Help Please! Curtis Brown creative writing courses

[Andrew Okey]

Hi everyone,

Has anyone undertaken any of the creative writing courses offered by Curtis Brown? They're mostly online (there is one offered in London, but that's not in any case practical for myself). From what I've heard they are, at the very least, useful networking events and they offer you the chance to form decent relationships with literary agents. I was wondering whether other Litopians had gone down this route and what benefits they'd gained?

 

[RK Wallis]

Not from Australia, but any opportunity to network and possibly meet agents sounds worthwhile

 

[Steve C]

Are they free? If yes then why not give it a go. If not I wouldn't bother.

 

[Andrew Okey]

Are they free? If yes then why not give it a go. If not I wouldn't bother.

Kind of the opposite They are uncomfortably expensive - particularly if (say) you're a self-employed photographer and the single largest stockist of your work has just gone under, taking your main income stream with it!! :-(

 

[Jackson Banks]

I would suggest forgetting the monetary value for now and concentrate on the value in the course which is being offered. Some things you might ask yourself are,
What are they offering and what can you gain from it?
Is what they are offering to teach going to help you improve as an author? (assuming its top notch)
Are you hoping to find a magic bullet? That is, if I take this course then I am good to go! This sure does beat 'the five day to riches author course' I took last year!
In other words if you struggle with plotting and they offer a comprehensive course on plotting, then the value of the course is huge for You.
Concerning the money, view it as an investment not as a spend. There is a huge difference. So, if the above checks out and you feel it will be worth your while, the question the becomes, Is X amount of pounds worth investing in my career as an author? Only you can answer that.

I know they offer smaller courses and then bigger ones. Maybe consider taking one of the smaller ones first? I did take their pitch and edit your novel course and for ME, it was well worth the money ten times over. I was able to to see my novel in a new light and understand what it takes to truly edit a book. Was it a magic bullet that in turn made me desirable to agents? Not yet. But I have had feedback from an agent (Not from CB) saying that my work/sub package was far better than most they had received.

I won't tell you to take their course because I do not know what you need. Best of luck in whatever you decide.

 

[Carol Rose]

There are several Litopians I know of who have taken one of these courses, and there might be more I don’t know about. The fact that this thread is searchable on the Internet might be one reason why they haven’t responded. Or, they may simply have not seen this yet.

I won’t tag them here because they may have their own reasons for not wanting to contribute, but I will say in speaking with a few of them privately about the course, it was definitely not all it’s touted to be. The feedback was more along the lines of participants stroking each other’s ego, and not necessarily being completely honest, or knowing how to effectively critique. And there was none, or limited, direct feedback from CB.

Of course, this is secondhand because I never took the course, so take it with a grain of salt. It’s my hope someone in the Colony who has actually taken the course will chime in with firsthand experience.

 

[Steve C]

Personally I would not take a course as I prefer to educate myself. I don't think anyone can teach you to write but that doesn't mean you can't learn.
I was given a couple of books to read by members here and they opened my eyes so I can recommend them. They are:-

Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain

How to Write a Dynamite Scene Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

The two dovetail and if you read them three times each stuff sinks in.
There is also a huge cache of helpful things here in the craft chat section and if you have a WIP then ask for opinions in the writing group section.
It's all doable but takes time that's all.

 

[Andrew Okey]

I would suggest forgetting the monetary value for now and concentrate on the value in the course which is being offered. Some things you might ask yourself are,
What are they offering and what can you gain from it?
Is what they are offering to teach going to help you improve as an author? (assuming its top notch)
Are you hoping to find a magic bullet? That is, if I take this course then I am good to go! This sure does beat 'the five day to riches author course' I took last year!
In other words if you struggle with plotting and they offer a comprehensive course on plotting, then the value of the course is huge for You.
Concerning the money, view it as an investment not as a spend. There is a huge difference. So, if the above checks out and you feel it will be worth your while, the question the becomes, Is X amount of pounds worth investing in my career as an author? Only you can answer that.

I know they offer smaller courses and then bigger ones. Maybe consider taking one of the smaller ones first? I did take their pitch and edit your novel course and for ME, it was well worth the money ten times over. I was able to to see my novel in a new light and understand what it takes to truly edit a book. Was it a magic bullet that in turn made me desirable to agents? Not yet. But I have had feedback from an agent (Not from CB) saying that my work/sub package was far better than most they had received.

I won't tell you to take their course because I do not know what you need. Best of luck in whatever you decide.

Thanks Jackson, that's very helpful.

 

[Andrew Okey]

There are several Litopians I know of who have taken one of these courses, and there might be more I don’t know about. The fact that this thread is searchable on the Internet might be one reason why they haven’t responded. Or, they may simply have not seen this yet.

I won’t tag them here because they may have their own reasons for not wanting to contribute, but I will say in speaking with a few of them privately about the course, it was definitely not all it’s touted to be. The feedback was more along the lines of participants stroking each other’s ego, and not necessarily being completely honest, or knowing how to effectively critique. And there was none, or limited, direct feedback from CB.

Of course, this is secondhand because I never took the course, so take it with a grain of salt. It’s my hope someone in the Colony who has actually taken the course will chime in with firsthand experience.

Thanks Carol, duly noted(!)

 

[RK Wallis]

I personally believe your best efforts are spent participating in the Writing Groups...