LeisureCourses.net – short courses & residential study breaks in great locations

EDITING A NOVEL

An early draft of a novel is a very different beast froma finished manuscript. How do you get from one to the other, and how do you create distance between yourself and your manuscript? How can you hone your sentences while also digging deeper to discover three-dimensional characters and a natural narrative drive? Here is your chance to work with...

STARTING TO WRITE: NON FICTION

Do you have a non-fiction subject you are burning towrite about? Are you unsure how to turn it into a book, or what kind of book to write? This week will help you understand how to turn facts into compelling stories and how to make non-fiction as engaging as a novel. We will inspire you to explore the best...

POETRY

Poets write out of their personal chaos – thepreoccupations that arise from their lives and relationships. But can private experience be poetically shaped to connect with a wider audience? Can we draw on the personal to create work that is publicly engaged? Drawing on concepts such as vision and inspiration, and poetic forms and approaches including ballads and confessionalism, we will...

FICTION

‘The course of true love never did run smooth’, andneither does the writing of a romantic novel. Like any strong relationship, a romantic novel needs firm foundations: a strong plot, secure framework and credible characters. Guiding you through all the above elements and more, we will explore the broad genre of romance and the market for it. Whether you’re newly embarked...

NARRATIVE NON-FICTION

This week we will explore a wide variety of narrativebasedtechniques for telling vivid non-fiction stories, with particular focus on reportage and memoir. Through an exploration of structure, research, storytelling, character, dialogue and scene-building, we will encourage authentic and vibrant writing with strong narrative and a deep respect for language. This week will suit all levels of experience. Participants are invited to...

POETRY: TOWARDS A COLLECTION

Making the leap to producing a collection is differentfrom writing single poems. Yet it’s a hugely creative and enjoyable process, which includes plenty of new writing as well as reading and editing. We’ve designed this week to support you at this exciting stage, whether you’re doing it for the first time or the fifteenth. Working on a collection also allows...

CHILDREN’S TV

Explore writing TV for six- to twelve-year-olds. Children’sTV has come a long way in the last 25 years. The audience may be young, but they’re fiercely critical – and spoilt for choice. So although there’s a strong market for children’s material, it’s highly competitive. We’ll look at how to hook your audience in and keep them watching. We’ll also cover...

FICTION

Following the success of Arvon’s first-ever queer writingcourse, we return with another week on a queer slant. We will tackle the basics – character, dialogue, plotting – and also explore the challenges and opportunities that alternative sexualities bring to narrative, from pronoun concerns (he, she, they?) to avoiding the excesses of political correctness and writing inclusive and honest fiction. All genders,...

New programme of creative writing retreats

Eden Summer & Arvon – Liz Flanagan

One evening in March, I found myself sitting in the guest reader’s chair at Lumb Bank, facing a...

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Memories and Vulnerability at Lumb Bank

In the couple of weeks before my ‘Memoir: Shaping narratives’ week at Lumb Bank, I suddenly felt too...

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Jack’s Kitchen – Banana Cake

This is a really easy and delicious way to use up old bananas, I’ve served it here with...

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Hornet Press: It all started at Totleigh

I’ve been working for Arvon for three years, and in that time I’ve been on two courses. My...

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Sarah Wise Twitter Takeover

  On Tuesday May 10th 2016 Sarah Wise will answer questions about writing non-fiction in a live Twitter Q&A....

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Unlocking the People’s Histories: Q&A with tutor Sarah Wise

In your experience, what is the most interesting thing about looking back in history to a particular social/cultural...

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The Hurst Opens its Doors to the Public

Arvon would like to welcome you to The Hurst, our Shropshire centre, for an Open Afternoon on Sunday 8...

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Jack’s Kitchen – Yorkshire Puds

    Preheat the oven to 225°C. Get yourself a cupcake tin and add a tiny splash of...

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A Beautiful Collaboration of Spirits and Words

Young writers Stacey and Tito talk about their Arvon Lumb Bank experience in partnership with Reform Radio. Having not known much...

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Helen Chadwick in Conversation: Songwriting, Poetry & Tips

I am interested in the relationship between poetry and songwriting. Do you think there is a difference there...

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A Magic Carpet Ride with Arvon – Julie Summers

When you go on an Arvon writing course anything can happen. Shutting sixteen people in a remote house...

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SLAMbassadors at Arvon

SLAMbassadors UK is a national competition that finds and celebrates the best spoken word produced by young people in the...

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How do you write a YA novel now? Narinder Dhami tells us here

As a YA writer, where do you draw your inspiration from? And what do you think are the...

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Annette Brook’s Arvon/Jerwood Week: Silence, Bliss & Writing

There’s nothing quite like a Arvon retreat. Stepping away from your day to day concerns and focussing entirely...

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Eco-Poetry and Engaging with Nature

I’ve always written sporadically about the landscape, but in 2001 I moved to a place called Leadhills, a...

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Travel/Non-Fiction Writing Tips

Non-Fiction writer, journalist and Arvon tutor Lois Pryce shares some useful tips on non-fiction and travel writing. Find and Use...

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Russell Thompson’s Arvon Experience

In 1987 I attempted to enrol on an Arvon course, but it was full up. I decided to...

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Arvon Freehouse of the Imagination: Russ Litten

TUTOR DEVELOPMENT WEEK I came home from Totleigh Barton with a rattle in my boot. It’s there now,...

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Arvon Grants: Emma-Louise Norry’s Arvon Week

I’d wistfully looked at the Arvon brochure for years, pouring over each course title and author tutor as...

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Jonathan Asser’s Arvon Journey: From Poetry to Scripts

My script for Starred Up was drawn from personal experience running a therapeutic group for violent prisoners, and...

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Speculative Fiction, What Ifs and Making Things Up

Arvon tutors Joanna Kavenna and Liz Jensen on the pleasures and challenges of writing speculative fiction.Together there’ll be teaching the...

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