I have history with Arvon: I wouldn’t be an author without it. I first went on a horizon-lifting, life-changing Arvon course aged seventeen, then in my thirties, I worked as Centre Director at Lumb Bank. The way I see it now, listening to all the amazing conversations that happened there each week, absorbing some brilliant writing advice – while toiling over two novels that never saw the light of day - this was my slow process of becoming a writer. Now, with three novels under my belt, I sometimes teach Arvon courses, and never take it for granted, that lovely full-circle pattern.
Having once worked at an Arvon house (that’s the evidence, in the photos above - the first is taken by Sarah Mason, showing Bec Evans, Rachel Connor and me, plus dogs, plus essential sled) the weekly structure is deeply engrained: the Monday arrivals, the morning workshops, the afternoon tutorials and evening readings. But usually all this happens in one of Arvon’s beautiful historic buildings. The writers bond over welcoming tea and cake, chatting by the fireside, listening to each other’s work round one of the huge workshop tables, or cooking together. So I was a little sceptical about how online Arvon would work.
Photo of Lumb Bank by Rebecca Evans, used with kind permission
Eliza Squire, Co-Director of Arvon at Home, assured us in our planning meeting that the Arvon magic really could happen via Zoom. She shared tips and tech advice – I think my co-tutor Emma Carroll and I were in a similar place with our tech skills and neither of us had any clue how to operate Zoom breakout rooms. But we learned!
We were blessed with a lovely group of writers who met each other with mutual respect, keen to work hard and willing to be vulnerable and share work. And their writing! It was phenomenal. Each writer had their own distinctive voice – some funny, some lyrical, some quirky, others poignant. Some writers were starting out, others had agents already. And it’s always interesting when you have artists trying a new form – this week we had visual artists, poets and playwrights setting themselves a new challenge by moving into children’s fiction.
From day one, we had some fascinating discussions – this was a group not afraid to ask questions and share their own experience - and it made for a rich week. Emma Carroll is a superb tutor, kind and generous, drawing on her wealth of knowledge and also reminding us always of best practice. I have just been typing up my notes from her workshops – I took a huge amount from her sessions. We offered workshops about accessing our childhood memories, and creating character, using photos as prompts. We talked about plot and structure, about editing and spinning out a scene. We had fun playing with myth and fairy tale, and Emma gave a masterclass in historical fiction.
By the midweek point, I was convinced: yes, Zoom workshops work. Yes, breakout rooms are worth it for those smaller chats. Yes, you can hold a tutorial space online in exactly the same way you would in an Arvon library. And the Friday night reading had the same feeling of anticipation, celebration and festivity as it would in real life: candles appeared; there was wine; there were statement necklaces and fancy dress. And there were brilliant, individual readings, each writer sharing their work, filling the screen - thank you Zoom ‘speaker view’ – and being applauded wildly but silently till we all remembered to unmute ourselves…
And although the week was all about these writers and their journeys, it did come at just the right moment for me. I had been losing heart a little with my own writing this year, with events and projects being cancelled, as they have for so many people working in the arts. But returning to Arvon this week has re-ignited my own creative spark and inspired me all over again. Thank you Arvon, thank you Emma, and thank you lovely writers, what a fabulous week that was…
Please see www.arvon.org for more information. Arvon is offering masterclasses, readings, week-long writing courses and 1-to-1 mentoring while its houses are closed during the pandemic, and has also launched a fundraiser to enable its life-changing work to continue, please see: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/supportarvon