Discoveries 2027 is open for entries until 11 January 2027, offering unpublished, unagented women in the UK and Ireland the motivation and support they need to write their first novels.
This year’s judging panel is chaired by writer and Founder Director of the Women’s Prizes for Fiction and Non-Fiction, Kate Mosse, who is joined by award-winning authors Oyinkan Braithwaite and Ela Lee, Curtis Brown literary agent Ciara Finan, and Founder and Managing Director of Curtis Brown Creative, Anna Davis. Hear their top pieces of writing advice below.
I’m convinced that regularity – that’s to say, writing something, anything, every day – is the key to getting a novel started (and finished!). It doesn’t have to be much – a description of a woman reading on the bus, a man looking at his watch, a child being pushed on a swing, just get used to putting words down on the page. The more normal writing feels, the more easily the story, ideas and characters will flow.”
Kate Mosse, writer, Chair of Discoveries Judges and Founder Director of the Women's Prizes for Fiction and Non-Fiction
Follow your instinct, trust your gut and write. Don’t waste time worrying about what makes sense and what is feasible. Writing can be one hell of an adventure, if you allow it”
Bestselling novelist, screenwriter and 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisted author, Oyinkan Braithwaite
We often talk about the importance of writing a strong opening, but this can be intimidating when you first sit down to write. Allow yourself to start writing into your novel in whatever way is helpful to you – you can revisit it much later in the process, when you’re clearer about where your story really needs to begin.”
Managing Director of Curtis Brown Creative, Anna Davis
Remember that perfectionism kills creativity. If you are just starting out, you need to allow the writing to be bad. It will be bad, but that is where every writer starts! Set a timer for 20 minutes and, without any distractions, commit to just writing for that short span of time. A blank page can be the most daunting thing, but you just need to start and not expect what you write to be a fully formed piece of work.”
Curtis Brown literary agent, Ciara Finan
Begin with the truest thing. There’s so much outside noise, comparison and anxiety that often that feels impossible to ignore. How I cut through all the distractions when I need to write is to begin with the truest, most affecting, sober (or not) feelings I have. What nebulous thoughts I keep coming back to, or what I lie awake thinking about at night. I start by trying to distill whatever that is into words, and from there the story flows.”
Award-winning author, Ela Lee
