WRITERS' HUB

Your destination for writing tips and exercises from Arvon tutors, and writing opportunities from the literary community. You can join as an Arvon Friend to motivate you to keep writing with exclusive access to content.

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TIPS & EXERCISES

Exercises

Establishing a Ritual

To me a writing ritual is about making a regular commitment to recording your thoughts and ideas. That might be as…

Freddie Machin

Tips

Ritual

If you want to write a story all you really have to do is sit down and write it. It’s frustratingly…

Freddie Machin

Exercises

Get it Wrong to Get it Right

“The first draft of anything is shit,” announced Ernest Hemingway once, while crime colossus Val McDermid was…

Sylvia Patterson

Tips

The Early Bird

7 AM. All is quiet. The noisy tech is switched off. The cup of tea is piping. Your computer is on….

Sylvia Patterson

More tips and exercises

The Stories We Tell

In our new blog series, The Stories We Tell, leading writers share with you some of the inspirations, challenges and discoveries that led to the writing of their own stories, novels and poems.

Ledbury Poetry Competition 2022 Winners Announced

25 Jan 2023 / News

Arvon is delighted to announce that the Ledbury Poetry Competition 2022 has just announced its winners. This year’s competition…

My Arvon Journey: Rod Vincent

18 Nov 2022 / Lumb Bank

It’s a misty autumn morning in Shropshire and I’ve just come back from a walk under a hailstorm of acorns. We…

Arvon is looking for new trustees

06 Sep 2022 / General

Arvon was founded 54 years ago on a belief in the power of the imagination and the benefits of creative writing….

Lumb Bank Heritage Open Day – Saturday 10 September

30 Aug 2022 / Lumb Bank

Come and explore Arvon’s Writing House, Lumb Bank, during Heritage Open Day. Formerly the home of poet Ted Hughes, Lumb Bank…

Obsidian Foundation Poetry Retreat for Black Poets

A wonderful opportunity here for Black poets from African, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, and African-American heritage. This retreat in April will offer an opportunity to network with agents, publishers, and provide vast industry opportunities. The closing date for applications is 31 January.

Aitken Alexander: Call for Submissions 2023

The good people at Aitken Alexander Associates want to begin the year with some exciting discoveries and would like to hear from new and emerging writers with no restrictions as to type of book or author. Please read their submission guidelines by clicking on this post to learn more.

Watch every event from Commonword’s Black Writers Conference 2021 for FREE

All 7 panel events from Cultureword’s Black Writers Conference are available to watch. Featuring eminent and emerging Global Majority writers discussing the challenges they have faced and overcome in their writing journeys. Hear how Jennifer Makumbi, author of The First Woman, resisted demands to cater for a Western readership; personal stories and reflections from queer poets afshan d’souza-lodhi and Seni Seneviratne; expat experiences from writer Divya Ghelani who lives in Berlin & so much more. To watch, click on this post.

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