Making Decisions and Taking Action —a retreat adventure for characters and writers!
Launching into Action
Decisions launching us into actions: it’s how things happen in our lives and in our characters’ lives. Until a character (or we) make a decision, there is no movement forward. Power your characters and your stories forward, making your characters choose again and again, and then making those choices more difficult. Master the art of dilemma, the fork in the road, the impossible choice, and see your stories erupt with meaning and power.
Glorious Greece
Revel in this glorious retreat on a Greek isle, and you will never again be afraid of painting yourself or your characters into a corner. A deep dive into your own writing, inspirational workshops to take you up levels in a week, local-chef-cooked community lunches, luxurious beach lounging, Mediterranean swims, and adventures in the all-night town square where the Obamas and others vacation: make your own creative adventure, find your story magic, and produce your most impactful pages yet.
Elizabeth Stark
Elizabeth Stark, a novelist (Shy Girl: FSG, Seal Press, finalist for the Ferro-Grumely and Lambda Literary Awards) and award-winning filmmaker (producer of Lost in the Middle: Best Feature at Broad Humor 2019 and a Festival Favorite at Cinema Diverse; co-director and co-writer of FtF: Female to Femme and Little Mutinies, distributed by Frameline), co-hosts the podcast Story Makers Show, and co-directs and teaches at Sonoma County Writers Camp and Book Writing World. She earned her MFA from Columbia University, and her work has appeared in The New York Times and The Rumpus.
Nanou Matteson
Nanou Matteson has produced four feature films and written, directed and produced multiple short films. Her films have won multiple awards at numerous festivals across the country and around the world. She has consulted on scripts for dozens of screenwriters and taught screenwriting in the States and in Europe. Teaching classes, consulting, producing, and mentoring individuals, she has been helping writers and filmmakers achieve their goals for more than thirty years, including works of fiction, screenplays, films, academic books, memoirs, newsletters, and more. Nanou believes that story is a blueprint for life and loves coaching people to express their story.
I came back to AZ motivated and supercharged and excited to dive into my next draft! I also want to say that you both have a superpower for creating community. That’s a gift. Thank you for the love, support and encouragement you provide during all of your classes.
Lindsey H.
Saturday, June 21 – Saturday, June 28, 2025
Two Amazing Options!
Four Star
Save $300 (pay $5250) by booking by February 28!
Two Star
Save $300 (pay $3975) by booking by February 28!
contact [email protected]
Policy Note:
Deposit is non-refundable. The remainder of your tuition is due March 22 and is non-refundable after that time.