SCRIPT FACTORY TUTORED RETREAT
FRIDAY 2ND - MONDAY 5TH OCTOBER 2026
GIVE YOUR WRITING THE TIME AND SPACE IT DESERVES
For screenwriters the ultimate luxury and most fundamental essential is having the time and headspace to focus purely on their screenplay.
Free your mind from all distractions and join us for our three night, four day tutored writing retreat in glorious Dorset.
Whether you’re starting a new project or completing a rewrite, we’ve devised a programme that will inject fresh energy, craft and inspiration to your next draft.
Everything on this retreat has been has been planned to help you focus on your writing, away from day-to-day distractions. Walk in the dreamy Dorset countryside, be inspired by group tutored sessions, share your triumphs and challenges with fellow writers over dinner, or just sit at your desk and write.
You’ll benefit from a personal one-to-one session on your project with either Charlotte or Justine as well as the support and company of your fellow writers.
Set in the rolling hills and peaceful woodlands of West Dorset, you’ll be staying in award winning self-catering cottages. Filled with light, each cottage is set around a courtyard, allowing you the space and peace to focus on your project.
This retreat maximises precious writing time. While moments of connection are woven into the retreat, the focus is on providing you with the precious quiet time you need to think, write and reset. Perfect if you have a project you want to get stuck into but are too distracted at home.
Our programme offers long uninterrupted days of writing time. There is a writing desk in every bedroom as well as a kitchen table in every cottage (two or three bedrooms sharing). There are also gorgeous woodlands to explore if walking and thinking is how you get the creativity to flow.
You will book a one-to-one 45-minute session with either Justine or Charlotte during Saturday daytime. We will come together in the late afternoons for our taught sessions and continue the conversation over the evening meal.
Most importantly, this retreat is a reminder that you don’t have to struggle through a script alone. There are so many creative decisions to make on every page that the opportunity to run your thoughts and ideas by a story professional or fellow writer is an invaluable opportunity.
Our aim with this retreat is to empower you with confidence and clarity to tackle your latest draft. We will read your work before you come - whether that’s just a few pages of initial thoughts or the third draft of your feature - and be constantly on hand as a support and sounding board.
There’s also the opportunity for you share your ideas and brainstorm with each other over delicious home-cooked meals!
The taught elements of this programme have been carefully designed to be equally applicable to those working on a TV pilot, feature or short. With a focus on key dramatic craft skills that will elevate your writing and unlock your story.
The Programme
Friday 2nd October
Arrival from 1pm
1pm - 2.30pm Lunch and welcome
2.30pm - 4pm Session 1. Choices & Consequences. Using your character’s conflict to fuel forward dramatic momentum.
4pm - 5.30pm Move into accommodation.
5.30pm - 6.30pm Session 2. Will anyone survive this? Finding the primal stake in your story.
7.30pm Group Drinks & Dinner
Saturday 3rd October
Breakfast items will be available in your self-catering kitchen for you to help yourself before you start your writing day.
This is a full day to write! Throughout the day each writer will have an allocated 45 minute slot with either Charlotte or Justine to talk through your project.
9.30am - 10am Morning coffee break. Caffeine, croissants and other treats available in the communal working area. Drop in for a chat or just grab some carbs and head back to the laptop.
1pm - 2.00pm A buffet lunch will be available on a help yourself basis. Come for some company and a break or pile up a plate of fuel and head back to crank out those pages.
5.00pm - 6.30pm Session 3. The tension in the moment: structuring a scene to tell its own story.
7pm Pub & Candlelit Supper. On Saturday evening we’ll head to the next village for drinks in the pub and a sumptuous supper by the fire at Justine’s house. (But if you’d rather stay behind to write, give us the heads up and we’ll ensure you have supplies)
Sunday 4th October
This day will follow the same format as Saturday: the majority of time devoted to writing, with a morning coffee break and a buffet lunch you can enjoy in the communal space or take back to your desk.
10.30am - 11.30am / 2.30pm - 3.30pm Script & Story Clinic - Justine or Charlotte will be available if you have any questions or ideas you wish to get some feedback on. Book your slot.
4.00pm - 5.00pm Optional nature walk
5.30pm - 6.30pm Session 4. Frenemies and foes: bolstering conflict and theme with secondary characters.
7.30pm - Dinner
Monday 5th October
The cottages will need to be vacated by 10am, so the early morning will be yours to write and pack.
We’ll meet together for coffee at 10am, and our final group session together.
10.30am - 1pm Group Story Share.
We’ve saved the best to last (it’s the best, because truly nothing is more wonderful than being told a story!). Every writer will be invited to share their story concept and to receive constructive feedback from the group about the elements that appeal and resonate the most. Don’t worry, this isn’t a formal pitch session, no-one is judging you, and we’ll give you a structure to follow so it’s not a daunting exercise. It’s a celebration of why we tell stories and the power they have to connect, entertain and enlighten us all.
1pm - 2.30pm Lunch and goodbye!
