DiscoverLondon Writers' Salon#167: Anna Davis, founder of Curtis Brown Creative — Learning How to Write: Messy Drafts, the Rewrite Doctor, and What Agents Want
#167: Anna Davis, founder of Curtis Brown Creative — Learning How to Write: Messy Drafts, the Rewrite Doctor, and What Agents Want

#167: Anna Davis, founder of Curtis Brown Creative — Learning How to Write: Messy Drafts, the Rewrite Doctor, and What Agents Want

Update: 2025-11-08
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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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#167: Anna Davis, founder of Curtis Brown Creative — Learning How to Write: Messy Drafts, the Rewrite Doctor, and What Agents Want

#167: Anna Davis, founder of Curtis Brown Creative — Learning How to Write: Messy Drafts, the Rewrite Doctor, and What Agents Want

Anna Davis, Parul Bavishi