Introduce Yourself to the Group

[Maria Doyle]

Hello everyone. My name is Maria Doyle. I have written two episodes for a TV show (Seinfeld was one of them) for a class in college. I have not formally written a script.

I hope to write the first draft of my script after 30 days.

I wonder if a computer scientist born in Caracas, Venezuela (South America) is a unique breed of student in this class? I couldn’t think of anything else unique.

Best wishes to everyone,

Maria.

[Ed Preston]

My name is Ed Preston.

I’m on the Clint Eastwood side of the screenwriter spectrum. OK, closer to Dan Aykroyd, and I know they aren’t screenwriters but I admire them both.

I was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the birthplace of famous people like Bette Davis, Jack Kerouac, Ed McMahon, and boxing legend Mickey Ward (who I’ve met).

When I was little, my dad entered the General Electric ‘management training program’ which relocated us every 2-3 years, so I got to be ‘the new kid’ a lot. We eventually settled in a nice town north of Boston, so from the 6th grade on I had a real home town.

I started college right after Woodstock (didn’t go, I worked) but I vividly remember the wave of social, cultural and political changes that followed, which transformed everything, especially college. Which, in my case, was a series of stints at several colleges. I’d take classes then drop out when I was bored (seemed rebellious and hip at the time, but stupid now), and returned when it seemed like the thing to do.

Fact is I couldn’t make up my mind what I wanted to do and ran from anything that looked too confining — which was just about everything at the time. Lucky for me when the computer revolution took hold I managed to pick up enough programming to score a job at a small software house.

Then I met a lovely young woman at church, got married, and started a family. After getting hired by the now extinct Digital Equipment Corporation I thought maybe I should fill in that dreadful ‘Education’ blank at the top of my resume and finish my bachelors, and also stumbled on the degree program at Harvard Extension School. After a generous pile of transfer credits from the other schools and 3 years of dragging myself into Cambridge once or twice a week (summers included) I earned a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts at the ripe old age of 42. And my employer paid for it. Thanks, Ken!

Years went by, our kids are grown, and I’m sort-of retired. But after years of watching movies and TV and saying “Who writes this crap? I could write better crap than that!” a little voice replied, “OK smart guy, then do it or shut up.” So here I am.

Do I still think I can write better stuff than some of the stuff I’ve seen? Of course, but I’ve been stuck in a loop for a while and I believe this class will help to correct that.

I’ve written exactly one full script and 3-4 outlines and treatments, one of which will become a completed screenplay by the end of this course.

Something unique/special/strange? Well, back in April of 2000, my 10yr old son and I flew to California and drove back a 1971 Volvo 1800E. That was fun and unique!

• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  Ed Preston.

[Margaret]

Margaret Silebi

Written 5 scripts

Want to learn how to write a script in 30 days

Unique about me: I am a Director of Nursing

[Timothy Barley]

[Once again…:) }]

1. My name is Tim Barley

2. I’ve worked in TV production (writers’ room) and have written three pilots, including just finishing one as part of the ScreenwritingU’s “BingeworthyTV Bootcamp.” Now, I want to return to screenwriting with a goal of writing three a year. I have written seven previous screenplays, about two of them good… 🙂

3. To be able to write well quickly. Lots of ideas in my head that need to get out!

4. I am a scratch golfer, I drive Uber for fun ($$ goes to my vacation fund), and own a social media consultancy that works with international health care non-profits (cancer orgs)

[Charles Jessen]

Hi, my name is Charles Jessen.

I was locked out of access to this forum until recently, but was getting the class emails so I have been working on the assignments for a new screenplay “House Pest” while I am refining the first draft of another screenplay, a non-Hallmark Christmas story, that I wrote the past couple months. “House Pest” will be my 9th screenplay. I wrote my first screenplay 30 years ago, read all the books, took all the seminars, yet none of these earlier scripts got made. One script was optioned 3 times, with substantial interest from name actors, but still never got made. I’m am now semi-retired and able to devout more time to the craft. Just got over a form of writer’s block that kept me from finishing scripts the past 8 years. (fear of them not selling) … Now wading through my file of 60+ screenplay and TV pilot ideas and outlines that I’ve developed over the years to determine which ones to bring to the front burner and actually write. Hoping to increase my speed of production through this class.

I live in the SF Bay Area. I was a TV commercial writer/director, private pilot and a sailor, but am taking a break from most of that to crank out work … 44 years after when I should have focused on this, but better late than never.