Introduce Yourself to the Group

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

Hi everyone,

I’ve written 5 scripts, all involving climate change — 3 sci-fi, 1 action, and a rom-com! They’ve won various contests, but have weaknesses. I hope this course will help me improve the quality of these scripts and future ones.

I’ve taken many free classes and short courses here and just finished the “Writing Incredible Movies,” an 8-month course that greatly helped me write my rom-com. And it helped me create a list of producers I can contact once the WGA strike is over.

I’m a retired anthropology professor, but have been writing fiction for decades, including a published romance, THE MARRIAGE SEASON, set in India.

Last June I attended (online) “The Hollywood Climate Summit–Writing Climate: Pitchfest for TV & Film,” and was a semi-finalist. It was really educational with great tips for climate change screenwriting. It gave me the idea for my rom-com. I’ve entered again this year with that script and hope to be a finalist, their highest award.

Lynn Vincentnathan

[Leah Gunderson]

Lynn,

Fantastic! You are really dedicated to your writing. Wishing you all the best with your next contest. It will be great to get to know you.

[Michael Wallace]

Hi everyone,

My name is Michael Wallace, I’ve written four screenplays, and have gotten good feedback, but want to make them better. I’ve taken a number of screenwriting and producing classes including the “30 day screenplay class” through Screenwriting U, which I took during the pandemic. I thought it was great and that’s why I’m back.

Looking forward to working with you.

Best, Michael Wallace

[Leah Gunderson]

Michael, it will be wonderful to get to know you. Our background in similar in that I have taken a few screenwriting courses as well. I have my own private “portfolio” of sorts, but looking forward to what I can learn from this course.

[Kathleen Martin]

Hi,

I’m Kathleen Martin and I’ve written several scripts. I hope to learn as much as possible about marketing and getting my screenplays out there. I live in Washington State where we have a State Filming Incentive Program. I’m currently enrolled in a Film Directing Class and looking forward to this class and finishing up on the other one and improving my scripts.

I just retired and now I have the time to focus on my writing and directing.

[Leah Gunderson]

Kathleen,

How awesome that you’re now retired and have time to work on your screenwriting. It seems you’ll have a lot of life experience to bring to each story. Glad to meet you.

[Beth Zurkowski]

I’m Beth Zurkowski and I’ve written 3 scripts so far from my novels. Hopefully this class will take me to the next level in my writing. I also have taken other screenwriting classes and enjoyed the craft immensely.

[Leah Gunderson]

Beth, I love your last name! How clever of you to write novels and then go an extra step by turning them into screenplays. Nice to meet you.

[Terry Hicks]

Hi all,

Terry here…. writing from the Middle Rio Grande landscape in New Mexico.

I have 5 feature length scripts in various stages and several shorts. Have worked below the line on various indie film sets as Props Master, Art Director, Set Dresser and other fun jobs. And was 1/3 of a team that wrote and produced a youtube comedic web series for 3 seasons.

My goal with this class is to elevate my skills and scripts in order to get my scripts produced.

Something perhaps unique… My background~career was in watershed ecology and restoration… and had great adventures throughout the Inter-mountain Western US. My love of the outdoors was greatly imprinted by adventures exploring the Himalayan foothills as a child.

Look forward to enjoying this class with everyone here.

[Leah Gunderson]

Terry, I can feel the evening desert breeze. My father was a botanist who worked on cattle projects in northern Africa as part of range management for AIDE and his colleague, a family friend, worked on watershed projects in Iran.

It is sad what is happening to Lake TChad and the Chari river.

It is interesting to touch water in ways that sustains ecology. I have my own theory that part of the problems with water security in northern Africa is due to the reduction of elephants and the need for proper cattle grazing, manuring techniques to generate healthy topsoil. I agree with Alan Savory regarding cattle. And I know from experience that where elephants go, water follows. So, I’m a fan of Vandana Shiva.

Nice to meet you.

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

Wow! I live in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, in Edinburg, Texas. But am currently in India where my husband has research.

And I taught several environmental courses some years ago. One reading was on a goldmine in the Colorado/New Mexico mountainous region that was very polluting.

Also, I wrote a screenplay set in Taos (at fictitious Taos University). Since I’m not that familiar with New Mexico, I had to do a lot of research….

And I did have a scene in another screenplay in the Himalayas (a glacier/flood thing), but took it out to reduce the page count and production cost.

Lynn

[Leah Gunderson]

Hello. This is Leah Gunderson. I have bunch of unfinished scripts. There are 15 of them. But no bragging rights there because I don’t think any my “scripts” are ready for market.

Honestly, I don’t really think I have been ready for me to step into that world – hence the many unfinished scripts. But I’m ready now. It’s not like I just woke up today and decided to be a screen writer. Even as a young girl, I’ve always written. I’ve always felt the presence of my audiences. However, in the last several months it is like I have awakened and realized that I’ve been preparing to be a writer for a very long time. Today, I am a writer. I’d like to share my stories with each of you.

