Anna Davis, novelist, agent, and founder of Curtis Brown Creative, shares how to turn a messy first draft into a strong, market-ready novel through diagnostic editing, practical rewriting tools, and a clear understanding of what agents actually look for.
You'll learn:
- Why every writer’s process is different (and why messy drafts are fine).
- How to diagnose problems mid-novel and bring a manuscript back to life.
- The Rewrite Doctor method: creating distance, interrogating your story, and planning the edit.
- How to stress-test structure, plot, and pacing without relying on rigid templates.
- Using prompts and “play” to loosen up when you’re stuck.
- How to choose between competing novel ideas and know which has real legs.
- What agents are truly looking for and how to make your submission stand out.
- Common myths about publishing (and what actually happens behind the scenes).
Resources and Links:
About Anna Davis
Anna Davis is the founder and Director of Curtis Brown Creative, a leading UK writing school she launched in 2011. She’s the author of five novels published in twenty languages, a former journalist and Guardian columnist, and previously worked as a literary agent at Curtis Brown and a creative-writing lecturer at the University of Manchester.
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