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Introduce Yourself to the Group
Hi everyone,
I'm glad you've joined us for the class.
To start the class out, please introduce yourself below. That will give you a chance to be part of this group and learn how the forums work.
Tell us the following:
1. Name?
2. How many scripts you've written?
3. What you hope to get out of the class?
4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you?We look forward to working with you all!
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42 Replies
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Good morning. As today is National Screenwriters Day, it seems only fitting that we start this new class on this occasion. My name is Rene Steinhauer. And I’m a screenwriter.
I’ve written 1.5 screenplays.
The first screenplay was The Quit Coach. A bullheaded Marine veteran starts a business in Japan without a clue about its culture, clashing with the harmony of Japanese life as his hotheaded ways land him in a battle—not just to master basics like using the toilet, but to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend from the Yakuza. – The Quit Coach.
The screenplay I am currently writing is ShitStorm. When a catastrophic bacterial storm causes global sewage explosions and collapses sanitation systems, a shy teen inventor and a fearless cheerleader student pilot steal a small plane to deliver their unlikely discovery to skeptical scientists—only to land in the middle of a tense standoff between scientists racing for a precise solution and the military pushing for a devastating nuclear strike that could end modern life as we know it.- ShitStorm
As for my other writing experience, I have written non-fiction. I’ve written a few books and published two. I have written scores of magazine articles on a wide variety of subjects ranging from skydiving to leadership to medicine. I’ve published peer-reviewed articles in medical journals and even one physics journal. Until recently, I never considered writing fiction. I have to say, I’ve been enjoying the process. Where else can you take a weekend to burn down the city of Waco, Texas and not end up incarcerated?
I’m taking this class so I can learn about the process of screenwriting. It’s not just telling a story. It’s selling the story. And it has to be written in a way that sells. For example, I’m working on a scene where a teenage boy and girl have stolen an airplane. The original concept was a damned “love fest.” They both liked the idea. Where is the conflict? Most of my life, I have worked to avoid conflict. Now, I have to invent it. So, now these kids are having conflict all the way to the crash site. I must be learning something to make such a change. I expect to learn more. It’s great if I want to tell stories around a campfire of prior adventures, but if I want to sell stories, I need to learn to be a professional screenwriter.
I’m 58 years old and recently retired from emergency medicine as a nurse practitioner. I started as a paramedic, then flight nurse, then nurse practitioner. But more than practicing medicine, I was a professional adventurer. I chose medicine as my instrument for adventure. My goal was to practice medicine on all seven continents. I completed that in 2005. My career has taken me from remote research stations at the South Pole to cruise ships in the South Pacific. I’ve practiced combat medicine in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa. Mission trips have taken me to the Amazon jungle and refugee camps around the world. As such, I have a few stories to tell and a few peculiar characters to share with the world.
So here I am. Looking to learn and looking to share. I look forward to meeting all of you online and perhaps, someday, even in person.
Mr. Rene Steinhauer
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Hi Rene! Great Bio👍
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Hi Rene,
Wow! You must have many lifetimes worth of stories to tell! Re my musical: not sure I will finish this work in this class but have had a future sitcom in mind for years and feel compelled/confident now to develop it! It is very challenging to me, and I think this class is the venue to push me (in all the right [write] places😂. I have a good working title and a concept which may be a high one, not sure yet.
Talk soon! Nice to meet you in the class!
-Dawn -
Wow! Rene, you’re amazing! If you had left your info, I’d keep it for consultations on the myriad experiences you’ve had!
–H. B. Faulkner
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Hi, my name is John Kim.
I am a writer and a director.
I have written 3 scripts so far, two of them were made.
I hope this class help me complete the screenplay I am currently working on. -
Greetings Everyone!
Dawn, here.
I have written 5 features, working on a t.v, and hoping to finish a crazy musical.
Life got in the way so hoping to get back on track and get back into the “game.”
Wishing all the VERY BEST to all my fellow classmates!
Knowledge is power so hoping to get as much of that as possible!-
I like musicals. Tell us more about it.
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Rene,
The musical is a tragic one but of love, compassion, and hope. A young artist who after yet another gallery rejection is struck by a bus, suffers a traumatic brain injury, abused and mistreated in a mental hospital, yet continues to create art. A compassionate Janitor secretly alerts NY Art scene where a young, beautiful socialite has yet to discover the artist’s true condition.”
I also write music, so am writing the scores. It has some crazy, even a little disturbing pieces, and other warm, gentle, beautiful ones.
