Join Me on a Writing Course at Arvon This May
Cosy farmhouse, wildflower meadows, good company... and space to finally finish (or start) your story.
Are you dreaming of escaping to the countryside to write, read and reconnect with your creativity? Join me for a week-long residential writing course exploring fiction and non-fiction, where I’ll be teaching alongside the brilliant Sharlene Teo. Together, we’ll guide you in building resonance and authenticity in your writing.
The course is from Mon 19th to Sat 24th May and we’ll be staying at Totleigh Barton in Devon, one of Arvon’s beautiful rural retreats. It’s an ancient thatched house surrounded by wildflower meadows and winding lanes, the kind of place where phones are forgotten and the kettle is always on. It’s the perfect place to start something new or find clarity on a work-in-progress as you’ll have the time, space and support to really commit to your creative process.
Here’s more about the week we’ll be teaching…
What makes a story feel immersive and authentic, whether fiction or non-fiction? And how do we weave personal experience, place, and imagination into a narrative that resonates with readers? This course will equip you with the tools to harness the truth and imagination in order to tell your own powerful stories.
Whatever stage of your writing journey you’re at, this course will help you think about crucial aspects of narrative form. Taking a deep dive into aspects of craft such as characterisation, pacing, voice and detail, you’ll understand how facts and real-life experience can inform and enrich your writing. Whether you’re working on fiction, non-fiction, or a hybrid or both, me and Sharlene Teo will work with you on identifying and refining your unique writing voice and point of view through readings, workshops, and writing exercises.
You’ll build upon initial sparks of inspiration to create cohesive pieces of writing which you can then take home to develop into longer ideas. You’ll discover how to transform personal experiences into compelling and well-structured narratives, developing your powers of observation and using the natural world as a lens to uncover deeper themes. You’ll explore how to weave place as a character into your work, create immersive settings, and use details in your surroundings to tell true stories about the self. You’ll learn how to structure your stories to build emotional resonance while maintaining authenticity.
Finally, you’ll take a look at different stages of the publishing process – discussing agents, publishers, and audiences – to demystify the industry and to become part of the global writing community. You’ll leave the course with new writing and a roadmap to guide you through the next steps.
A few years ago I did a similar course and making that kind of an investment in myself was really transformative for me. It helped me say ‘I’m a writer’ in a room full of people for the first time, built my confidence, commitment to my craft and gave me peers and friends that I took beyond the course. There’s no time like now if you’ve been thinking of doing something similar. You and your creative practice deserve it. I believe in you! Find out more and book a place on the Arvon website, I hope to see you there.