Feedback. I want feedback from this class regarding my creative mastery.

I tend to think I am like everyone else. I admire people. Regular people are beautiful and fascinating. Uniquely, I’ve a high capacity for work. A really high capacity. I suppose it is because it feels good to my soul to solve things. Screenplays are great puzzles to sort out – well more like the way you puzzle over a poem. I think of each screenplay as one big poem.

I didn’t really intend for my scripts to be a conversation between me and my son about my life experiences and personal values I wish for him to contemplate. However, this is what they are. I enjoy hearing his thoughts and experiencing the expressions of his feelings. He reads and listens to me read my scripts. We talk. Then he usually writes a song or two on his guitar. This is special to me because I love my son and he loves me.

Strange? Well compared to the World Economic Forum can anything really be considered stranger than the rationale of “You’ll own nothing and you’ll be happy” by some global decree? I think our world has become strange. Untethered from it’s own humanity and lost in rationales that lack the requirement of reason to be rooted in healthy historical contexts. It’s like this closing of 3, 000 farms in Holland while claiming a mysterious food shortage – Stalin already tried that one. Don’t really like Stalin. Not a very good legacy left by him no matter how many statues of himself he imposed. But for some people there’s no time like the present to take up a dictatorship. It is strange to think that Charles Schwab may already have his bald image immortalized a top a 12 feet high bronze statue and yet, not one ordinary citizen will ever want it . . . or him. . . to be part of personal, everyday transactions and whereabouts.

Unusual? It’s not unusual to be loved by anyone. It’s not unusual to have fun with anyone . . . Tom Jones, baby! Maybe I’ll write a script about Tom Jones because now that I think about it, that song has a lot of codependency in it. Poor old Tommy. I really don’t want to see him cry. But I do think a lot of people do carry tremendous quantities of silenced sorrows and shame. And I do believe that stories can reach deep inside each person in each audience and bring light to those dark corridors of the heart from which a kind of flavor can be distilled. A healing tincture. An extract of joy. This is why stories are importantly powerful and fun. The Greeks got it right. The catharsis of stories can connect with emotions of pathos, logos, ethos and so much more.

I want to write many great stories. But it wouldn’t be for a catchy tune, a marble statue, acquisition of power and wealth, and not even to persuade my own son to my way of thinking. It would be for the conversation of important feedback moving in the ebb and flow of agreeing and disagreeing by way puzzling with reason, wisdom, and real experiences. Honest responses to my honest efforts in striving to live my life as a regular woman who can work really hard while hoping to do a lot of good.

[Anna Burroughs-Merrill]

“Eat ze bugs.”

[Leah Gunderson]

LOL. Great accent, but I refuse to agree. Those bugs are not reliable. Simply unreliable, I tell you! You can never trust a bug! LOL

[Leah Gunderson]

If you make Tom Jones eat ze bugs, you’re gonna see him cry!

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

Keep up the good work.

2 Tom Jones items here:

1. My granddad was named Tom Jones 😀

2. We bought a Tom Jones record (remember records) decades ago for a cheap price, played it and… it wasn’t Tom Jones singing his songs. In very small print: “To imitate him is to praise him…” 😞 But 😀 since it’s been a running joke for us over the decades.

[Leah Gunderson]

Lynn, that is a hilarious running joke! You made my day.

[Brian Walsh]

<font color=”#000000″><font size=”5″><font face=”Times New Roman, serif” style=””>Outstanding,
Leah. With so many scripts you can enhance, you’ve got a long and
probably thoroughly enjoyable road ahead in injecting them with
renewed energy and purpose. I’m eagerly looking forward to upgrading
the writing of my own scripts. I think your worldview is beautiful
and admirable. I think you might like reading J. Michael
Straczynski’s autobiography, “Becoming Superman.” The
screenwriter of “Changeling” and 92 of the 110 episodes of
his groundbreaking “novel for television” science fiction
series, “Babyon 5,” throughout his childhood he endured a
neo-Nazi, alcoholic, wife-beating father who also beat him, and a
mother who once tried to murder him. The title refers to how
Straczynski would escape into a fantasy world through comics and 60’s
sci-fi TV shows like “Lost In Space” and “Star Trek”
in order to maintain his sanity. I deeply relate to this man, as I
was going through some very difficult times after my father died when
I was 5 years old. J. Michael Straczynski’s life story, which took
him from violent abuse and poverty to A-list screenwriter is worthy
of a feature film.</font></font></font>

[Leah Gunderson]

Brian, thank you for your comments and, yes, I do want to make my scripts so much better!

You’ve introduced me to someone, J. Michael Straczynski, I think I’ll enjoy getting know.

Sincerely wishing you all the best with you scripts.

