Are you having trouble starting or staying with your story? Are you maybe in the wrong character's head? Do you have pacing problems? Or does the tone seem wrong? Do you like how you've started, but feel that you're wandering as you go on? Or have you been writing for some time, getting your story down, but now feel you're lost in a wilderness you might not be able to write your way out of? Or do you know very well what story you want to tell – because it's something that happened to you – but are bewildered by all the possible approaches to telling it?

The retreat consists of collaborative storytelling workshops, writing exercises, facilitated discussions, one-on-one story doctoring sessions with Elizabeth, and plenty of free time for writing.

The experiential, collaborative storytelling workshops, led by Elizabeth in the mornings, have been inspired by the world-building creative writing course she teaches at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington. In these workshops, you will learn about story structure, plot, pacing, character development, dialogue and more.

In addition, each writer will meet one-on-one with Elizabeth for a private story doctoring session. Whether you are writing short fiction, a novel, or a work of creative non-fiction, there is always a way in which your story will want to best to be told. Elizabeth will provide you with feedback to help you find your way forward.

In addition, there will be opportunities to share your writing with, and get feedback from, your peers.

What this retreat offers is a period of intense concentration, outside your everyday life, with like-minded people. The writing teacher is a highly experienced writer of adult and young adult (YA) novels, and of creative non-fiction.

Each of the workshop's participants is invited to submit a piece (or two) of writing before the retreat weekend (no more than 5000 words altogether) in good time for Elizabeth to read it before we meet.

The aim of the retreat is that everyone who attends will leave with a clear feeling for how to proceed with confidence, energy, and renewed engagement.