Support our Sponsors:

All ads on this website are unpaid and represent vendors, authors & publishers who support the community by donating their time, expertise and products to our membership. Let's show our support and click any ads of interest!
Is That Hollywood Calling? – Thinking Like a Screenwriter

Instructor: Cindy Carroll. Writing scripts and writing novels are two completely different things. Just because we can write books doesn’t mean we can write screenplays. Is That Hollywood Calling? is a quick and dirty month long course on the differences between writing books and writing scripts. If you want to unleash your inner screenwriter this is a great place to start as a primer. For novelists it covers how writing a screenplay can cause light bulb moments for some of those often quoted snippets of writing advice like show don’t tell and keep it active. It also covers how thinking like a screenwriter can help improve your novel writing.

Topics covered:

1.  Introduction
2.  The Basics of Screenwriting (assignment)
3.  Finding the essence of your story – Loglines and three line pitches. (screenplays and novels)
4.  Story structure – 3 act structure, the beat sheet, storyboarding, hero’s journey (screenplays and novels)
5. Show don’t tell (assignment) (screenplays and novels)
6. Pacing (assignment) (screenplays and novels)
7. Active vs passive writing – what it means, examples, how active writing is more engaging (novels, taking a hint from screenplays)
8. The polish (assignment)
9. Queries (assignment)
10. Contests (screenplays)
11. Meetings/pitches/conferences (assignment)
12. After you sell (screenplays)

Do’s and don’ts list – for screenplays
Resource list
Recommended reading list

Feedback provided for student assignments.

WHEN:    Dec 3, 2012 - Dec 30, 2012

COST:   $15 for Premium Members
$25 for Basic Members

Cancellation policy: Registrations are non-refundable except when the workshop is cancelled by Savvy Authors.

REGISTRATION:      *** Registration Closed***

INSTRUCTOR:   
Cindy joined RWA in 1992 and started out writing novels but turned to scripts when an idea for one of her favourite television shows wouldn’t leave her alone. That first attempt, and her second teleplay for the same show, garnered her honourable mention in the Writer’s Digest 76th Annual Writing Competition in the screenplay category. She graduated from Hal Croasmun’s screenwriting ProSeries intensive in June of 2008. Her interview with David Rambo, writer/producer for CSI appeared in the summer special edition of The Rewrit, the newsletter for Scriptscene, Romance Writers of America’s screenwriting chapter. All three parts of the interview can also be found on her blog. Currently working on her third feature, Cindy is also developing two new television pilots.

Tags:    Craft, Industry





*** PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED AND ENCOURAGED ***

Website Instructions

All workshop registrations include FREE Basic Membership in Savvy Authors.

Savvy Authors' workshops are held on a forum: a bulletin board based system. Instead of an invitation to join a loop you will receive a reminder notice one or two days prior to the start of the workshop that includes your user name, password and instructions on how to access the workshop forum. If you have not received instructions by the day the workshop begins, please check your spam filter.

The forum will be available the morning (EST) of the day the workshop starts and will remain accessible to all participants thereafter, even after the workshop ends (unless otherwise stated by the moderator).

Participants can "subscribe" to the forum at any time after receiving initial access to automatically receive notice of all posts made to the forum via email. Participants will receive a link in each email which will take them directly to that area of the forum where one can post a reply.

A moderator is assigned for each workshop and will introduce himself/herself on the first day of class. The moderator is available to answer any website questions, assist the instructor, and address any concerns. We urge every participant to contact the moderator immediately if you feel the workshop experience falls below expectations so we may address issues promptly before the workshop ends. Savvy Authors strives to offer an educational and satisfying workshop experience for everyone, and we treat complaints with utmost urgency.

Questions or concerns may also be sent to workshops@savvyauthors.com.

Payment is due at the time of registration to guarantee your seat in the course. Registrations are non-refundable except when the workshop is cancelled by Savvy Authors.

Upcoming Events:

WORKSHOP: The Purpose Driven Scene
Scenes are the building blocks of a novel. But while a scene is advancing the book’s story question, each scene is, in itself, a story in miniature. This workshop focuses on how to develop a scen... (May 27 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Active vs. Passive Voice
What is passive voice? Why should it be avoided? How can you make your writing more active? We will look at how to recognize and change passive into active writing. We will also look the rare occasion... (May 27 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Hunting the Elusive Hook
What is a hook and how can I use it? Whether you've never heard of hooks or have been writing hooks for years, this workshop will take you through the whole gamut of ways to write hooks and use them e... (May 27 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Book Your Blog
Did you know that if you have a blog you may already have a book with built-in readers? And if your goal is to finish your book this year, why not use your blog to make it happen? Attract the attentio... (May 27 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Using Astrology to Add Intensity to Your Characters
How readers connect to your character determines if they finish your book and if they become your fan (and buy more of your books). Readers connect with characters that are authentic and have depth. A... (May 27 - June 23)

CHAT: Honey, I've Got a Headache: Embrace writing sex scenes
Do you dread writing sex scenes? Are you pulling your hair out trying to figure how to keep it sizzling and fresh? Do you struggle with how to make it hot when you close the bedroom door? Well, you d... (May 29 - May 29)

WEBINAR: Self-Publishing and Marketing a Book
This seminar is not a how-to lecture, but rather one that addresses a catalog of issues, decisions and pitfalls facing the new author who intends to publish a book on their own. Author Hank Quense, w... (June 2 - June 9)

WORKSHOP: Seven Secrets of the Prolific
Secrets of the Prolific: How to Overcome Procrastination, Perfectionism and Writer’s Block will forever change your relationship with your writing. People suffering from procrastination or a block oft... (June 3 - June 30)

WORKSHOP: Making Scenes Come Alive
MAKING SCENES COME ALIVE (A workshop by Dee Lloyd) Think of your story as a series of scenes. Then make every scene vibrant and engrossing. MAKING SCENES COME ALIVE workshop will ... (June 3 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Writing Regency-Set Novels
For all that it covers an amazingly short time span (1811 to 1820) the English Regency has a remarkable allure for writers and readers. Mystery writers, including the great John Dixon Carr, have chose... (June 3 - June 30)