With gratitude,

Leah

[Tony Barea]

Hello everyone, I’m Tony Barea from Wollongong, Australia(just south of Sydney)

I’ve written three feature scripts, one of which has been optioned. I am here to tighten up my other two features and have them in a stronger place by the end of this course.

I work from a place of transformation. I have a lived experience with mental illness I am nine years sober this month. I am also a public speaker. I do community outreach Lived Experience presentations on breaking down depression and mental illness for a large non-profit organisation.

Prior to dedicating myself to acting and writing, I worked as a Service Station(Gas Station) operator for ten years.

[Leah Gunderson]

Tony, so nice to meet you. Congrats on your sobriety and understandings of mental illness. Indeed you are familiar with transformation. It will be great working with you.

[Tony Barea]

Thank you Leah

I look forward to sharing this experience with you.

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

My nephew (originally from India) lives in a Sydney suburb and works at a bank. He was into movie making, but gave up well before moving to Australia…

He’s now into Buddhism, to the consternation of his Catholic mom, but I think it helps him. Sort of.

[Yannis Zafeiriou]

Hi there everyone!

I’m a filmmaker (writer, director, editor), and also very excited to be here.

Have written several short screenplays, a pilot, and two features (though currently working on more).

I hope to learn all the different ways in which I can increase the quality of my writing, and develop tools to better collaborate with producers and their notes.

I’m originally from Athens, Greece, and I’ve been living and working in LA since 2011. I also have a thing for penguins, but it’s strictly platonic, I promise 🙂

Looking forward to learning (and working!) with all of you,

Yanni

[Leah Gunderson]

Yanni, It will be great working with you and learning more about penguins. LOL.

Penguins are fascinating birds. It makes me think of how people look like their dogs. Do you waddle? Do you prefer frozen fish? Ahh. . . you love frigid, cold water! Can’t get enough of snow? You really like black and white films? Your fancy dress is actually tuxedos? Ok. Enough with the penguins, man!

I’ve never met a filmmaker. Nice to meet you.

[Yannis Zafeiriou]

Leah,

It’s very good to meet you too!

I think I might have been a penguin in a previous life, because I hate the cold with a fury of a dozen lifetimes. If anything, I’m like those penguins who live in the tropics! hahaha

[Leah Gunderson]

Ahh! Got it. You’re a sunny-Greek-penguin kind of guy with epigenetically inherited traumas of sub-zero temperatures. How ever did you leave balmy Greece? So brave. Yep. You are a very brave to have moved to another beach. LOL

[Tamra Teig]

Hi there,

I’m Tamra Teig, I’ve written three features (1 for hire) and two pilots.

One of my features is optioned by a two-time Academy Award nominee,and I’m hoping to use the time during the strike to learn techniques to elevate my writing, especially deepening characters and adding sub-text to dialogue. Ultimately I’m hoping to get staffed, so want to get my scripts to the point that they’re compelling writing samples.

Something unique about me: I lived as an expat for three years in Paris.

[Leah Gunderson]

Tamra, good for you! You have accomplished so much already.

I do wonder if you’ve watched some of the footage about the strikes in Paris. There is one in which there are literally three barrels in the street a flame with roaring fires and in the store front is a waiter meticulously arranging a cafe table. In a French accent it made me think, “Zut alors! Flames must wait! But of course if it barely 7 o’clock. Time for cafe. A bit of baguette. Perhaps some music. Viva la France . . . apres collation du soir!

Looking forward to working with you.

[Tamra Teig]

Thanks Leah!

I’ve forgotten most of my French–still miss living in Europe. Interested to know your “French Connection…”

[Leah Gunderson]

I’ve forgotten most of my French as well. But I did just start learning it again via Rosetta. I lived in N’Djamena, TChad for a few years as a young girl. So, what I do remember I pronounce with a north African accent!

[Anna Burroughs-Merrill]

Hi everyone!

I’ve written 3 scripts and a (mostly) completed first season of a television series. I’m primarily a fiction writer, but I like SU classes because Hal is SUCCINCT and teaches you how to get the job done (unlike those dreadfully boring “literary fiction” naval-gazing classes).

I’ve got a grand finale due for my epic fantasy series / the last season of my roughed-out proposed television series and have been STUCK. Hoping this class will kick me in the pants, give me some ideas, get me over the writers-block hump. Got some great “cinematic scenes” and not enough glue to pull it all together into a coherent story.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by  Anna Burroughs-Merrill.

[Leah Gunderson]

Anna,

You are ambitious! But sorry to hear you’ve run out of glue. No need to worry, I bet Hal can get you some from Wal-mart. No worries. You’ll be fine. hahaha

Looking forward to working and learning with you.

[Leah Gunderson]

Anna, I keep thinking about the “glue” because I don’t think you’re out of anything. As I kept thinking about needing the thing to keep it all together, my breath shortened and I felt a sort of panic on the cusp falling apart so that a truth can come forth.

