Develop Your Book Idea
28-31 Aug - Adharanand Finn confirmed as guest speaker
4th-8th Oct (2 spaces left)
4-Day Writing Course
Join novelist Natalie Young (tutor) and a guest speaker (Carol Rifka Brunt, May & Adharanand Finn , August ) to turn an idea from a kernel in your mind to something fully formed. Suitable for writers of any level of experience, or none. 45 mins 1-2-1 tutorial on work in progress with Natalie.
Open both to those who live locally and those who want to stay with us. Max 12 participants. 8 residential spaces.
£299 non-residential/camping. Includes lunch. Budget/dorm accommodation £350. Private room, shared bathroom: £499. Large private room, ensuite £699.
Vegetarian meals. Morning yoga. Evening meditation. Wood-fired sauna. Guided walk along the river at Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor.
Please come to the course with an idea for a book in place or perhaps a couple of ideas that you'd like to explore with the group. Fiction, creative non-fiction, non-fiction, prose poem all welcome.
“An amazing retreat - a fabulous combination of stimulating, relaxing, inspiring and encouraging!’ - Tamsyn, DYBI residential, May 2026
Natalie’s an editor and mentor for Bloomsbury. Her first two novels We All Ran Into the Sunlight, 2011 and Season to Taste or How To Eat Your Husband, 2014 were published while she was working as a journalist at The Times. For the last five years she has designed and taught creative writing courses for Writers & Artists and received a grant from the Royal Literary Fund and two awards from Arts Council England. Most recently she was given a Work in Progress award from the Society of Authors and the Authors Foundation. In 2025 Natalie co-wrote, with Simon, a screenplay, How To Eat Your Husband, and is working on a triptych of novels exploring attachment trauma, mental health, intimacy, mothering and loving. You can read more about Natalie’s writing and mentoring at www.natalieyoung.co.uk.
Carol Rifka Brunt grew up in the suburbs of New York City and now lives in Devon with her family and several parrots. She has published short fiction and non-fiction in The North American Review and The Sun. Her first novel, Tell the Wolves I’m Home, was named a best book of the year by Wall Street Journal, O Magazine, Kirkus, BookPage and Amazon, was an ALA Alex Award winner, a Barnes and Noble Discover pick, Target club pick, Costco Pennie’s Pick and has been translated into 18 languages. She is currently trying very hard to forget all that, pretend there is no pressure to live up to anything, and concentrate on writing her second novel
Adharanand Finn is the author of Running with the Kenyans (2012) The Way of the Runner (2015) and the Rise of the Ultra Runner (2019) . The first of these was the Sunday Times Book of the Year, won best new writer at the British Sports Book Awards and was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book Award. He is a journalist at The Guardian and also writes for the FT, the Independent, Runners World, Men’s Health and many others. He lives in Totnes in Devon with his wife and three children.
What to Expect
Morning workshops discussing ideas and work in progress. Prompts to take away and work on in the afternoons. The rest of the day is yours to write, read, relax, wander, dream etc..
A 45 mins 1-2-1 tutorial on work in progress.
45 acres of woodland and pasture to roam.
Connection, conversation, energy from other writers.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided. Vegetarian food made using local, in-season produce. We are lucky enough to have an organic farmer who lives next door and drops a big box of veg at the end of the lane.
Guided walk to Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor.
Time to switch off from the world and ‘tune in’….
Quiet.
What Not to Expect
Perfection.
Sample Schedule
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Arrive in time for tea and a tour around the place. Time to rest, settle in. Intro talk 6-7pm in the main house/garden. Dinner at 7:30pm in the main house/garden.
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8am - gentle yoga with Natalie or Jojo
9am - help yourself to a buffet breakfast in the main house.
10:00 am - first workshop. Troubleshooting ideas.
11:15 - coffee break
11:30 - second workshop - openings.
1pm - lunch in the main house or in the garden.
Afternoons free to write, rest, read, walk. Enjoy a wood-fired sauna.
2-5pm - 1-2-1 with Natalie.
6pm - guest speaker
7:30pm dinner in the main house or in the garden.
-
8am - gentle yoga with Natalie or Jojo
9am - help yourself to a buffet breakfast in the main house.
10:00 am - first workshop. Troubleshooting ideas.
11:15 - coffee break
11:30 - second workshop - openings.
1pm - lunch in the main house or in the garden.
Afternoons free to write, rest, read, walk. Enjoy a wood-fired sauna.
2-5pm - 1-2-1 with Natalie.
Guided walk.
7:30pm dinner in the main house or in the garden.
-
chance to share work in progress or sample of other projects.
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The course ends at 4pm on Day Guests are welcome to book an extra night in order to travel the following morning.
Where to Find Us
We are 20 min drive north east from Exeter and a 10 mins drive (or two hour walk) from the ancient market town of Crediton.
Crediton has a branch-line rail station that will connect you to the mainline stations at Exeter St David’s. We can collect you from Crediton and drop you off again after your retreat.
Closest airports are Exeter, Bristol, London Heathrow. We can collect you from Exeter airport (£45) and there are trains and coaches from Bristol and London Heathrow to Exeter.
If coming by car please use Googlemaps or What3Words with information provided on booking. Please do not use Satnav in this postcode.
How to Book?
Payment of £100 deposit by bank transfer, Paypal or cheque will secure your place. Please email direct or fill in the contact form. Balance is due 30 days before the course. Terms and Conditions.