I was working on casting in New York while I was at Yaddo, and I'd get calls at dinner time. The other artists had no clue about the movie business. Screenwriters should carefully consider whether getting away from the business will work for them. How Long to Stay If you do decide that in order to finish that spec script you need some peace and quiet away from L.A., you must also consider that writers' colonies are highly competitive and acceptance is by no means assured. Applications are reviewed two or three times a year, which means planning your life up to nine months in advance.
Residencies vary from one week to three months.
You choose your season and length of stay. A few colonies limit you to one month. Goldberg spent a month at Villa Montalvo writing his second novel. But I indulged myself at Montalvo by calling it a working vacation. He wrote 150 pages while he was there.