Strangely here is what came to mind as if a character were speaking:

“I can’t remember everything. Sometimes I remember an age, but that’s too personal like something that belonged to me. To my past. I go there to look at the pieces, but they are too scattered. Everywhere I see bits of my shattered self and I try to remember everything. But I fail.

It’s like swimming up from a dark place while running out of air. Just as my face almost breaks the surface, I am pulled back down. So, I don’t breathe. Instead, I try to remember. I need to know. To know myself. I wonder when I’ll break through. But I’m patient. . . I’m also really good at holding my breath.”

Maybe all you need is a process. I don’t think you’re out of anything.

[Anna Burroughs-Merrill]

My biggest problem has been distraction. 🙂

[Leah Gunderson]

I hear you on that one. Lovely distractions. I got all set up for this course yesterday and then out of no where I almost watched Twilight. TWILIGHT! I was actually turning off the TV and there it was one click away. Distraction is the thief of time and energy, yet always so inviting – even if it presents something like Twilight. Gosh, I feel so much better because of this confession. Dodged that wooden stake and silver bullet.

[Gary Sales]

GREETINGS ALL:

I’m Gary Sales

I’ve written at least 5 features and several short play/scripts and collaborated on several well I’ve also produced/ADd a number of features, TV series, music videos and commercials.

I hope to sharpen my eyes & ears for quality technique and brevity over volume when it comes to dialogue and description.

Not sure how to express my specialité, as it were, other than that I’ve been making movies, TV, music videos and commercials, and media for over 40 years. My first feature was a cult classic 80s slasher called, MADMAN, which hit #10 on the Variety Top 50 alongside, ET, which was #9. MADMAN has been streaming since 2011 and is still in streaming distribution, loved and respected by horror fans around the world. I’m now represented by Anonymous Content, along with a writing partner/director, to do a very special, highly meta, “inspired-by” version of the original MADMAN. A compelling piece of movie trivia is that the writing partner mentioned above is actually the son of the actor who played MADMAN and was born in 1980 right in the middle of our seminal shot and now he’s all “growed up” and following in our footsteps.

I’m also a musician who leans towards electronic music and the 1980 MADMAN production was the first Horror Movie ever to have a wall-to-wall electronic music soundtrack. It was out on the MONDO label in a double vinyl album until recently and it will be out again soon in release on my own label, LEGEND LIVES CAPTURE COMPANY.

I look forward to fitting this SU class into my schedule and letting it juice me up on a new script I’m bringing to completion and another that I’ve just begun.

[Leah Gunderson]

Gary,

Sounds like you are enjoying your life of screen writing! Just wonderful.

But even better that you are continuing to seek inspiration. Good for you.

It will be great to get to know you through learning and growing in this class.

[Ananda Lo]

Greetings Everyone!

My name is Ananda. I’ve written close to 10 scripts all within the genre of magical realism. I hope to take my writing to a top tier level. I’m a yoga teacher and a wild herbal forager! I’m looking forward to working with you all!

[Leah Gunderson]

Ananda, so nice to meet you. While I’m not really familiar with magical realism and would love to learn more.

Looking forward to working with you as we learn from this class.

[Leo Sopicki]

Leo Sopicki

I’ve completed five feature length screenplays and a bunch of shorts. I’ve produced some short films, some of which have won awards. By taking this course, I hope to refine my techniques and to deliver finished products more systematically and quickly.

Unusual? I also write about movies, music and tech. I have close to 500 reviews posted at https://blogcritics.org/author/LeoOfMars/.

[Leah Gunderson]

Leo, so nice to meet you.

Though I really don’t know anything about astrology, I was born in August and so I am a Leo as well!

Like you, I am looking forward to learning how to create more scripts of high quality more systematically in less time.

Looking forward to working with throughout this class.

[YoungJames Kenny]

Hello,

My name is YoungJames Kenny aka Jimmy. I am a Brooklyn, New Yorker. I teach Film at CUNY/College of Staten Island. I’ve written two feature film scripts and a TV Pilot and an accompanying Series Bible. I haven’t written in a while. I’m hoping this class gets my juices flowing again. I look forward to experiencing everyone’s work.

[Leah Gunderson]

Hello, Jimmy. Nice to meet you. It sounds like the schedule of this course will get your creative mojo going. All the best and looking forward to getting to know you and your work. Go Jimmy!

[Jo Nickel]

Hello Everyone. Jo here from the Sandhills of Nebraska where cows out number people 5 to 1. I am a small cattle and horse rancher and a retired Prof. of English, Speech and Theatre. I have written 5 scripts that might have promise; almost all are a product of one or more of Hal and Cheryl’s classes. I was just getting into the habit of writing every day when in ’19 we had a death in the family, I contacted Covid in ’20, I suffered a broken hip in ’21 and I had knee surgery in ’22. Through this class I intend to get back into writing in general and working on at least one of my scripts that might have potential as a contest entry.

