Arvon

An up close and personal course aimed at the experienced short story writer, entirely made up of tutorials with an optional masterclass. We’ll set tasks and exercises focused on each writer’s particular practice and help you mine theme, character and emotional development. We’ll also discuss the role of place in fiction, routes to publication and the resources that can help [read more...]

Writing a novel can be a daunting process. Writing a chapter is a more achievable task. Writing a page is almost manageable. This course is for writers who have started novels but have had trouble finishing – or for those who are at the very beginning. We break down the novel into its parts of story, character, plot and setting, [read more...]

An inspiring week to focus on a work-in-progress and how to bring it to completion, with practical guidance and workshops to help navigate the challenging and exciting process of developing your narrative. We will explore the bare bones of writing fiction – sourcing ideas, plot, character, setting, dialogue and point of view. This structured, focused course will send you away [read more...]

A course for writers who have a partially developed piece to work on. Whether you are working on a first draft, in the middle of development or polishing up your work, our aim is to build confidence and skills and to help you to write to the very best of your ability. During in-depth sessions we will provide honest criticism, [read more...]

Suspense lies at the heart all good storytelling. This three-day fiction course, tutored by writers of thrillers and crime fiction, is for those who might already have an idea – from notes on the back of an envelope to a first draft manuscript – for any kind of genre fiction and are looking for fresh ways to develop their story. [read more...]

How do you take the seed of an idea and make it a story or poem that will capture the imagination? If you are new to fiction and poetry and wish to take your first steps into writing, come and be nurtured by two experienced tutors. This inspiring and lively course will give you the ideas and building blocks you [read more...]

This course is for spoken word artists and poets interested in mining their memories and family histories in order to make sense of the present. Participants will be encouraged to explore those intangible parts of our lives that live on in us through the use of objects, photographs and other triggers, to then celebrate and explore the tangential, messy routes [read more...]

This course is designed to help those interested in writing the uncanny to unlock their fictional ghosts. Ghosts make their way into all genres of fiction, and good writing is always haunted in some way. We will explore the many forms ghosts take in literature, how to create one, write fear, build suspense and haunt your reader. We will encourage [read more...]

You’ve finished your first draft: now what? Time for the challenging task of editing, polishing and honing your own work. How can you look at it with fresh eyes when you’ve sweated blood over it? Over the course of a week, we’ll offer practical advice on a range of frequently encountered problems and help you to stop feeling snow-blind, redraft [read more...]

A course for experienced poets who wish to advance their writing through the careful reading of other poets’ work. Over the week you will be exposed to a wide range of international and British work and we’ll look together at how you can use this work to develop your own poetics, themes and concerns. There will also be opportunities to [read more...]