Arvon runs an annual programme of creative writing courses and retreats for schools, groups and individuals. Our courses, tutored by leading authors, are held at three rural centres and include a powerful mix of workshops and individual tutorials, with time and space to write, free from distractions of everyday life. Arvon courses are in a range of genres and we have different styles of courses. Grants are available to help with course fees.
Aug 26-31
Lumb Bank
Children & YA
Turning acorns into oaks
Sep 9-14
The Hurst
Fiction
The essentials of murder and mayhem
Sep 9-14
Totleigh Barton
Non-Fiction
Developing a critical eye
Sep 16-21
Lumb Bank
Fiction
Brave new words
Sep 18
Online 10.00am
Fiction
In-depth feedback on your fiction work-in-progress
Sep 23-28
The Hurst
Playwriting
The art and craft of page to stage
Sep 24
Online 9.30am
Fiction
In-depth feedback on your fiction work-in-progress
Oct 1
Online 9.30am
Fiction
In-depth feedback on your fiction work-in-progress
Every time I’ve taught at Arvon - going back over fifteen years now - I’ve seen how much difference just a handful of days can make in the life of writers. There’s a perfect mix of tutorials, writing time, socializing, and discussion - all those elements come together to create an atmosphere in which writing projects move in that longed-for but often unattainable direction: forward.
— Kamila Shamsie
Exercises
Fiction
Whenever you write a scene it’s a good idea to rewrite it – perhaps in note form – using a different…
Tips
Poetry
Each line must carry at least one unit of sense either in the line itself or across several lines.
To make…
Tips
Non-Fiction & Life Writing
Objects have immense power to help us to tell stories.
I have found that an entire storyline can be found in…
Exercises
Film & TV
PART ONE: Documentary or Research Exercise for Screenwriters
Using a still camera and or a tape recorder (or video recorder), follow…
Tips
Writing for Children & YA
After the giddy rush of a first draft, how you edit and refine your work is of equal, if not more…
Exercises
All
,Writing for Children & YA
Start with a scenario – this might be a random picture, a very short scene from a novel, a few lines…
Tips
Fiction
Before you begin to write your story ask yourself what is it about, what do you want it to say, what…
Exercises
Fiction
Think about your favourite novel or short story, or if not your favourite, then the novel or short story you are…
18 Jul 2019 / News
Iris/pupil
With my eyes shut it could be easy
to believe I am white-stick blind,
hidden in the…
18 Jul 2019 / News
Lonely
You’re lying close enough
that your eyes are black liquid stars
and I can count the constellations…
18 Jul 2019 / News
Itis and the Labyrinth
(Labyrinthitis: a self-limiting disorder of the inner ear)
Hitchcock angles start the pinwheel.
My room…
18 Jul 2019 / Lumb Bank
I’ve had two writing births in my life: the birth, and the rebirth. My time at Arvon in 2013 was part…
Read moreDo you believe that everyone should have the opportunity to unlock their creative potential?
We believe that everyone deserves the freedom to imagine, write and explore ideas regardless of their age or financial background.
We offer residential weeks for schools, young people and adult groups.
Our weeks for schools and groups follow the same pattern as our adult course programme – led by two professional writers, with tutorials, group workshops, and time and space to write.
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