Anyone been on a residential writing course?

[RuinedAndNotorious]

I’m considering going on a week-long creative writing course which ties in really well with the theme of the children’s story I’m currently working on. But the ‘story’ is currently a collection of ideas, a scribbled list of things to research and only a couple of thousand words of actual text. I write as and when I can, but not every day.

I’ve been to workshops and evening classes before and have enjoyed them and found them useful but they haven’t changed my writing practice in that I still start a lot more things than I finish! For some reason I just feel that doing a week-long course would be a step up somehow (not least because of the cost and time involved!), and I should be more serious about my writing before signing up.

The course is not for a few months, so I’d have time to work on the story some more, but if anyone has been on a residential course I’m just curious about what stage you were at before you went. Did you just have an idea, or a few chapters, or a full first draft? How did you develop as a result of the course? Trying to work out if it is worth me going or if I should just keep working away on my own for now.

[woodrunner]

Go! They are brilliant fun and you learn so much. There are usually people at all different stages. If you are interested in the course then you are ready for the input - whatever stage the story is at. Be prepared to want to write something different once you're there as you may get lots of new ideas flooding in.

I did an Arvon once. It was very good fun.

[kungfupannda]

Is it Arvon?

I've done one of their courses, and there was a huge range of experience, with two near-beginners. We didn't do anything in the workshops that required existing work, and most people used the week to work on something new.

[RuinedAndNotorious]

Thank you both for the comments, that's reassuring. It's not Arvon, but the Welsh equivalent.
I think I am going to go for it.