Residential Arvon Plus: Fiction

Are you working on a novel or a collection of short stories? Perhaps you have a rough first draft but you’re struggling to keep the momentum going – or you have a plot that won’t behave or characters that are out of control. Whatever your reason for joining, this course with commissioning editor Kaiya Shang and acclaimed novelist and short story writer Ben Pester will help you reset and find some focus for your work. On Monday evening, your guest speaker will be Karolina Sutton, literary agent at CAA (whose clients include Margaret Atwood, Yael van der Wouden and Florence Knapp).

You will take part in workshops to help rediscover (and rethink) the honest basics of structure, character and narrative – and then move back into what makes your current project unique, and how you can commit to your ideas and feel good about your writing.  You’ll be given the tools to read and edit your own work closely, to keep things lean and free of cliché. How and when to polish and refine, and crucially, when to stop.

This Arvon Plus week is fully catered and includes two full extra days of writing once the tutored part of the week has ended – to give you the opportunity to put into action on the page your learning from the week. Join us if you want to make tangible progress with your fiction project, with support, expertise, as well as writing time away from life’s distractions and responsibilities.

Arvon Plus courses run from Saturday to Saturday. The tutored part of the course runs from Saturday to Wednesday evening. Then it’s your writing time on Thursday and Friday, with participants departing on Saturday morning.

*Please use the expandable links below to reveal timings and further details of the course schedule.

Room with indoor shared bathroom: £1500

Room with shared bathroom accessed via outdoor covered pathway: £1250

Concessions: Room with indoor shared bathroom: £1050

Concessions: Room with shared bathroom accessed via outdoor covered pathway: £875

As part of our effort to increase participation in the arts, we offer limited concessionary places at a 30% reduction. You can select this option at checkout if available.

Physical Access at Totleigh Barton:

We do not currently recommend this house if you are a wheelchair user. Totleigh Barton is a sixteenth-Century manor house and has many steps and tight corners. In the future we hope to redevelop the property to provide level access. For additional detailed information on physical access in bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining, shared spaces and the grounds please visit our dedicated access page.

Please see our access page for general access information for residential courses.

Our grants scheme may be able to cover a portion of your course fees. Disability costs and additional living/support costs are taken into account when considering your grant application. You may also be entitled to concession pricing on selected courses.

If you have any questions or concerns and want to chat to a member of staff prior to booking please contact us on access@arvon.org

Totleigh Barton, the first ever Arvon centre, is a 16th-century manor house in one of the most peaceful and idyllic parts of Devon.

Totleigh Barton is a thatched manor house with single occupancy rooms and shared bathrooms. The house offers many comfortable lounge and spaces to relax and write throughout the house and a renovated barn offers a comfortable space for evening readings. Mobile and Wi-Fi signal is limited. We invite you to think of a retreat to this beautiful old house as a full ‘digital detox’ – a chance to make real progress with your writing with no distractions.

All your meals are provided, locally and sustainably sourced wherever possible. Help yourself to breakfast, our team will prepare lunch, and dinner is prepared in groups each evening using the delicious recipes and ingredients provided.

Totleigh Barton lies two miles from the village of Sheepwash, with walks along the River Torridge nearby. There is a beautiful and productive garden and quiet spaces on-site for writing.

See here for more information on Totleigh Barton.