[Leah Gunderson]

Hi, Jo,

I really like Hal and Cheryl’s classes as well. Their approach makes it easier to transform abstract concepts into tangible writing. You can pencil it on the page and see it. I like that these classes are not just about a story, but rather about the craft of storytelling that can be mastered by implementing various writing processes to generate many great stories.

I love horses. Have your hip and knee heeled up so that you can ride your horses?

Looking forward to hearing your stories. I bet they are really good.

[Jeremy Cooke]

Good Morning all,

My name is Jerry and I live in Donaghadee, Ireland – try saying that with your mouth full.

I’ve been writing Feature, TV, Stageplays for years but, as yet, the world has failed to recognize my genius – the rotters.

I took the “Writing Horror” course a few years ago and the result was placed in the Fade-In 2023 Shorts. That’s given me a bit of a boost so I though I’d take this class to polish up something that I’m currently working on.

It’s a TV-hour ghost story set in a small fishing village in Victorian Ireland but still needs the dialogue added.

The most unusual thing about me is my optimism, or blind stupidity, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.

[Leah Gunderson]

Oh, Jeremy you wee tyke! The whole of life’s ahead for you! You’re but a lad.

I had my own horror story last night. I’ve been under the weather and hadn’t really eaten much yesterday. Around 10pm or so I thought I’d boil up some eggs to make an egg salad sandwich or something like that for today. I dozed off while waiting for the water to boil.

I awakened paralyzed with fear in the dark of night a few hours later knowing that someone was in my kitchen. It sounded like someone bumped into the table and jolted it. Then it sounded like someone stubbed a boot into a wall. I was certain an intruder was in my kitchen.

Then I heard a pop! As happens in all horror movies, I had to look. I cautiously peered around the kitchen doorway. It was the half dozen egg grenades exploding from a dry pan. No egg salad sandwich for this young lady!

Looking forward to learning with you in this class.

[Angelina Fluehler]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Angelina and I am based in Switzerland.

During the last 6 months I have taken few classes with Hal so far, which resulted into my first and ambitious Sci-Fi Action screenplay. Of course it took me 6 years to cook the idea behind. Personally I value very much Hal’s teaching skills, which made it finally possible.

I have submitted my screenplay to few competitions, but honestly, it is an earlier draft still and the quality is about 60%. That is why, as the outcome of this class I would like to elevate the quality of my screenplay. As I received few feedbacks by now I know what I exactly should be focused on. My specific goal is to climb to the Top of The Black List with it.

Cheers

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by  Angelina Fluehler.

[Leah Gunderson]

Angelina,

Go for it. Sounds like this class is very timely for where you are as a writer.

It will be wonderful for both of us to improve our writing and enter the market with scripts that place in the top 1-3%.

Really excited for you and wishing you all the best.

[Jack Sherry]

Jack Sherry

2. How many scripts you’ve written? 11

3. What you hope to get out of the class? Better Skills

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you?

Unique – I spent 7 years helping to produce (credited as Associate Producer) a documentary about how the Masters Golf Tournament originated then experienced how it was sold to and aired on CBS

Special – I independently produced and then sold four documentaries to Discovery Channel

Unusual – I’m a former magician and still a member of The Magic Castle in L.A.

[Leah Gunderson]

Jack, nice to meet you.

Sounds like you have some solid experience there in your resume – plus a bit of magic!

Looking forward to working and learning with you.

[Patricia Milton]

I’m Patricia Milton. I’m a playwright who has been produced widely, in the US, Canada, Turkey, and Denmark. 100’s of short scripts and a dozen full-lengths.

I strongly believe in constantly honing my dramatization skills, and I’m sure to learn strategies that I can apply to playwriting.

I once worked with a serial killer.

[Leah Gunderson]

Patricia,

One dynamic I truly appreciate about writers is the desire to continually improve. My son would call this trait “humbility”. This is an interlacing of humbleness with humility. An open mind-set.

It will be wonderful to get to know you and work with you in this class.

[Alfred Dunham]

I am Alfred Eugene Dunham, Jr. My wife calls me Alfred, but many of my friends know me as Gene. I’ve written one novel and five screenplays, and I am currently writing a contained script. I was also Editor of Model Yachting for eight years, back in the 1980s and 90s.

I seem to be writing at or around the quarterfinalist level in screenplay competitions but that isn’t good enough. I hope to elevate my writing to a level where I get optioned, produced, and/or represented. This won’t be easy, I know. I had a stroke two years ago, which ended forty years of dentistry, andIhad to re-teach myself to type. And I’m 83.

I have an M.A. in molecular biology, a Ph.D. in molecular genetics [which I refused — long story], and a D.D.S. degree. Twenty-eight years of my dental career was in a psychiatric hospital/prison facility, and twenty-one of those years was as President of the Medical Staff. Oddly, I wrote a psychiatrist into one of my scripts and was told by a critic that he sounded more like a priest than a doctor. He was modeled after a colleague and friend of mine. LOL

I also still race radio-control “model” sailboats every Tuesday afternoon.

