain invaluable insights from literary agents and publishing professionals. 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.

Over 280 of our students have gone on to become commercially published authors. Previous students of our three-month London-based course include Bonnie Garmus (author of the million-copy bestseller, Lessons in Chemistry), Kate Hamer (The Girl in the Red Coat), Sean Lusk (The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley) and Laura Marshall (Friend Request). 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

We are running two classes of 15 talented students for this course, one led by Abi Daré and one led by Charlotte Mendelson. Students will have the opportunity to give a preference of course tutor on the application form.

Abi Daré

Abi Daré grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. She studied law at the University of Wolverhampton and has an M.Sc. in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University and an MA (Distinction) in Creative Writing at Birkbeck University of London.

Her first novel The Girl with the Louding Voice was shortlisted for several awards including the Desmond Elliott Prize and The British Book Awards (Debut). The novel was a New York Times bestseller, A Today Show Book Club pick, a BBC Radio 4 Bookclub Pick and has been translated into well over a dozen languages. Abi's latest novel And So I Roar was published in August 2024 won the inaugural Climate Fiction Prize.

When Abi is not writing, she loves hanging out at her local café, giving talks and advocating for female education. In 2022, Abi was appointed as Board Member for the BIC Corporate Foundation. She lives in Essex with her husband and two children.

Charlotte Mendelson

Charlotte Mendelson’s previous novel, The Exhibitionist, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and was The Times Novel of the Year 2022, as well as a book of the year in The Telegraph and The Guardian. Her other novels include Almost English, which was longlisted for both the Man Booker and the Women’s Prize for Fiction; When We Were Bad, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction and was a book of the year in The Observer, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The New Statesman and The Spectator; and Daughters of Jerusalem, which won both the Somerset Maugham Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. Wife, her sixth novel, was published in August 2024. She was a publisher for twenty years, reviews and broadcasts and has been the Gardening Correspondent for The New Yorker.

WHAT DOES THIS COURSE GIVE YOU?

Live teaching in London: Your tutor will deliver weekly 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. Your tutor 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 twice 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.
1-to-1 tutorial: You'll get a 30-minute, one-to-one tutorial with your tutor. Tutorials will be based on 3,000-word extracts of your novel-in-progress and will address your specific concerns and questions.
Industry tutorial: To help you prepare for the next stages of the writing and pitching process, all students will have a 45-minute one-to-one with an experienced CBC editor or a member of the Curtis Brown/C&W agenting team. They will read and provide feedback on up to 6,000 words from your novel-in-progress plus your synopsis.
Two guest speaker 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.
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 two-hour 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 1,000-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.

Masterclass speakers

You'll attend two live masterclass sessions with leading publishing professionals, literary agents and authors.

Susan ArmstrongRead bio →

Grace AlexanderRead bio →

COURSE SCHEDULE & DELIVERY

All teaching and workshop sessions will take place between 7pm and 9pm (unless otherwise stated below). Classes will be held in the Writers’ Room of the new 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. The schedule below is for Abi Daré's class. To view the schedule for Charlotte Mendelson's class, click here.

WEEK 1 – INSPIRATION & READING AS WRITERS
Tues 21 Apr, 7–9pm
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WEEK 2 – OPENINGS
Tues 28 Apr, 7–9pm
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WEEK 3 – WRITING FROM LIFE
Tues 5 May, 7–9pm
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WEEK 4 – STORY, PLOTTING & PLANNING
Tues 12 May, 7–9pm
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INDUSTRY MASTERCLASS
Tues 19 May, 7-8:30pm
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WEEK 5 – VOICE AND NARRATIVE POINT OF VIEW
Tues 26 May, 7–9pm
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WEEK 6 – SYNOPSIS ONLINE
Tues 2 Jun – Tues 9 Jun
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INDUSTRY MASTERCLASS
Tues 4 Jun, 7-8:30pm
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WEEK 7 – CHARACTERISATION
Tues 9 Jun, 7–9pm
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WEEK 8 – DESCRIPTION, TONE & STYLE
Tues 16 Jun, 7–9pm (Charlotte's group), Weds 17 Jun, 7–9pm (Abi's group)
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WEEK 9 – DIALOGUE
Tues 23 Jun, 7–9pm
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WEEK 10 – BUILDING SUSPENSE
Tues 30 Jun, 7–9pm
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WEEK 11 – ENDINGS
Tues 7 Jul, 7–9pm
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WEEK 12 – EDITING AND REWRITING
Tues 14 Jul, 7–9pm
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WEEK 13 – AGENT LETTER/PITCH WORKSHOP
Tues 21 Jul, 7–9pm
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WEEK 14 – COURSE CONCLUSION
Tues 28 Jul, 7–9pm
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END OF COURSE SUBMISSION
Date TBC.
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CELEBRATION
Thurs 17 Sept, 5–6.30pm
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COURSE FEES

The course fee of £2,100 (inclusive of VAT, please note that additional fees may apply if you’re based in a country with a higher VAT rate than the UK) per student is payable, in full, by bank transfer or debit/credit card before the start of the course. (Please note, card payments will incur an additional transaction fee.) 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. We may start reading and responding to applicants ahead of the final deadline and we therefore advise people who are keen to join this course to apply early.

The final deadline for applications is 10am (UK time) on the application deadline date. The date is dependent on which course start date you're applying for. Use the drop down 'select date' toggle to see currently available start dates and their associated deadlines. Be sure that you've selected the right course start date before you click the 'Apply Now' button.

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.

Book now

Scholarship places (for course starting 21 April 2026)

We have two scholarships places currently open for applications. One scholarship, sponsored by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, will award one talented writer with limited financial means a place on this course. Another scholarship, sponsored by HW Fisher, will award one talented writer of colour a free place on this course. Details below, apply by 16 March 2026.

Jack Meggitt-Phillips Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income

HW Fisher Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers of Colour

Select Date

Applications

Start Date

21st Apr 2026

End Date

28th Jul 2026

Application Deadline

30th Mar 2026

Applicant Notification

3rd Apr 2026

Price on Acceptance

£2100

Apply Now

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former students with publishing deals

95%

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