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CB Creative

About Forums Den of Writers Podium CB Creative

Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)
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  • #2750
    Alan Rain
    Participant

    For background:
    Curtis Brown Creative hold a monthly tweet competition set by one of their agents or tutors. They started doing this around springtime of this year, and the winner gets a free place on one of their 6-week online courses (£200 if you book). Runners-up get a discount. (The 3 courses are: how to write a novel, how to finish it, and how to pitch.)
    I’ve entered all these comps, basically for fun and a bit of mental stretching, but flash isn’t really my thing, and I’ve always drawn a blank.
    Anyway, this month they picked mine! And the thing is, I don’t think this month’s tweet is any better than those I’ve submitted in the past. So, I am pretty surprised, as well as pleased. And there’s probably a moral to be had.
    Now, which course …

    #2752
    Daedalus
    Participant

    That’s great Alan, well done. The courses sound superb

    #2759
    KazG
    Participant

    That’s a fantastic achievement @alanr! Congratulations! What an exciting choice to be faced with …:-)

    #2763
    Anna
    Participant

    Well done Alan! Congratulations!
    All three courses sound excellent.

    #2764
    Hilary
    Participant

    Oh, well done, @alanr! That’s fantastic. So which course are you going for?

    #2765
    Alan Rain
    Participant

    Thanks @philippaeast @Daedalus @kazg @anna @hilary

    I’m inclined to go for the finish and edit as by the time the course starts in January, I (should?) have made a start on another novel. I think not the pitching course, as I feel atm I’ve had my fill of cover letters and synopses.
    Has anyone done these courses?

    #2779
    Raine
    Participant

    Wow, well done, Alan. That’s a major bit of validation, and those courses look great. I’ve eyed them a few times, but never bitten, so will be really interested to hear how you get on.

    #2780
    JaneShuff
    Participant

    Congratulations Alan. Excellent news. As Raine says, do let us know how the course goes!

    #2794
    Elle
    Participant

    Hi Alan,

    I have done the ‘Write to The End of Your Novel’ It’s good to remind you of the basis for dialogue, suspense, etc. You get video and notes on each subject and then a 500-word writing task that you post on the CB forum. During the 6-week you will get feedback once from the course tutor so all the rest of the feedback will come from fellow students so quality of the feedback basically depends on who is on the course with you and how good they are at giving feedback.

    I’m still in contact with some of the people who were on the course with me.

    I hope this helps.

    #2797
    Raine
    Participant

    That’s interesting @elle. Is it that level of tutor contact in all the online courses?Sounds like it runs the risk of being a bit hit and miss. I did think the London based courses looked a lot more in depth and directly tutored. And they have a great reputation .. But they are A LOT of money, and yanno, in London. Sigh.

    #2798
    Elle
    Participant

    Hi @raine — the set up and feedback I mentioned are only for their 6-week online courses. They have 3:

    – Start writing your novel
    – Write to the end of your novel
    – Pitch and edit your novel

    The more expensive and extensive 3-month and 6-month online courses are the same as the London-based one. There is more tutor feedback however I can say how much more as I never attended one.

    I hope this helps.

    #2804
    Alan Rain
    Participant

    Thanks @raine @janeshuff and @elle.

    Good to hear, Elle, that you got something positive from that particular course. I’ve never done a writing course of any description, so I’m keeping an open mind.

    Had an out-of-the-blue message from one of CB’s agents today asking for my novel. Now, that is welcome, although it would be truly remarkable if a 280-character tweet … well, let’s not get too far ahead – a tweet and a novel are not quite the same thing.

    #2806
    Elle
    Participant

    That’s great news Alan! Good luck with that request.

    #2862
    Philippa East
    Participant

    Oh wow, @alanr, that is such exciting news about the request!!!! Amazing. Have you sent it off yet? Whatever happens, I am sure you’ll get some invaluable feedback. Congrats again!!

    #2883
    Alan Rain
    Participant

    Thanks @elle and @philippaeast
    I sent it off within two hours. I just had to tailor the letter a little. Interestingly, I’d already sent it to CB, but that didn’t seem to make any difference (I did ask).
    I think this has sparked me into starting my 2nd novel. This one will be easy to categorise. I’m going for supernatural horror, with a rather unusual pair of protagonists. Well, it wouldn’t be me to do things by the book. First draft going okay – just passed 3k words, and with a plan.

    Fairly sure I’m going to ask for the ‘write to the end’ course.

    #2896
    Philippa East
    Participant

    That’s great, and very exciting. Looking forward to hearing more about book 2.

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