[Leah Gunderson]

Alfred Gene, you are an inspiration!

It will truly be an honor to work and learn with you in this class.

Looking forward.

[Divyang Golani]

Hi everyone,

I’m Divyang.

I’ve written two feature scripts. Both of them are elevated horror stories.

I’ve received criticism that while my concept and plot are original, the character and dialogue need work. So I’m here to brush up my character and dialogue writing skills.

I just graduated medical school last year. But my dream is to write and make movies. I’m an introvert. But over the course of last two years, I’ve developed an interest in mountain climbing and hope to climb Mount Everest one day. Probably because I watched Free Solo documentary last year. That’s what a good movie does. It effects your soul so deeply and ends up changing you forever. Hope, I can make movies like that one day.

Anyways, I look forward to working with you all!

[Leah Gunderson]

Divyang,

Congrats on your recent graduation and congrats on following your desire to write amazing movies.

I look forward to seeing your characters and dialogue improve ten fold!

This is going to be fun!

[David Penn]

Hello fellow writers…

1. David Agnew Penn

2. Somewhere north of 30

3. Improve my craft

4. I worked a summer job as a traveling carnie (egads!), sold newspapers door-to-door during the LA riots (had to hide out till the van picked me up), and spent 6 months in Costa Rica (pura vida:)

[Leah Gunderson]

David, very nice to meet you.

I am curious though. Because of your last name, do you actually write with a pen or do you prefer a pencil? Of course, I’m just teasing. I tend to like surnames and for a writer you have a great one.

Looking forward to working and learning with you in this class. All the best to your writing ambitions.

[David Penn]

Nice to meet you, Leah… I prefer writing on my laptop:) Penn is my (ahem) pen name, a moniker given to me in my college days due to my Pennsylvania roots… funny story: during the 2000 Democratic Convention, I had the pleasure of driving Sean Penn around and, because of my nom de plume, I was mistaken for his brother. I didn’t bother to correct the misinformed.

[Leah Gunderson]

LOL! Very funny.

[Angelina Fluehler]

Thank you, Leah,

In fact that was an excellent timing for the classes I took so far. I am very happy that they introduced classes on demand.

Cheers

[Roger Tribble]

1. Name? Roger Tribble

2. How many scripts you’ve written? 4 with my wife, 1 myself & another in process

3. What you hope to get out of the class? A hell of a lot! Improve my writing; Narrative; Composition; Dialogue; Character Development; How to Integrate science and education knowledge into writing a story.

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you? Atheist until numerous Spiritual experiences convinced me otherwise; Career in R&D in Metallurgical mining – holistic; At-risk youth integrate with companies — On-The-Job-Training; Very effective — from insane childhood. More “stuff”.

[Leah Gunderson]

Roger, very nice to meet you as well.

Looks like we have a great group of people in this course.

Looking forward to working and learning with you.

[Joy Smith]

Hello! I’m usually Joy Smith, except that makes me impossible to find, so I’m Joy Geldard-Smith (my maiden name)

I’ve written about 6 or 7 scripts, but after taking the Writing Assignments class have decided to specialise in Romcoms, which I have 2 completed and one in progress.

I hope to elevate the quality of my writing, so that it’s easier for me to attract producers, either for writing assignments or with my spec scripts.

It’s not unique, but I’m British, so apologies in advance for the kooky spellings that might make their way into my posts. It’ll also mean I’m late to the party with the assignments, as they arrive in the middle of the night UK time.

A family member is having an operation on Thursday, so there’s a chance I’ll get a bit behind during the week they’re in hospital, but I will definitely get myself caught up – these classes are too good to miss!

My name is a little unique – I have it because I’m basically a rainbow baby before that term came about. I have an older sister, then my Mum miscarried, then had me and was so happy she called me Joy. The funny thing is that I have a ‘surprise’ younger brother… and he’s just called Robin for no reason at all!

Looking forward to working with you all over the next few weeks.

[Leah Gunderson]

Hello, Joy.

Romcoms . . . you’ll be the next Nora Ephron! Fantastic.

Hope all goes well at hospital and it will be great to get to know you.

[Crosby Hill]

Hello everyone!

I’m a writer that would like to increase my creative writing ability.

I have no professional experience but would love to write develop and produce.

I broke my back two years ago and I am an amateur powerlifter/entrepreneur.

[Leah Gunderson]

Crosby,

So nice to meet you!

Like you, I’m hoping to put in the work to move to a professional level.

It will be wonderful to learn with you in this class.

[Rodger Plack]

Hello, my name is Rodger. I live in Saint Louis. I have written a comedy short and working on a series. I am continuing to learn this craft. I am still in what I feel is the novice stage. I am in this course to challenge my writing and thinking. To gain more expertise and to look at writing differently.

