Arvon 1-1

Online one-to-one tutorials

You’ve told us how much you value our one-to-one tutorials on Arvon courses. So we are now offering you the chance to get one-to-one feedback on your writing from an Arvon tutor online.

 

Arvon 1-1s are a one-to-one live conversation with an Arvon tutor, delivered via Zoom – an opportunity for you to receive personalised feedback from an experienced writer on your writing, and get recommendations and insights on how to move forwards with your work-in-progress.

The tutorial includes two hours of a tutor’s time:

  • One hour for the tutor to read 2,000 words of your fiction or non-fiction work-in-progress; or up to three poems
  • One hour of one-to-one feedback about this writing via Zoom
  • Plus a follow-up email outlining three recommendations from the tutor on how to move forward

Arvon 1-1s are open to all writers. You do not need to have attended one of our residential courses. We are currently offering Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Theatre, Screenwriting 1-1s.

Cost: £150 (includes two hours of tutor time)

Concessionary cost: £120 – please email bookings@arvon.org to apply once you’ve submitted a 1-1 request for your chosen tutor.

General concessions are available to you if:

– You are a full-time student
– You are aged 18-25
– You claim Universal Credit, pension credit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), income support or job seekers allowance
– You are in receipt of working tax credit
– You are low-waged (single household: annual salary of less that £20,000 / family household: combined annual salary less than £30,000)
– You are a teacher in a UK state or private primary school, or an English teacher (or teacher of a related discipline) at a UK state or private secondary school or further education institution.

Please note: we may ask ask for proof of eligibility after booking.

I can't tell you how useful I found my tutorial with Kerry - better even than the first. I seem to have hit on exactly what I need to progress my writing. Exciting times.

— Josephine Henniker

The session with Christopher William Hill has probably saved me months of work heading in the wrong direction - I'm so glad I did it.

— Paula Burgess

My 1-1 session with Chris Wakling was the most constructive mix of praise and criticism I have had since I began my novel five years ago. With a clear understanding of my goals in mind, Chris told me what he felt I needed to do to make my novel what I want it to be.

— Jeff Probst

HOW TO PREPARE

Pick a tutor that you would like to work with from the list below. Click on ‘Request a 1-1’ and you will be asked to suggest dates / times that would suit you. We will send this form to the tutor and let you know a time that suits.

When a date/ time is confirmed we will send you details of how to book. Once you have booked your session, you will need to submit up to 2000 words of prose, or up to three poems, via our submission form (we will send you a link to this when we book).

For fiction or non-fiction submissions, we recommend the first chapter/ first few pages but you are welcome to submit any part of the story. You are also encouraged to include a one page synopsis in addition.

Please upload as a Word document or pdf. As part of this submission you will also need to answer our pre-tutorial questionnaire, to help your tutor get a clear idea of what you hope to achieve during the session.

Your tutor will take an hour before the session to read your submission.

Your online tutorial will be conducted via Zoom. As part of the pre-tutorial questionnaire we send you the link to the Zoom call. You are welcome to use any device to conduct the call – PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Your tutor will call you on Zoom at the designated time. If there are any technical issues, the tutor will call you on the back-up phone number you gave as part of the submission form.

After the tutorial we will send you a follow-up email, which will include three next steps that your tutor recommends for your writing, based on your conversation during the tutorial.

Please note that you will not be able to proceed with the tutorial unless you have completed the submission form.

Below are a few notes to help you get the most out of the session:

  • We suggest you spend some time before the 1-1 thinking about the three most important pieces of guidance you want to come away with.
  • We recommend that you have a print-out of your submitted writing available to hand, for you and your tutor to refer to during the call.
  • You are encouraged to take notes during your tutorial. This will help you remember the main points of the conversation.
  • Be mindful that an hour can go really quickly and be realistic about what you can achieve in that time. The more focused you are the more likely you are to get what you want from the conversation. Your tutor will not be able to exceed the allotted time.
  • The tutor is there to help you ask the important questions of yourself rather than giving you the answers – so we encourage you to ask questions throughout the tutorial.
  • Do feel free to ask the tutor to clarify a point if you do not understand what they are saying and also to repeat anything you don’t hear properly.
  • Please don’t feel nervous. All Arvon tutors are professional writers, and as such fully understand the challenges of creative writing. They are there to help you help yourself.

Read full Terms & Conditions for Arvon at Home here

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