Writing for Screens with Anu Singh
March 3, 2027 to March 7, 2027
After an unforgettable screenwriting course, Anu Singh returns with Story to Script: The Art, Craft and Business of Short Film, a deep dive into how stories transform when they step onto the screen. Imagine learning the language of cinema with the stillness of the mountains, surrounded by fellow storytellers, delicious food, and clearer thoughts than the city ever allows.
Detailed Program
- Introduction to the format
- Similarities and differences between a short story and short film script
- Key tenets of both the formats
- Finding and creating a whole Universe in a few pages
- Building characters, conflicts and resolutions (or not)
- Vignettes and slice-of-life vs big drama: The perennial dilemma of the format
- Say less, Show More: The dos and don’ts of the format
- A dissection of ‘Selfie, Please’: Anu’s award-winning short film
- One short film screening every night
This masterclass will be held at the Himalayan Writing Retreat in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. We are rated 5/5 from over 400 google reviews. CN Traveller also covered us in this article.
Early Bird Price:
- *Price includes 4 nights stay (twin shared), food and learning
- *Regular price INR 48,000 + GST for a twin shared room after 17th February, 2027
- *Strict Zero Discount Policy
- *Twin shared Suite / room at the Himalayan Writing Retreat
Event Date
March 3, 2027 to March 7, 2027
Venue
The below pics are from Anu’s course in May 2023.
The below video is Anu Singh in conversation with HWR about writing books, screenplays etc as part of the charitable First Draft Club.
About The Instructor
Anu Singh
Anu Singh is a storyteller who moves effortlessly between worlds — literary and cinematic, personal and political, intimate and universal. A graduate of Lady Shri Ram College and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, she began her career as a journalist with NDTV, reporting on the ground realities of India with empathy and precision. Over the years, she has become one of India’s most distinctive bilingual voices, writing acclaimed Hindi works such as Neela Scarf, Mamma Ki Diary, and Bhali Ladkiyaan, Buri Ladkiyaan, while also translating authors like Perumal Murugan, Namita Gokhale, and Anuja Chauhan. As Co-Founder and Chief Creative Director at Dopamine Media, she bridges literature, screenwriting, and digital storytelling with a sharp feminist lens that questions how women and men are written, not just how they are seen.
Her screenwriting credits include the award-winning Aarya series, Grahan, and the Hindi adaptation of The Great Indian Kitchen titled Mrs. She recently wrote and directed ‘Selfie, Please’ which was screened at various film festivals including Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Anu’s creative philosophy rests on the belief that stories must be both truthful and accessible — rooted in lived experience yet expansive in imagination. Drawing from her own journey from Siwan to Ranchi, Delhi, and Mumbai, she brings to her teaching and mentorship an authenticity that merges craft with conscience.
Travel and Stay
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is built for writing and learning. We are rated 5-star on Google and Facebook.
Once here, you will be sharing a room with a fellow participant (unless we’ve confirmed a single). All essentials like food, hot water, towels etc. are provided. No hidden costs.
It can snow in winter. Weather can vary and the weather chart of Mukteshwar (12 km from the retreat) is here. A pair of sturdy walking shoes, some rain protection and an extra layer or two are always a good idea.
Our rooms are built to let nature in and inspire you. To see pictures of the rooms click here . To see pictures of the writing spaces click here.
Depending upon where you travel in from, you can reach us by road, train or air. Even if flying or taking a train, the final stretch is a drive, and the last 150 metres is a walk.
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By Road
The retreat is a 370 km/9 hours drive from Delhi. If driving, we recommend you leave early. Note that parking at the retreat is on the road – we do not have any private parking. We have limited driver accommodation, so please check in advance.
Overnight Volvo buses ply between Haldwani and Delhi, the more reliable of which are government operated. You con book those here. Private Volvos and Sleeper buses also ply between Delhi and Haldwani, which you can book on redbus. Make sure you pick a bus with a high (4+) rating.
By Train
There are three trains a day from Delhi to Kathgodam, the nearest train station. Some others also come in from Kolkata, Lucknow and Dehradun. From Delhi, Ranikhet Express is a convenient overnight train both ways, but finding tickets can be difficult.
Most people prefer to take the Kathgodam Shatabdi (Delhi dep: 6.20 AM, Kathgodam Arr: 11.40 AM). A cab from Kathgodam to Satkhol takes about 2.5 hrs / Rs. 2200 (more for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
By Air
There are daily flights from Delhi to Pantnagar. A cab from Pantnagar to Satkhol takes about 3.5 hr / Approx INR 4K.
There are direct flights from Mumbai and Bangalore to Bareilly 3-4 days a week. Satkhol is a 5hr / INR 5.5k cab ride from Bareilly. (More for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
FAQs
1. Why should I choose HWR Workshops?
Personal Attention: We don’t take more than 15 students in a class. You get a lot of personal attention and feedback. No classrooms of 20-30 people or one-way pre-recorded videos here.
Class Quality: For most courses, we filter our participants. You can’t just pay and sign up. We need to see a writing sample (in our application form) to ensure the class is of a uniform standard.
Cost per hour: Our courses are long and intense. As an example, the Creative Writing course is 18000 for 24 contact hours (3 days, 8 hours each day). The cost per hour = 750 / hour. That is comparable to many of the “cheaper” courses.
Quality of faculty: No lightweights here. Many of our faculty are award-winners. All are experts and great teachers. We don’t settle for average.
Feedback scores: Across courses, we are rated 4.5/5, or higher. You can read our reviews HERE.
2. Do I get a certificate of participation?
Yes, certificates are available on request.
3. Any discounts for students / other categories?
At the Himalayan Writing Retreat, we follow a strict No-Discount policy.
4. Is the workshop fee refundable?
Our cancellation policy is as follows:
For Physical Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 40 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 20-40 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 20 days before the start date.
For Online Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 15 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 15 to 7 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 7 days before the start date.
5. Is the Himalayan Writing Retreat a business or an NGO?
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is a social enterprise. It works closely and actively with two local NGOs in its community work initiatives: Chirag and Alaap. In 2020, HWR raised INR 6.1 Lakhs to support the Chirag School.
Have more questions? Feel free to write to us at info@himalayanwritingretreat.com or connect with us at +91 73035 16665 (call or WhatsApp).
Cancellation Policy for Physical Courses
- 95% refund if cancellation 4 weeks before event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation 2 weeks before the start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 2 weeks before start date.
The Himalayan Writing Retreat
Village Satkhol
District Nainital, Uttarakhand 263138
India
+ Google Map
+91 73035 16665