[Leah Gunderson]

Good day to you, Roger,

My guess is that many of us in this class are solid novices.

But even a novice is in the field 🙂

That’s how I look at it.

Looking forward to learning better writing processes along with you as we progress towards professionalism in this class.

[Rebecca Semik]

1. Rebecca

2. How many scripts you’ve written? 5+ features 10+ shorts 4+ teleplays

3. What you hope to get out of the class? I hope to use this to help me polish up a script for a contest submission.

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you? Virgo, black belt in taekwondo, non-profit professional

[Leah Gunderson]

Rebecca,

Well, I would think your non-profits are well protected with you having a black belt in taekwondo. I’m only teasing. It’s just the first thing that came to mind – a sweet humanitarian that no one messes with.LOL

Looking forward to getting to know you.

[Susan Silver]

Hello,

My name is Susan. I’ve written a drama script, a TV pilot about immigration, and an adaptation. In this class I hope to become one of the top 1% writers of the world, of course!

I dream in subtitles.

Looking forward to working with you all!

[Leah Gunderson]

Susan,

Awesome dreams! Can’t say I ever dream in subtitles, but I do have dreams that wake me up because I’m laughing so hard.

One time I dreamt I won American Idol singing the theme song to Sponge Bob Square Pants. My hair extensions were marvelous and I had the entire audience on their feet! LOL. Yep.

All the best to you getting to the top 1% with subtitles and me getting there with a theme song. And all while sleeping! Who knew?

So if you dream in subtitles, then your dreams could be in any language, right? Wow! Better than Rosetta.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by  Leah Gunderson.
• This reply was modified 2 years ago by  Leah Gunderson.

[Edward Richards]

My name is Edward Richards. I live in Sydney. After a long career as a copywriter, I got retired. Screenwriting seemed like a logical extension, apart from the fact that there was no brief, no budget and no deadline! I have written seven screenplays, all features, most of them comedy. One was a finalist at Austin Film Festival.

I was sold on this course by the thought that if I were lucky enough to sell a screenplay, I would have the tools to deal with any notes I received. And so be able to stay on the case.

Years ago, I had a golf book published. At the time, I thought that finding a publisher seemed like the hardest challenge I’d faced. That was before I started screenwriting.

[Leah Gunderson]

Edward,

Nice to meet you.

With the time differance, I believe my good morning is the midle of the nyght for you. (Dang! I put in typos just to bring you back to your good ol’ days, but the darn auto-edit is underlining them.)

I agree with you that a movie is certainly not about selling anyone on the capital “MY” ideas. The whole thing happens through collaboration. It is a refining process seeking adaptability until the appeal of the story merits the budget. Not that I’m an expert, but I am a solid novice. LOL.

It seems obvious to me that the more fun and fascinating and effective the creative process is for everyone involved the better chances there are for a script to make it all the way through production with another opportunity for what’s in your portfolio . . . and then there’s the merchandising, Comic Con appearances . . . work, work work. LOL I actually think you’ll be comforted by plenty of deadlines. LOL

[Brenda Boddy]

My name is Brenda Boddy. I’ve written 5 scripts. Two features and several pilots. My goal is to elevate the scripts I’ve written, and become a top writer, before cranking out more scripts that aren’t at the level they need to be.

After taking several classes from Cheryl and Hal, one of my features are hitting semi-finalist level from multiple sources, a tribute to how well these classes work. I am enjoying the journey.

[Leah Gunderson]

Brenda,

Congratulations on one of your features hitting the semi-finalist level. What a wonderful accomplishment for you and your mentors.

Looking forward to getting to know you.

[Brian Walsh]

I was born and raised in Lynn,
Massachusetts but currently live in Jackson, Michigan.

I am the author of the self-published,
award-winning epic debut novel, “The Last Angel To Fall” and its
sequel, “A Cold Day In Hell.” Kirkus Reviews called my debut
novel “A powerhouse first volume in a supernatural thriller
series.” “The Last Angel To Fall” was also the
recipient of the Gold Award from Literary Titan for September 2021.
Readers Favorite awarded it with a 5-Star Review: “Brian G.
Walsh is a master of symbolism and the deconstructing of scriptural
wordplay with the imagination to pull it all together.” Sheena
Monnin, Founder of Stellar Media Group, wrote: “”Rarely does a
book so thoroughly captivate and enthrall in its entirety the way
this book does!”

I am also the author of “No Place
For Mercy: An Eclectic Anthology” that has been well-received by
readers, some of whom compared certain stories to the writing of
Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, Rod
Serling and Dean Koontz.

I am a three-time screenwriting
fellowship & contest finalist , screenwriting consultant,
screenwriting instructor, script coverage provider and script reader
for four international screenplay contests. (FULL DISCLOSURE: The
fellowships were minor contests and are no longer active. The contest
finalist was the Creative World Awards Competition.) One scriptwas an
animal horror, another an action-thriller and the third a
supernatural-thriller.