The story of the artist is based on a true story, and was told to my mother when I was a child. I never forgot it. Fifty years later, I am on it😇.
What are you working on?
-Dawn-
Your musical sounds awesome!
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My name is Tommy Hogan and have written 1 script which did not sell so I laid the pen down too long. I ran an ad agency in LA and San Francisco for years and wrote, directed and produced countless radio and television commercials. Not sexy but it paid the bills. I am very creative but life got in the way of my passion – to write full time. Now that I have, sold the agency, retired and moved to the suburbs of Austin, I have the time and resources to focus solely on writing, I am hopeful that this will give me the shove I need to get back in the fast lane and start writing consistently.
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Michael Williamsen. ScreenwritingU has been my go-to for 3 full scripts and 6 books (3 published and 2 unfinished.) My first publishing was in real rstate trade magazines. I love the discipline and structure of movie writing such as outlines, character development, and setups. I believe I took this course a few years ago before AI. A few SU AI courses got me a bit addicted to ChatGTP! I have no doubt this course will take me to more levels in being a writing junkie!!
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This reply was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by Michael Williamsen.
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This reply was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by
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Hello fellow scriptwriters!! Happy Script Writing Day. Well, this day has finally come and now we are off to the races, a day I have been waiting for a long time.
My name is Russel Traher. I have been a reading and writing fan of Hal and Cheryl for over 15 years. I have followed both of them as I have tried to develop the perfect script. I haven’t made it yet, but I am hopeful this class will help me take the next step and maybe this time it will finally come to fruition. Hal’s screenwriting classes are a well thought out and very methodical in help writers come up with a new idea, develop it, write it and ultimately turn it into a living story that people everywhere will enjoy. I am probably not the only one in this class who has taken one of Hal’s classes. So, hello to everyone and hope at some point I get to meet all of you.
I have written about 7 scripts. Two of them were made. One was a children’s challenge for writing a script that had 10 children, all under 10 and they all had to speak and act in it. It was quite a challenge, but it was a lot of fun. My whole family and many relatives helped me make it. The second one was written and made and premiered at ComiCon 2016 in Phoenix, Az. I did not win the grand prize but came in second. The other scripts I developed were exercises and class projects from some of Hal’s classes.
My hope in this class is to finally commit and follow through for reading every day’s lesson, study it, develop any material that is requested and by the end of this course create and complete a fascinating script that I can play a part in making.
I recently retired and now I have lots of time to spend as much time as I want on writing scripts. I am fortunate to have a lot of film making equipment and will try to test out some of my script ideas with a short video. Nothing better than to see it in action. -
Hello, Writers,
Finally I got into the site. For some reason all I could get was a buffering circle. Just now a break through. Very excited. I’ve written about ten screenplays, several have landed in competitions. I also wrote a novel. LESSONS FROM THE GYPSY CAMP, which was published. I’ve adapted it into a screenplay. Several of my short stories have been published and strangely enough, wrote a poem that went platinum on an Alicia Keys Album, Elements of Freedom.I’ve made two award-winning short films. I loved the process.
I’m here because I want to learn what is marketable and I want to write a marketable script through this process.
Happy New Year to you all and ONWARD!
Elizabeth Appell -
Welcome to the group. I look forward to getting to know you better.
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Thank you. I look forward to meeting everyone and working my tail off!
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It sounds like an interesting story. My current project is ShitStorm. It’s a comedy disaster movie. I like those types of movies. It’s just a fun project. I look forward to getting to know you during this course.
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I was thinking… One script, “Shit Storm”, and now this one, “Fire Storm.” what is your working title for the action fire-starter one?
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Hi all,
1. My name is Joe McGloin
2. I’ve written 8 scripts (that could still use a polish or 2) with 2 more in early (outline) stages, and have had one screenplay optioned
3. Since my “Achilles heel” is writing screenplays WAY too slowly, I hope to obtain AI tools to help me increase my speed so I am competitive in the market.
4. I truly enjoy living in Minneapolis, where the current temperature is 4. Go figure.-
Hi Joe,
Welcome! And hope you meet all your goals with this class!
Cheers!,
-Dawn
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Thanks, Dawn, and I wish the same for you. Great to be at the beginning of this course with a group of committed writers. Lots of exciting possibilities for all of us.
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Hi Folks, I’m having a bit of trouble following where to add responses to the Forum. Currently, I am in Module 2 Lesson 2 but there is no section for that. Anyway, glad to be here. I’ve written five feature film scripts, one limited series, and hundreds of documentary narrations as a writer and producer for over 40 years in the television industry. My skills have been well used producing docos the History Channel, PBS, and NASA. Now I’m jumping into feature film narratives and these lessons help me understand and master the language and skillset. Let’s have some fun and make movies.
