Learn the craft!

There is no right way to write. Every writer is different. Every story is different.

That also means there is no right way to learn to write.

I have promoted one path on this blog for years: Read scripts. Watch movies. Write pages.

No matter what else you do, that should be the foundation of your work.

And for that path, you do not need to pay one dime. If you are motivated, persistent, resourceful and committed to doing your work on a daily basis, this is one way you can learn the craft.

Another path is to learn from people who have something to say about the craft.

But which people?

There are a lot of folks floating around out there with seminars, books, DVDs, websites, even software systems, each with their own language system. But who to trust?

Before you spend any of your hard-earned money, here are some questions you should ask:

* Have they ever been employed as an actual Hollywood writer?

* How many years of experience have they had as a professional writer?

* Are they members of the Writers’ Guild of America?

* Have they ever had a successful commercial movie produced from a script they wrote?

* How much do they know about the business of writing in Hollywood?

* How current is their knowledge of the business?

* How extensive are their contacts with legitimate Hollywood managers, agents and producers?

* What is their reputation as teachers?

If you ask all of these questions about Tom Benedek and myself, and what we do at Screenwriting Master Class, you will come away with strong affirmative answers.

In other words: We know our stuff.

Here is our schedule of classes and workshops for the next 2 months:

February 3: Craft: Story Summaries — From Loglines to Beat Sheets (Scott Myers)

February 10: Craft: Writing the Low Budget Script (Tom Benedek)

February 17: Craft: Handling Exposition (Scott Myers)

February 24: TV: Writing the Original Pilot Script (Tom Benedek)

March 3: Prep: From Concept to Outline (Scott Myers)

March 10: Craft: Writing Scenes — Tarantino Study Models (Tom Benedek)

March 17: Craft: Character Introductions (Scott Myers)

March 24: Pages I: The First Draft — Introduction to Screenwriting [TB]

March 31: Craft: Character Development Keys (Scott Myers)

In addition to these online classes, I will be in Santa Monica from March 13–16 for the four day Quest Writing Workshop. There are only a couple of spots left, so if you are interested, I encourage you to enroll now.

What you get with our classes is a unique combination of screenwriting theory and practice, led by two professional writers who are passionate about storytelling and knowledgeable as teachers. And because the courses are offered online, you can do almost all of the work on your own time and live anywhere in the world.

[In my current Story Summaries class which starts today, we have writers from Russia, Israel, England, Australia, Germany, Puerto Rico and all across the United States.]

For more on Tom’s background, go here. For mine, go here.

There are as many paths to learn the craft as there are writers.

You may choose to go your own way, immersing yourself in the world of scripts, movies and writing.

If so, good for you.

However if you want to jump-start and solidify your grasp of the craft, learning from professional writers with a proven track record of enabling writers to succeed in Hollywood…

Check out Screenwriting Master Class.

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