I was the subject of a feature story on
Mlive.com regarding the presentation trailer I directed for a sci-fi
action-thriller I wrote that was a 2014 Scriptapalooza
Quarter-Finalist.

I also wrote a feature story for
Metromode Media regarding independent filmmaking in Michigan.

I previously worked for the largest
medical malpractice defense law firm in the United States as a
Special Assistant and spent a brief time working for a local Fair
Housing Center as an Investigations Coordinator researching housing
discrimination complaints.

For real-life experience, while
researching the racially-charged, character-driven
supernatural-thriller “Fury,” which was chosen a Finalist
in the Creative World Awards, I enrolled in the Citizen’s Police
Academy hosted by the Jackson, Michigan, Police Department, which
involved lessons regarding all levels of police work and included a
ride-along with a patrol officer on Halloween.

[Leah Gunderson]

Hello, Brian.

You have an impressive resume.

Sounds like you are just getting started.

All the best and looking forward to working and learning with you in this class.

[Brian Walsh]

I’ve still got a lot to learn, Leah, and I’ll keep looking for ways to improve my writing. Once in a while I get complacent, and the writing suffers. I need continuing education to prevent that and to inject me with renewed purpose and energy. I think we’re all going to benefit immensely from this class.

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

Impressive accomplishments.

You mentioned J. Michael Straczynski to Leah, so I looked him up on IMDbPro. I missed Babylon 5 — we didn’t have cable then. But I saw that he is doing a remake of FORBIDDEN PLANET. I saw that in the theater as a 9 yr old kid in 1956 and it scared the bejiggers out of me — gave nightmares for a month because of that terrible invisible monster. A screenwriting friend told some years back that it was based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which I read in college. And also some Freudian stuff, I think the monster representing the id.

Gotta see the remake when it comes out.😨

[Brian Walsh]

Lynn, unfortunately the Forbidden Planet remake appears to be dead. From what I’ve read, it wasn’t a remake, it was more like a prequel, focusing on the Bellerophon mission that Leslie Nielsen’s crew went looking for in Forbidden Planet. That sounds like it would make a great film where they would find the ancient advanced city and the terror hidden there.

[Roger Tribble]

Having computer issues. Ugh! I might have already posted.

Roger Tribble

I have worked with my wife on 4 screenplays; One on my own; currently have one in process. What I want to get from the class — Become a better writer; understand as many aspects of Screenwriting as possible. Background in Mental health field; Followed by working with unemployed and underemployed folks. Connect them with best fit to businesses for on-the-job-training. This was a private company working a federal grant. Thank god I had a severe childhood trauma. Difficult — but this allowed me to connect with folks from all backgrounds. I was crazy god at this. Helped so many folks. The woo-woo part – I didn’t feel I was working. Next into work with at risk youth in high schools in San Francisco. Same — did not feel like I was working. This program then came in number one of 22 (or 24) operations in major cities.

Recently I was in charge of R&D on recovery techniques on complex ores. Quite a change — amazing challenge.

I love creative work. (play). I have always written nonfiction. I had no idea I can write fiction (with technical input, cell biology, metallurgy, multiple analytic devices, etc). I love the “teachers” and the dedication they have. Took classes from them a few years ago. Have groan as a writer — but still a beginner. (really).

I’m already behind in the lessons. AND I’m taking another course on the 15th.
This fiction writing is quit a challenge.

Thank you for reading my intro.

[Heather Hood]

Hi Everyone,

I’m Heather, getting to be a longtime student here at SU. So far I’ve taken the Profound Screenplay course and the Re-write course as well as the Writing Incredible Movies. And a few others. I’ve written around 10 scripts, and every new one is a lot easier with all the things I’ve learned here.

I have a lot of experience with the production side of things: costuming and directing, but i really enjoy the creative side too. I look forward to meeting everyone here!

[Leah Gunderson]

Heather,

So nice to meet you.

Sounds like you are a fan of ScreenwritingU.

It will be great to get to know you.

[Paco Madden]

1. Name?
Hello, everyone my name is Paco Jose Madden. I’m originally from Washington, DC, but now living in Tempe, AZ.

2. How many scripts you’ve written?
I’ve written over 10 screenplays/TV pilots and specs in multiple genres, though now I am primarily focusing on sci-fi. I’m also a playwright.

3. What you hope to get out of the class?
Simply to improve my writing. I am working on TV pilot with a literary manager. She hasn’t signed me yet but has agreed to read over my work. So I want to send her the best drafts as possible.

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you?
I was once a sword-fighter for one season at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

[Leah Gunderson]

Hello, Paco!

Pleasure to meet you.

Looking forward to learning and working with you in the class.

All the best with your projects and ambitions.