Classes

Screenwriting: First Draft and Rewrite, Classroom, UW Seattle, Winter 2011

SCE Eligible
Most new writers who start a screenplay never finish it. They get bogged down in the middle and give up. The First Draft portion of this course will propel you to the end of your screenplay and the discoveries that await you there.

Each week, you turn in 13 new script pages, on your way to completing your first draft in just 10 weeks. Along the way, you receive written feedback on your pages from the instructors. In class, you're guided through a series of exercises to help you write the scenes that build your screenplay.

The difference between a great script and a weak one is rewriting. M. Night Shyamalan wrote ten complete, start-over, page-one rewrites of The Sixth Sense before he realized the main character (played by Bruce Willis) was dead.

This course gives you the tools to analyze your own work, to see the strengths and weaknesses, to exploit the former and eliminate the latter. As you rethink and refine your story's structure, plot, characterization, pacing and dialogue, you gain a better understanding of the initial impulse that drove you to write the story in the first place.

You also gain insight from industry professionals and former students about the best ways to promote your work, to improve your chances for serious consideration in film and television and how to pitch your project.

Jan 11 - May 17, 2011
6:30-9:30, Tuesdays
UW Seattle
Cost: $995
Credits: 5.1 CEUs
Schedule Notes:

17 sessions. No class Mar. 15 and 22

Blogging Basics

Blogging is a fun and easy way to share your interests and passions with the world. It can also help you promote your business, make money, or keep up with family and friends. The secret is to build an online community of loyal readers who can't wait to read what you're going to write next.

If you're ready to start your own blog, or need some ideas on how to improve your existing blog, this four-week, hands-on course is what you're looking for. For students who don't have a blog, we'll show you how to set up a blog on the frist evening! For students who already have a blog, just bring whatever information you need (password, ID, etc.) to log in during the first class and get read to take your blog to the next level.

The class will focus on creating attractive blogs, filled with great content and fabulous photos that keep readers coming back for more. In addition to posting on your own blog, we will also look at a number of successful blogs ad discuss why they are so popular. And we'll talk to a web expert about how you can improve your blog with he help of templates, widgets and other applications that are easy to find and inexpensive to use. You'll leave this fun and informative course with the confidence you need to create great content and make your blog ready shine.

January 24 - February 7
6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays
Pierce College, www.piercece.com

Diane has given me invaluable feedback on every script I've written in recent years. I have sold three of those projects to studios, and optioned several others to indie companies. With her help I have been able to make that crucial leap from 'promising first draft' to 'ready to market'.

-George Wing, Screenwriter, Fifty First Kisses