Writing Courses
I’ve taught Creative Writing, Playwriting and Screenwriting for many organisations including MMU, City Lit, Arvon, the National Theatre and the National Youth Theatre. Alongside my private coaching and dramaturgy, I’ve also mentored writers involved in the criminal justice system for Koestler Arts. New courses for 2026 are detailed below.
Write Away
Dates: 13 -18th September 2026
Location: Rosy’s Little Village, Agistri, Greece
My annual writers’ retreat takes place on the tiny Saronic island of Agistri, Greece. The five-day course is for playwrights, screenwriters and prose writers who want to receive expert, tailored feedback on their work away from the distractions of home.
The course is a mix of individual tutorials with me on work samples submitted in advance, and group workshops on storytelling. Whether you have a fledgling idea, a first draft or anything in between, the retreat will help you clarify your story, fine tune your creative instincts and leave with an achievable strategy for moving forwards with your project.
The retreat is held at Rosy’s Little Village, a beautiful family-owned hotel in Skala, Agistri, only 50 mins from Athens on the ferry. You’ll enjoy wonderful Greek food and a private beach with time for swimming, walks and group dinners alongside your writing schedule. Clients pay for their own flights, room and board – the course fees are for tuition only.
Cost: £650 (payment plans available to spread the cost)
Please contact me for more information and booking form.
Dramatic Narratives
A residential writing course with Jemma Kennedy and Marilyn Milgrom, and guest speaker Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Monday July 27th - Saturday August 1st 2026
Location: the Ted Hughes Arvon Centre, Lumb Bank
A course for anyone who is developing a dramatic story for stage or screen (play, film or television). Whether you’re in the early stages of formulating an original idea, attempting to adapt existing material, or you already have a first draft, we will help you lift the bonnet of your story, explore its component parts and identify the source of the problem. You’ll also have the opportunity to pitch your idea to your tutors and receive constructive feedback.
Along the way we’ll take a 360 degree look at what it is that makes a story dramatic and how this varies across different mediums. Daily workshops and playful writing exercises will help you understand how to dramatize your own themes and ideas. At the end of the week, you’ll have renewed clarity about your dramatic story and a full creative tank to help you set off on the next leg of your writing journey.
The Dramatic Ark
A two-day screenwriting course with
Jemma Kennedy and Marilyn Milgrom
Completed: February 2026
Location: Scrum Theatre, London W6
The dramaturgs came in two by two, hurrah, hurrah. Join us for our intensive weekend workshop covering the foundations of screenwriting for TV and film. We’ll keep your story afloat with an array of practical and creative exercises, and take a deep dive into the core elements of a great script. The course is held at Scrum Studios next to the iconic ARK building, close to Hammersmith Tube and the River Thames.
SATURDAY: DAY 1
Dramatic story structure
Film Vs TV storytelling form
World and character, action and causality
Practical script analysis
SUNDAY: DAY 2
Creating memorable characters
Single versus multi-protagonist stories
Point of view, theme and controlling idea
How to pitch
Q&A
Marilyn and I have worked and taught together for many years, most recently at our sold-out Arvon course, ‘Dramatic Narratives’ in 2024. Marilyn is a Script Consultant, former Head of Development for the New Zealand Film Commission and Script Consultant to the BFI Film Fund, and a regular consultant for the ACE European Producers’ Network. She has worked with Charlie Brooker on Black Mirror and was a producer on the film The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023). Our combined practical and professional experience makes us unbeatable co-captains.
Testimonials
“Jemma is an empathetic and insightful writing guide. Her expertise in teasing out the play I want to write from the evidence of an early draft and our conversations was wonderful. I am much clearer on where to go next and how to get there.”
Lance Woodman
“The tutorials were excellent and so helpful, and the group workshops too. I left full of ideas, spurred on hugely by the course.”
Jenanne Shaheen
“Thank you so much for your inspiring retreat at Rosy's Little Village. I am especially grateful for your constructive comments on my playscript and our discussions about it. You helped me get perspective and find a way to reshape it… all of us left with new thoughts and inspiration.”
Ingar Palmlund
“I highly recommend Jemma’s writing retreat. Incisive tutorials with really helpful feedback and enough headspace to write and then later discuss ideas with like-minded souls at the evening workshops too.”
Laurence Pritchard
Private Coaching
Story MOT
I can help you service your story (novel, play, screenplay or TV script) with a focused one-hour Zoom meet based on an outline you submit in advance. We use the one-to-one session to lift the bonnet of your idea and fine tune your story engine.
Cost: £150
I’m occasionally available for personal feedback on works in progress (primarily plays, screenplays and television scripts/treatments) and script consultancy for writer/director/producer teams.
Please contact me for more information.
“Working with Jemma has been a hugely positive experience. Her objective, solution-focused script analysis has provided a clarity that undoubtedly makes my best work better.”
Murray Lachlan Young
"Massive thanks for the Story MOT... your insights were bang on but I loved the way you left space for me to keep an open mind and experiment and play with my ideas."
Mita Pujara