#WriteCBC tip and task from Rowan Coleman
BY Maya Fernandes
4th Sep 2025
Welcome to our September 2025 #WriteCBC prompt challenge. I hope you’re ready to be inspired by our latest tip and task! If you haven’t taken part in a #WriteCBC competition before, we’re excited to welcome you to our writing community. Please note that #WriteCBC is now hosted on Bluesky. Get up to speed by reading our blog full of information about how to play and the prizes on offer. It’s a lot of fun, and you might just win a free place on one of our online writing courses (worth up to £230).
This month’s special guest is Rowan Coleman, internationally bestselling and award-winning author of 16 novels including The Memory Book, The Summer of Impossible Things and Never Tear Us Apart.
Rowan is also the tutor of our upcoming nine-week Zoom course, Writing Romantic & Commercial Fiction course.
Rowan’s Writing Tip:
- Always remember that character is plot and vice versa. To create a character that your reader will invest in, think of them as the human manifestation of your plot, theme and setting. Subtle mirroring of plot and character can create a cohesive whole.
When you're developing your character, ask yourself: What story are they here to tell and why are they the one who is telling it? Your character shouldn’t feel separate from the world of your story. Instead, they should reflect or reveal details about it. For example, if your plot revolves around isolation, your character might express this through their habits, relationships, or even the imagery they use in narration.
This brings us on perfectly to Rowan’s prompt . . .
Rowan’s Writing Task:
- One way to imbue authenticity into a character is to discover their secrets. What memento do they keep in their beside drawer? Write a scene involving this memento. What subtle secret does this reveal? What does this tell you about the character?
Focus on the emotional significance of the memento. Why has your character kept it? Is it out of guilt or nostalgia? The object itself can be ordinary (a photo, a train ticket, a piece of jewellery), but the meaning behind it should feel layered. Use the scene to show the character interacting with the object. This is a great opportunity to show how small, specific details can hold emotional weight.
Here are a few more tips to inspire you:
- Map out the object’s backstory. Before writing the scene, note down why this memento matters to your character. When did they get it? Who gave it to them? What memories or feelings does it trigger? Having this clear in your mind will help you write with confidence and detail.
- Keep the scene focused. Since this is a short prompt, choose a single moment or action around the memento to zoom in on. Avoid telling the whole backstory. Instead, reveal just enough detail to hint at a larger story beneath the surface.
- Show don’t tell. Instead of explaining the secret or the meaning behind the object outright, reveal it through your character’s interaction with it. Do they hesitate to touch it, or reach for it instinctively? Let their behaviour around the memento hint at deeper truths that they can’t or won’t say aloud.
We can’t wait to read your Bluesky post-length scenes. Reply to us over on @cbcreative.bsky.social with your responses to Rowan’s task and you might win a free six-week online writing course place. Competition closes Fri 5 Sept, 10am (the winner will be announced on Bluesky and this blog at 11am).
Congratulations to this month’s winner, @mikey27.bsky.social!
- It looks like a natural, blood-veined, spherical stone, shined and sea smoothed, found on a beach. It was crafted from a cut umbilical cord, resin preserved. She sits on the bed, hugs it, as she rocks back and forth, softly singing “Bring back, oh bring back, bring back my Bonnie to me.”
What a fantastic entry! We really loved how you used the memento to tell such an emotional story. The image of the woman holding the object and softly singing captures a deep sense of sorrow, giving the reader just enough detail to feel the weight of what has been lost. You really nailed Rowan’s #WriteCBC task! Well done Mikey, you’ve earned a free place on an online writing course (worth up to £230).
And well done to this month’s runners-up – each getting a £50 course discount – @petraglover.bsky.social and @sorrelmay.bsky.social. Congratulations, all!
To redeem your prizes, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk
The books linked in this blog can be found on our Bookshop.org shop front. Curtis Brown Creative receive 10% whenever someone buys from our bookshop.org page.