This workshop is an opportunity for writers who have a piece of screenwriting that they want to share to receive feedback from a professional editor/instructor and peers. Students wishing to take the workshop course will need 8 to 12 pages of an original screenplay (TV or Movie) already created by the time the course begins. Each class, students receive a mini-lesson on an aspect of excellent story writing, and then the students and professional editor/instructor heavily analyze the student story submissions. Through in-class discussion of the stories together, detailed feedback is given to help improve writing skills and strengthen the story. Students are expected to submit a piece of their own work for feedback and provide/engage in feedback for others’ works. Each author is required to take notes as their story is discussed, listening intently. At the end of all feedback, there is a chance for the authors to respond to anything said during the critique and ask questions.

The most important consideration and requirement for all students taking this course is to be constructive when giving feedback, and to keep an open mind toward feedback that is received. After each class session, your professional editor/instructor will have a short meeting with the one or two students whose work was read that day, to check in and go over feedback.

Class 1: Discussion – How to Give Feedback; Critiquing – Sample Story
Class 2: Discussion – Character; Critiquing – Student Stories
Class 3: Discussion – Dialogue; Critiquing – Student Stories
Class 4: Discussion – Plot; Critiquing – Student Stories
Class 5: Discussion – Setting & Tone; Critiquing – Student Stories
Class 6: Discussion – Good Writing Practices; Critiquing – Student Stories
Class 7: Discussion – What does it take to be a writer?; Critiquing – Student Stories
Class 8: Discussion – What to do now and how to revise?; Critiquing – Student Stories

Total Number of Classes: Eight (8)
Prerequisites: None, but some experience with screenwriting preferred. Students must have an 8-10 page original piece of screenwriting to submit for class.
Required Materials:

1) Document Creation
All documents are turned in as Microsoft Word documents. If you do not own Microsoft Word 2007 or a later version, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents FREE.
2) Workshop Submission Piece
Students must submit their Workshop Piece to Instructor Conley’s email ([email protected]) one week prior to the class start date.
Workshop Piece Requirements:
Students bring 8-12 pages of original fiction writing in a PDF screenplay format. If you do not know the standard screenplay format, please email Instructor Conley after you sign up at [email protected]. The writing must be the student’s original work and can be an excerpt from a longer film, short film, or television show, as long as the text meets the length and formatting requirements. Student work is required to be labeled with the student’s name, the class name, and the story’s title or “Workshop Piece” (if the work doesn’t have a title yet). Document submissions are made no later than one week prior to the class start date.

Suggested Credit: One-half (1/2) semester of screenwriting, writing and English or literature and writing.

LIVE, INTERACTIVE COURSES

This course is available for multiple sessions in the Spring and Summer of each year. Sign up for the time that best meets your needs. Sign up for a LIVE workshop here with the professional editor, instructor, and creator of the course, Robin Conley, MFA.

RECORDED, INDEPENDENT-LEARNING COURSE

This course is not available in Unlimited Access, however, there is a Fiction Writing Workshop available in Unlimited Access that can easily be used to revise screenplays. When you sign up for Unlimited Access and take this recorded course, your instructor is the creator of the course, Robin Conley, MFA.