Got an idea for a novel, but not much written and unsure how to continue? Does writing it seem impossibly challenging? Join two experienced tutors, acclaimed novelists Vanessa Gebbie and Rebecca Wait, who will help you demystify the process and give you the tools you need to push on successfully with your project. In this practical and useful course you will participate in group workshops and discussions, and you will get the opportunity to discuss your project in private tutorials, one to one with the tutors. You will explore your characters more deeply, and maybe meet unexpected new ones. You will strengthen your prose and descriptive skills and see how your fictive world springs to life. You will consider structural possibilities and apply them to your ideas. You will experiment with points of view and discover the way the narrative shifts with each choice you make. Plot? Pace? Escalation? Where to begin? How to end? What about the saggy middle? All of these topics will be considered, and some more besides. Spend five days focusing on the novel you have been thinking about but have been unsure how to tackle. Bring it out of the shadows and strengthen your creative writing skills, so you can continue your project with confidence.
Is this course for me?
These courses are often attended by writers who:
• Want to commit time to their writing but life keeps getting in the way
• Want to set aside five days to focus on their writing
• Need the flexibility and accessibility of attending from their own space
• Would love one-to-one feedback from two professional writers
• Want a live, fully interactive experience with a group of no more than 14 writers
What will I gain?
• Daily interactive mornings workshops to propel your writing forward
• Two 25 minute one-to-one tutorials with experienced tutors
• Free passes to any webinar events happening elsewhere at Arvon at Home during your week with us including masterclasses (each worth £40)
• A reading and Q&A with your tutors
• Daily check-ins
• A group of creative peers who you may decide to keep in contact with after the course
• Support at all times from friendly Arvon hosts
• An inclusive and supportive environment in which to open up creatively
How does it work?
The week starts with an introductory session to get to know you and your writing, and the chance to meet the other writers in the group. Then each day there will be morning workshops designed to move you and your writing forward, and check-ins at the end of each day. You will also be offered one-to-one tutorials with each tutor + a free pass to all readings and masterclasses happening elsewhere at Arvon at Home.
All sessions are delivered live via Zoom meetings, with the option of cameras off or on. Groups are limited to 14 writers so the experience has a bespoke feel.
A more detailed timetable can be found below.
Why Arvon?
Arvon is a not-for-profit charity that has been running since 1968.
At Arvon, everyone who crosses the door of one of our writing houses is a writer – no matter what their age or writing experience – and all are welcome.
About Arvon – Home of Creative Writing since 1968 – Arvon
We are committed to making our Arvon at Home programme accessible to as many people as possible.
Across all of Arvon at Home
- All sessions will have auto-generated captioning.
- There is a Chat facility to ask any questions.
Online Writing Weeks
- Courses are delivered by Zoom meeting, which means they are not recorded.
- Courses have much smaller groups than Masterclasses and How I Write events, and are also more interactive with your fellow course participants and tutors, so cameras and audio are usually on (though both are completely optional). If you would prefer your camera and audio to be off at all times, it would be helpful to let your course host know this in advance.
- We use Padlet as a landing page for all course materials, and to provide an optional platform for interaction with your tutors and fellow course participants. If you would like some more information about this, or if you have any anxiety about using this platform, please email arvonathome@arvon.org.
Subject to funding/permissions (please contact arvonathome@arvon.org for more details)
- Recording of Writing Weeks and Evening Courses.
- Downloadable transcripts.
- BSL interpretation.
- Live captioning.
If you have any access issues that we have not covered here, please contact us on access@arvon.org
See here for more access information.
Vanessa Gebbie
Rebecca Wait