Accommodation
Wraxall Yard is made up of a 2 and 3 bedroom cottages around a courtyard, each with a spacious living area and kitchen (this isn’t a retreat where you are locked away in a poky windowless room high up a turret!). Some bedrooms will share shower-rooms and others are ensuite. The maximum number of rooms sharing a shower-room is 2.
Each writer will have their own room, however if you are in a writing team and wish to share accommodation then a second person can be added to the room for an additional fee.
Room Options
King sized room en suite £975 (two available)
Twin en-suite £930 (one available)
Twin with a private bathroom £900 (two available)
King sized bed with a shared bathroom £880 (three available)
Twin with shared bathroom £865 (one available)
Double with a shared bathroom £865 (one available)
Single with a shared bathroom £710 (one available)
A second participant may be added to a twin or king sized room for an additional fee of £300 if you are working on the same project and sharing one-to-one sessions or £450 if the second person is bringing a separate project.
Are the cottages fully accessible?
Yes. Wraxall Yard was designed with accessibility as it’s core principle. The entire site is single story and step free, so that every visitor has the same experiences available to them.
For further information about Wraxall Yard you can visit their website here.
FAQs
Is the retreat fully catered?
Yes! All meals will be provided, but you also have access to a full kitchen in your cottage so can bring whatever snacks and beverages you might require or fancy. The kitchens will be stocked with the core supplies you need for breakfast: milk, bread, butter, eggs, juice, coffee, tea, yoghurt, fruit, granola, jams. Lunch will be a cold buffet and a delicious home-cooked dinner will be served each evening. There’ll be plenty of biscuits and cakes to keep you fuelled throughout the day and the kettle will never be far away! (Dietary requirements will be accommodated)
We will provide some beer, wine and soft drinks for the evening meals, but you are welcome to bring your own supplies too. (Please note that the nearest shop is a 10 minute drive).
What are my travel options?
Wraxall Yard is located in Lower Wraxall, Dorchester, DT2 0HL.
There is plenty of parking on site for those who are driving.
Don’t drive? Don’t worry!
The nearest mainline station is either Dorchester South or Yeovil Junction. You will need to book a cab to collect you and we can recommend local taxi companies. The journey takes around 20 minutes so please bear this in mind when you are planning your trip.
What facilities are within walking distance?
The retreat is deep in the beautiful Dorset countryside, you will need a car if you wish to access shops or pubs. The nearest town is Dorchester or Yeovil. The nearby villages of Cattistock and Evershot have small post offices and shops (limited opening at the weekend) and great pubs.
The walks around the property are fantastic, so do bring suitable footwear.
Can I bring my dog?
Out of consideration for other participants we aren’t able to accommodate dogs on this retreat, with the exception of assistance dogs.
How good is the mobile and WIFI signal?
The mobile signal is unreliable, however there is high speed fibre internet available throughout the property.
Will I be able to print?
Yes, we will bring a printer that can be used for small amounts of pages.
Guests
As this is a retreat space we kindly ask that you do not invite any guests into Wraxall Yard during your stay.
Who are the tutors?
Your tutors are The Script Factory’s Charlotte Bogard Macleod and Justine Hart. Charlotte and Justine both have over twenty years experience working with screenwriters to find their voice and shape their stories. They are also both commissioned writers.
The teaching elements of the programme will focus on key dramatic writing skills that are equally relevant whether you are writing for features, TV or shorts. Our training always aims to address common gaps in understanding that we see in the scripts that we read. The taught sessions on this programme will offer practical approaches to get to the heart of your dramatic conflict, discover new truths in your story idea, and deepen its resonance.
What’s included?
Three nights accommodation in one of our cottages, with linen and towels.
Daily group teaching sessions and inspirational writing exercises.
45 minute one-on-one feedback sessions with either Justine or Charlotte.
A guided woodland walk.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee break snacks.
Wine and beer with the evening meal.
What’s not included?
Transport to and from Wraxall Yards.
Cleaning of the bedrooms or communal areas during your stay.
Courtesy & Confidentiality
All participants will be asked to sign a code of conduct on booking. The purpose of this retreat is to carve out a peaceful space for all participants to concentrate on their writing, it is therefore important that everyone respects each other’s working time by keeping excessive noise and disruption to a minimum in the shared cottage space, keeping the kitchens clean and respecting the privacy of individual rooms. We very much hope that you will meet wonderful new colleagues on your writing journey with us, and that you will continue to collaborate and support each other, however all work shared and discussed on the programme must remain confidential.
BOOKING
If you are interested in booking a place, email justine@scriptfactory.co.uk with your room preference and we’ll take it from there.
If you’d like to know more, let’s have a chat! We’re very happy to set up a phone or zoom call to discuss how this retreat might help you with your writing plans.
You will need to secure your place with a non-refundable deposit of £200. There is an early bird discount of £50 per room for any booking made before 29th May 2026. This discount will be applied to the balance.
The balance must be paid by 31st July 2026. We’ll send the full terms and conditions when you register your interest.
