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. We also run an online programme of courses and events - Arvon at Home.
Free, brand new Arvon 5-day Poetry Challenge with Malika Booker
Each day from Thursday 29 October to Monday 2 November you’ll receive a writing exercise from acclaimed poet and veteran tutor, Malika Booker. By the end of the challenge you’ll have a draft of a brand-new poem!
How will Covid-19 affect Arvon courses?
Following government advice, and with the safety and wellbeing of our staff and course participants in mind, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all residential writing courses until the end of 2020. Lumb Bank and Totleigh Barton are open in November and December for Covid-secure writers' retreats, limited to six participants.
Do 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.
Oct 22
Online
Playwriting
,Other
Zoom masterclass with Chris Thorpe
Oct 27
Online
Poetry
Zoom masterclass with Caroline Bird
Oct 28
Online
Fiction
Reading and Q&A from Winnie M Li via Zoom
Oct 29
Online
Fiction
,Children & YA
Reading and Q&A from Jasbinder Bilan via Zoom
Oct 30
Online
Fiction
,Other
Reading and Q&A from Neil Gaiman via Zoom
Nov 2-6
Online
Children & YA
Getting on with it
Nov 2-6
Online
Fiction
Gods and Monsters
Nov 4
Online
Fiction
,Poetry
,Playwriting
Reading and Q&A from Owen Sheers via Zoom
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…
26 Aug 2020 / The Stories We Tell
On Living alongside Dead Writers
‘Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless…
12 Aug 2020 / My Arvon Journey
A personal journey to publication of my first book
‘The West Façade’
A collection of short stories.
M…
15 Jul 2020 / The Stories We Tell
Disappearances and Encounters
As the daughter and granddaughter of antique dealers, I grew up handling wonderful old things. They…
11 Jun 2020 / The Stories We Tell
Unlocking Rooms
My appreciation of the power of stories happened in 1974. I was a pupil at a boys’…
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.
