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.
May 20-25
The Hurst
Playwriting
Crafting text to support live performance
May 20-25
Lumb Bank
Poetry
The house of poetry
May 20-25
Totleigh Barton
Starting to Write
Capturing ideas
May 20
Online 10.00am
Fiction
In-depth feedback on your fiction work-in-progress
May 27-Jun 1
The Hurst
Poetry
Words as pictures and film
May 27-Jun 1
Lumb Bank
Non-Fiction
From imagination to industry
May 27-Jun 1
Totleigh Barton
Fiction
Now to make it sing
Jun 3-8
The Hurst
Fiction
The art of crafting a world
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…
16 May 2019 / #Arvon50
In March 2014 I spent five days at the beautiful Arvon Lumb Bank site and it was (unusually) basked in sunshine…
Read more07 May 2019 / #Arvon50
When I first arrived at Lumb Bank, the taxi driver who delivered me from Hebden Bridge told me how lucky I…
Read more30 Apr 2019 / #Arvon50
Lumb Bank Thursday
by Nicky Bull
They’re in tonight
The Lumb Bank lot
Lured out like a charmer’s…
23 Apr 2019 / #Arvon50
Arriving home, somewhat wacked, leaving Lumb Bank was not so much a flurry of goodbyes but a time to ponder many…
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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