Curtis Brown - Start Writing Your Novel

I've been subscribed to Curtis Brown's newsletter for a number of years and lusted over doing a course with them for a long time but never could afford it.  As an early birthday present, I got my husband to treat me.

• Course:  Starting Writing Your Novel
• Tutor:  Anna Davis
• Location:  Online
• Date:  Wednesday 5 October 2016
• Duration:  6 weeks
• Fee:  £200
• Link:  http://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/writing-school/

Who is it for?

This introductory course is an excellent opportunity to get a feel of how the online courses run and see if it is right with you with out the expense or commitment of a full time course.

It is run by Curtis Brown a leading Literacy Agency and they share tips on what they are looking for and what makes a submission stand out.  You will cringe when they tell you the things writers repeatedly do that fails to impress.

Who shouldn't apply?

If you want feedback by the tutor on your writing, you will need to pay for one of the longer courses.

How is it run?

The course is easy to follow with support material in the format of a video and an article based on the transcript.  Following on from the support material there is an activity and the resources you need to accompany it.  Each week is split into two subject areas, with a related exercise for each.

This gives you the opportunity to consider what you have learnt and put it into practice.  You post your work to the forum for other students to comment on.  In return, you should comment on their work.

What does it cover?

The course covers an introduction to subjects to help you get started writing your novel e.g. reading as a writer, sources of inspiration and structuring your novel.  For such a short course, it cover a lot!
They are simple subjects that every writer should know but it never hurts to reinforce your foundations.   One of the subjects was the importance of getting into the habit of writing and making time for it - This is so obvious but a constant challenge for me and I valued the advice to overcome the obstacles.

During the course we were encouraged to come up with an idea for a story, the exercises got us to consider the pitch, plotting and planning, starting point, time, POV, character development, first page and chapter.  The exercises will challenge you to rethink the way you write and turn ideas I their head. 

What did I get out of it?

It got me to rethink the opening chapter of my novel, Angel.  It is now a prologue, written in 2nd POV and narrated by the demon - I never would have dared attempt to do this.  I also can see the plot holes in this novel before getting two involved in it and having a massive restructure later on. 

In addition, I took many of the points into consideration whilst editing Drift and transformed the first three chapters into something I feel confident in - a new feeling (as I'm incredibly critical of my work). 

Any problems?

The only issue I had with the course was that I assumed we had a week to complete the assignments.  About week 5, I discovered we were meant to post by Sunday so there was ample time for our work to be read.

In addition, I often wasn't able to comment on other peoples work and nobody ever commented on mine.  I could see other students commenting on each others work without any issue so I'm not sure why I could not.

Would I recommend it?

Overall, I would recommend this course. 

This post is my personal opinion and experience on the course - I have not received any incentive to write my review other than that I enjoy being informative and helpful to other writers. 

Drift is complete?

Finally, January 2017, I think Drift is complete.  I started writing it in December 2009.  I remember the way the story grabbed my imagination and I had to write it.  I woke early, went to bed late and snuck around like I was having an affair so my husband didn't catch me 'writing again'.  

Then I edited it, got friends and people online to read it, followed their feedback and edited some more.  Then, in the summer of 2010, I sent it out to agents. 

Luckily, I got some interest but it never went any further. Now, looking back at it, I can clearly see why it didn't get published. 

I've always loved writing but this novel will always be special.  It is the first one I believed good enough to seek publication.

For me editing was a real chore.  It killed my passion to write as I began overthinking every paragraph, sentence and word.  The skills required for editing are very different to those used to produce a raw draft. 

I attended local workshops, writers groups, networked online and attended speakers at Felixstowe Book Festival.  I paid for online courses like Write Story Books for Children and Curtis Brown's Start Writing Your Novel.  All in the hope that I could improve my writing and get Drift finished to a suitable standard. 

Finally, January 2017, I think my new polished version of Drift is finally good enough... 
Although, one thing I have learnt from the experience is to leave it a few weeks and then view it again with fresh eyes.  Tomorrow, I might see a need to edit again.

To read Drift, please visit Wattpad:  https://www.wattpad.com/story/69950568-drift-book-1-of-the-merallo-series


In this 'fishy tail' Mariah's complicated love life is just the 'spark' of her troubles!

One kiss is all it took to wake Mariah's storm summoning powers.

"Don't kiss him!"  Warned Gwyn, a famous psychic.  But fate has a funny way of making things happen that even magic cannot stop. 

Mariah is crushing on her best friend Jace who has a hot new girlfriend.  The hot new girlfriend's brother is Murray the swim team star and Mariah's rival.  With an unusual offer from Murray she has the chance to ruin the blossoming romance.

But, with no idea she's a mermaid, strange things begin to happen and soon Mariah is shooting off a storm.  Can she gain control of her powers before someone gets hurt or worse?