The Ultimate Writing Adventure
Ready to escape the daily grind and push your writing into bold new territory, in one of the most creatively inspiring locations on the planet?
For 30-plus hours over six days, our master instructors will teach you the foundational elements of story that move manuscripts from slush piles to bookshelves. You'll play as hard as you work, enjoying gourmet cuisine, adventure activities and everything else Nosara has to offer.
This is the ultimate writing adventure: a synergetic combination of life-changing vacation and transformational learning.
Put Your Writing on the Map
ST RY MAP
You're already an exceptional writer. The Story Map will make you an exceptional storyteller, which will set you apart from the countless other novelists and memoirists who are lost in the jungle of their projects, unable to see the forest for the trees.
Whether you're a beginner or expert, many drafts in or just getting started, our breakthrough curriculum will guide you to a more impactful, publishable book.
$2995
$2395
Stay at Lagarta Lodge, a luxury hotel overlooking a the Nosara Biological Preserve, the Nosara River and the Pacific Ocean. Air-conditioning; buffet breakfast; ocean-view infinity pool; hot tub; art gallery; spa; more.
Stay at Villa Mango, a hidden bed and breakfast at the edge of the jungle, overlooking Playa Pelada and the Pacific Ocean. Comfortable rooms; air conditioning available; homemade breakfast; saltwater pool; more
$1895
$1695
$CALL
$CALL
Already live in Nosara? Join us for the Story Quest curriculum only, or for the curriculum plus extras, which includes home-cooked daily lunches, two chef-prepared dinners, transportation to retreat events, happy hours, and more!
Story Quest includes Story Map curriculum; five group coaching sessions; two individual coaching sessions; daily breakfast and lunch; two chef-prepared dinners; daily snacks, coffee, filtered water; happy hour beer, wine, food; transportation to retreat events; pens, pads, other materials; Costa Rica's 13% tourism tax.
November 2020 Schedule
2021 Schedule TBA
The Story Quest Team
Doug Kurtz
Novelist, entrepreneur, writing coach Doug Kurtz is founder of Write Life Coaching and Breakthrough Writing Retreats. He's helped hundreds of writers at every level of experience finish great books. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in literature, philosophy and creative writing. He's worked as a copywriter for international companies; published fiction and nonfiction in print and online; and served on the board of the Colorado Author's League. His novel, Mosquito, was published in 2007; his next is undergoing final revisions. Doug's coaching programs and other initiatives provide MFA-quality instruction to writers across the globe. He's a core faculty member at Lighthouse Writers Workshop, and a former adventure guide, planning and leading trips across the US, Canada and Mexico.
Dan Manzanares
Novelist, instructor and genre expert Dan Manzanares earned his MFA in Genre Fiction at Western Colorado University. From 2012-20, he was the community programs manager at Lighthouse Writers Workshop, where he taught writing workshops and implemented innovative programming. In 2016, Dan won a Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Arts and Culture. He's co-author of an arts-based resiliency article in American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, and co-editor of the anthology All the Lives We Ever Lived, a 2020 Colorado Book Awards finalist. His fiction has been supported by a residency at the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, and his novel is currently in the hands of Einstein Literary Management. Dan works at the DU Prison Arts Initiative.