If you want to write character-driven contemporary fiction with real heart, join bestselling authors Freya North and Matt Cain for this supportive and inspiring week in Shropshire. Learn how to conjure compelling plots, a vivid sense of place, and stories with emotional impact. Freya and Matt will reveal the craft behind their many successful novels and help you structure and edit your own work.
During the week’s workshops, writing exercises and one-to-one tutorials, they will teach you how to access your unique writer’s voice – and explain what action to take when words don’t flow. Freya, who presents the popular ‘Wednesday Writers’ discussion series on Instagram Live, will help you access your natural creativity, explaining that there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to write. And Matt will draw on his background as an award-winning journalist to teach you how to pitch your work effectively, as well as making suggestions for how to prepare for – and learn from – any criticism or rejection writers may experience along the way. You’ll also enjoy an evening with bestselling author Clare Pooley, as she reads from her work and shares insights in a Q&A on Wednesday.
Freya and Matt will also advise on routes to publication and how to navigate the industry, making this course particularly suitable for those with a novel-in-progress who are hoping to build a long-term career as an author and who value a strong emotional connection with their readers.
What to Expect:
• Supportive workshops to deepen your craft: All the essential elements of writing fiction, from plot and structure and to character, voice and point of view
• Expert guidance from your tutors: Acclaimed and prizewinning writers share their insights into building a writing practice
• Personal Feedback: Focused 1:1 sessions with your tutors for constructive feedback on your work
• Inspiration from a range of texts: Learn more about technique from the very best of classic and contemporary fiction
• Writing Exercises: Try out new techniques, refine your style and let your imagination take flight
• Community: Share meals and workshops with a supportive group of fellow writers
• At the end of the week: You’ll leave with a new reading list, a full notebook, a sense of direction in your work and a greater understanding of how to create compelling fiction that feels fresh
*Please use the expandable links below to reveal timings and further details of the course schedule.
Single room: £995
Concessions: £696.50
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.
What your course fee covers:
Tutoring: Four morning group workshops, with inspiring writing exercises to kick-start your creativity, plus two 1:1 tutorials, one with each tutor, focusing on your own work. Our tutors are some of the leading writers at work today, and in addition to formal workshops and tutorials you will share meals with them and have opportunities for more casual conversation. During evening readings, you’ll hear your tutors – and a guest speaker on Wednesday evening – share their work and answer your questions, from the secrets of their craft to the practicalities of life as a writer.
Your accommodation: A week in a grade II listed stately home set in 27 acres within an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
All meals: We hand over our well-stocked and welcoming kitchen to you, offering a fresh, tasty seasonal menu prepared from local ingredients where possible (with dietary requests catered for), as well as a constant supply of coffees, teas, and home-baked cakes throughout your stay.
Time and space to write: an opportunity to step away from the distractions of everyday life and focus solely on your creativity.
A community of writers: our writing weeks have a relaxed and sociable atmosphere and offer the perfect opportunity to meet like-minded people. Many of the writers who attend our residentials stay in touch and continue to share work and support one another’s writing journeys – sometimes even decades later.
Support for our charitable activity: Arvon is a charity, and each year over 40 of our courses are with vulnerable groups and schools, from young people who have experienced bullying to adults recovering from an addiction. Your course fee helps to support groups who would otherwise not have the opportunity to access our transformational courses.
Physical Access at The Hurst:
The Hurst is the only house that is fully accessible to wheelchair users. There is access to every room via a lift. All communal spaces, including workshop spaces, have level access. There are no steps on the ground floor. All door frames measure the required 825mm, although the fire doors installed reduce this width slightly. All door handles are at an accessible height, with power sockets located at 500mm from the floor. There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor.
For additional detailed information on physical access in bedrooms, kitchen, 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
The Hurst is a place you can write, far away from daily distractions. The house and gardens, surrounded by the forest-covered Shropshire Hills, were the former home of playwright John Osborne.
The 19th century building has been given a thoroughly 21st century renovation. All 16 bedrooms have a single bed, en-suite bathroom and are lift accessible. There’s plenty of space to relax and write throughout the house, including the main workshop room with a library.
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.
The grounds boast redwoods, wild orchids, surrounded by the forest-covered Shropshire Hills, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The house sits within 26 acres of woodland, with a spring-fed lake and inspiring walks.
See here for more information on The Hurst.
Freya North
Matt Cain
Clare Pooley
