The course is designed to help YOU, so the description below is only a guideline. For instance, some people find it useful to read out their work to their fellow students and to receive feedback; other people find the prospect terrifying. All such activities are entirely optional. Don't worry – you won't be pressured into doing anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. The goal is to learn and to write – but also to relax and enjoy yourself. Writing is genuinely one of the greatest pleasures in my life, and I hope to be able to help you make it one of the greatest pleasures in your life too.

Groups will consist of a minimum of 3 people, and a maximum of 8. This means that there will be plenty of stimulation and discussion, but you'll also receive individual attention and your voice won't be drowned out by a great mass of others.

Each day, except the first, will begin with the morning discussion. This will not be a long, dusty lecture during which you will all sit silently and take notes while I drone on about the structure of classical tragedy etc. Rather, I'll give you my thoughts – and other authors' thoughts – on various subjects, and this will (we hope) be the springboard for a lively and passionate discussion. It should also, more importantly, stimulate your own private thoughts on the subjects in question – and provide inspiration for your own personal project.

At the end of each morning discussion, I'll suggest an individual assignment for each of you. We'll then eat lunch together, and you will spend the afternoon writing, thinking, daydreaming – in the garden or orchard of our house, or by the pool of your B&B, or by a lake or river, or in the forests and fields that surround us... wherever you want.

Ultimately, writing is a solitary activity – it requires space and time and quiet, so that's what we allow you in the afternoons. I hope that this beautiful, unspoiled corner of France will give you the same feelings of happiness and inspiration that it gave me.

In the late afternoon, I'll have a one-to-one meeting with each of you, generally lasting 20-30 minutes, to discuss the day and to read through what you've written.

And because creative writing is a surprisingly exhausting activity (particularly if you're not used to doing it very often), it's important, after this, to relax, have a laugh, and think about something else. So each evening, about 6.30pm, we'll have aperitifs together. You'll then be free, every day except the first day and the last day (when we'll eat dinner together), to either dine at your B&B or go to a local restaurant. (We have many recommendations, don't worry!)

The course outlined below is the seven-day intensive course and is intended to be as comprehensive as such a course can be, taking you through the writing of a book from the first germ of an idea to publication and beyond.

For those who prefer to mix their creativity with a little more leisure, I also offer special themed seven-day courses in Writing and Wine-Tasting, Writing and Jazz, Writing and Walking, Writing and Cycling, Writing and Sightseeing, and Writing and Golf. On each of these courses, the middle day will be spent on a group trip to Madiran (for wine-tasting at the famous Alain Brumont vineyards), to Marciac (for the internationally-renowned Jazz Festival in August), to Lac Bleu in the Pyrenees (bring your walking-boots!), to the Col du Tourmalet (for those who wish to ride the legendary Tour de France stage), to Toulouse (for shopping, cafés, art galleries, museums, concerts etc), or to Lannemezan (for 18 holes of golf and a very good lunch).

The shorter courses will usually focus on one particular element of writing. For instance, a three-day course on Characterisation, or a five-day course on Writing, Rewriting and Editing. A list of suggested themes for the shorter courses is provided at the bottom of this page, but if you give me a few weeks' notice, I can create a course to meet your own particular demands.

If you want to mix up these options, that too is possible. For instance, you could book a seven-day stay including a five-day course on Historical Fiction and two days spent playing golf or walking in the mountains. Whatever you like, but you are more likely to get exactly what you want if you book early and bring more than one person.