Screenwriting
For writers, movie lovers, beginners, and anyone with a story they cannot stop thinking about.
Retreat Dates
Five-Night Retreat
December 6 – 10, 2026
Three-Night Retreat
February 21 – 23, 2027
Have an idea for a movie? A half-finished script? A character you cannot get out of your head? Or just want to understand how screen stories are built? Screenwriting is a relaxed, practical, storyfocused retreat for writers at every level.
You do not need a polished script. You do not need to know formatting. You do not need to have gone to film school. You just need curiosity, and an interest in how great screen stories actually work. A writing retreat with structure, but without pressure.
YOUR HOST
Kurt Inderbitzin
Kurt is a produced screenwriter and former visiting screenwriting faculty at the University of La Verne, with guest lectures at TCU and the University of Sydney. He has written and produced movies for ABC, CBS, NBC, Lifetime, TNT, and USA, working across live-action film, television, animation, and international media.
He founded two of India's major film schools — Whistling Woods International in Mumbai and the Annapurna College of Film and Media in Hyderabad — and served as CEO of a global kids animation and media company. Kurt holds a Masters in Screenwriting from the University of New Orleans, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a BA in American Literature from Georgetown University.
The Sessions
Sessions and topics subject to change.
SESSION ONE
What Is the Movie?
Finding the clean, compelling center of your idea. The premise the rest of the story hangs on.
SESSION TWO
Character
Building people with desire, contradiction, wound, and secrets. Why they are the only person this movie could be about.
SESSION THREE
Structure
Beginnings, turns, midpoint, crisis, climax, resolution. How to build momentum and avoid the sagging middle.
SESSION FOUR
Scenes
Writing scenes that move, reveal, surprise, and build pressure. Where to start, where to end, what every scene must do.
SESSION FIVE
Dialogue
Writing lines that sound alive without sounding written. Subtext, voice, and what people say versus what they mean.
SESSION SIX
Theme
What your story is really about, and how to land it through character and image instead of speeches.
SESSION SEVEN
Rewriting
Diagnosing a draft. Is it concept, structure, character, tone, stakes, pacing, or clarity? And how to fix it without breaking what worked.
SESSION EIGHT
The Pitch
Logline, hook, audience, what makes it different. Learning to talk about your story so other people cannot stop thinking about it.
The three-day retreat covers five core sessions: theme, character, structure, scenes, and the pitch.
The Details
The Daily Rhythm
Sunday: Arrive after 3pm. Casual welcome mixer
Morning sessions: 10am to 12pm
Afternoon sessions: 4pm to 6pm
Sessions: Two hours each, low-pressure and conversational
Friday: Breakfast, then check out by 11am
Always: Plenty of free time to write, walk, or read
What Is Included
Five nights (or three) at the Lakehouse Inn
Breakfast each morning
Eight guided writing sessions (or five)
Sunday welcome mixer
Snacks, fruit, and cheese during sessions
Wine with afternoon sessions
A small, supportive group of writers
Pricing
Per attendee, single occupancy. Includes lodging, breakfast, all sessions, refreshments, and the Sunday welcome mixer.
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A second attendee sharing the same room: 50% off.
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A non-participating partner sharing a room: $50 per night, breakfast only. Non-participating guests do not attend sessions, the welcome mixer, or other retreat events.
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Retreat Attendees who are staying as registered guests at the inn receive first priority. Attendees who will not be staying as registered guests at the inn are confirmed on a space-available basis.
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11.7% hotel tax will be added to all rates and fees.
Policies & House Rules
Off-Season Services
Housekeeping: light touchups on request only
Front desk: 1pm to 4pm daily
Bar: open during front desk hours only
Deposit & Cancellation
Retreat Attendees who are staying as registered guests at the inn: $500 deposit, balance due 6 weeks before
Refundable until 6 weeks before the retreat
Attendees who will not be staying as registered guests at the inn: full fee at registration
Non-refundable thereafter
Minimum enrollment required to run a retreat
House Rules
All guests must be 21 or over
No pets
No smoking
A lake waiver must be signed at check-in or, for attendees not staying at inn, when they first arrive at inn. Guests and attendees who refuse to sign lake waiver will not be permitted on property, and not offered a refund.
All policies as stated at lakehouseinnlee.com/policies are strictly enforced.