Some upcoming writing events
In November and December, a lot of people were inquiring about my Screenwriting Master Class schedule for 2015. It’s finally locked down. For the entire list of classes by Tom Benedek and myself, go here. I want to spotlight three upcoming writing events:
READY TO WRITE THAT FIRST DRAFT?
Pages I: Writing the First Draft: This online workshop takes you from FADE IN to FADE OUT in 10 weeks. The first Pages I session of 2015 begins Monday, January 5. A structured program with weekly feedback from me and your fellow writers may be just the ticket you need to pound through that script you’ve been developing. Go here to enroll.
FOCUS ON THE CRAFT OF SCREENWRITING!
Monday, January 19 marks the beginning of the first of eight Craft classes I will be teaching in the winter and spring of 2015:
Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling
Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling
Character Development Keys
Handling Exposition
Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets
Create a Compelling Protagonist
Write a Worthy Nemesis
Plus I will be introducing a new Craft class: Scene Description Spotlight.
Consider enrolling in The Craft Package: All eight Craft classes at a nearly 50% discount! The Package gives you immediate access to all the course content to go through on your own time as well as automatic enrollment in each live 1-week session.
Lectures written by me. Professional writing tips. Optional writing and logline exercises. Live teleconferences. 24/7 forum conversations. And as always, an incredible gathering of writers from all around the world. The energy, discussions and learning that goes on in these classes never ceases to amaze me.
I am only teaching these Craft classes once in 2015, so here is your chance. The Craft Package is a popular choice and an excellent value. Go here to sign up.
NOTE: The Craft series begins with the super popular class: Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling, start date January 19. Check it out here.
WORK WITH ME LIVE AND IN-PERSON!
I will be back in Santa Monica, California March 12–15, 2015 for the next session of the Quest Writing Workshop. The on-site component is four days and those sessions have proved to incredible. But that’s just the start. After that intensive long weekend, there is a 16 week online program in which you finish prepping your story, then write a first draft from FADE IN to FADE OUT. And it doesn’t end there as the Questers you have worked with become an active, ongoing writers group. Think that’s not possible? There is a group of writers who took classes with me 10 years ago who still read and critique each others’ work to this day!
Honestly I am so proud and excited about the Quest Writing Workshop. The response to it has been phenomenal, grounding participants in solid screenwriting theory and proven practices, all the while developing and writing original screenplays. Plus as much as I love the online platform, it’s great to be able to interact with writers in a face-to-face environment.
I cap enrollment for the Quest Writing Workshop to make sure we have enough time to focus on everyone’s story, so if you’re interested, I recommend you sign up sooner rather than later as my previous spring and fall sessions in Santa Monica have sold out. You may enroll here.
By the way, for those of you traveling from out of town, with the emergence of Airbnb, there are so many more affordable and convenient housing options available now. Check out the wide array of choices right in Santa Monica here.
As I always say, you don’t need to spend a dime to learn the craft of screenwriting. Read scripts. Watch movies. Write pages. Hell, there is a ton of free resources on my blog, literally thousands of posts.
But if you want to accelerate your understanding of the craft, enhance your abilities as a writer, and take your storytelling chops to the next level, I honestly believe the classes I teach and workshops I lead are the best bargain out there.
If you have any questions or want more specific information, email me.
I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.
Onward!