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Hi Douglas, glad to see/have you in our group! Bravo on all the experience! That should serve you well in scriptwriting.
Cheers!,
-Dawn-
I suppose we lost the personal interaction when we purchased the discounted course😂. Okay, I’ve had my fun, now back to work! Good luck to all!
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Dawn,
I suspect you’re right. It would be great if we were told though. Kinda feels humiliating writing to a phantom instructor/ assignment reader. I feel kind of disrespected.But, I’m learning a lot that was never covered in other screenwriting classes I had in college and fim school.
–H. B.-
We’d get Hal’s attention, and rather quickly 😂, if we requested a 25% refund as we were NOT informed that there would be no interaction with him or his co-hort. We were NOT informed in Hal’s sales pitch on a recorded program, that there would not be interaction. The ruse of sending our homework in is a waste of time. Send it to yourself, it will mean more. Upcoming classes of interest: NOW we are wise!
UpSide: the lessons are a bit long-winded (beating a dead horse), but there is valuable knowledge and Hal’s experience, so what price can we put on this?
In the future, we realize that Hal’s courses are a recording only.
ok, that’s my take, like it or not, my take.😁🦉🦊😎-
I’m really appreciating the content at least. But not obtaining human interaction when we were led to believe (by the very fact that there are “deadlines” and instruction to post assignments) that there would be…this truly took the wind out of my motivational sails a few days ago. I immediately wondered if my hopes for guidance in marketing myself (receiving coaching in the actually pitching, not just theoretically/informatively) were in vain. That really hit.
It was then that this statement by Hal, from one of the videos, echoed back to me: “that’s where [the forums] you’ll get the most benefit in this course” and “the forums are really important”… (These are my memories of his quotes. *Wondering if there’s a way to format a to-the-best-of-my-memory quote.* 🤔)
Anyway, Dawn (and anyone else interested–just reply on this thread, and we’ll eventually see it),
I AM interested in getting feedback, and giving it, if desired. And I’m not against giving my email adress. So, let me know. I mean, I believe we need SOME amount of interaction/feedback to get the most out of these courses, so I’m going to keep posting on the stupid (only) “Module 1” forum. If you (or any lurkers here–jk!) want to participate, great. Til then, I’ll just be posting to Mr. Phantom/Miss Apparition.
–H.B.
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True! I dig the experience Hal has and other classes are NOT as informative!
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Douglas,
Don’t you just click on Forums, then hit, Reply?
At very beginning where the ‘Course” asks us to introduce ourselves, re-read #3 (what are we hoping to get out of the course). It’d be real nice to get a little instructor interaction😂 he! But overall and generally speaking, I am learning a few things and meeting some nice fellow writers💕-
Truth.
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I afmire you, Douglas, for your humility pursuing more education, with 40 yrs under your belt!
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Douglas,
I hear your frustration. I feel the same way. The lessons state we need to upload information in the forums, but there is no place for that. I’m not certain if they changed the way the course is designed, but did not change anything in the videos and written parts of the course or if they simply have had technical problems getting the class running as described. I put in a customer service request to have this information clarified but there has been no reply in the last few days.
Anyways, I’m glad to see another writer participating. If there is anything I can do to assist you, please let me know.
Rene Steinhauer
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Hello fellow scriptwriters,
It seems to me that we don’t seem to have much leadership here. We appear to be individuals, but who are all sailing on the same ship. Rather than just going where the wind and waves take us, perhaps we can start taking more control unless the captain shows up. Le’t start our own writers group on these forums? We can write daily to the group on the subjects that we are encountering in the course. We can descibe any breakthroughs we have. We can ask questions of each other and give support to each other. Does that sound like something you all would be interested in? if so, let me know. To start out, Let’s post our writing vision that we were asked to provide at the begining of this course. Mine is:
I am a writer, dedicated to the artform that continues to evolve, aspiring to a perfection that I know will never come, writing stories that are inspiring to others, and constantly pursuing the opportunity to share my stories via the film industry.
If you like this idea, let me know and post your vision. I hope to hear from all of you.
Rene Steinhauer
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The belief in a ‘Captain” for our ship, I fear, is little more than a mirage in the desert😂, therefore, we may be marooned! These folks just want to write programs, sell them, then move on to the next screenwriting program. Hence, the request to “not ask questions unless a one-liner”, and days to respond, God forbid, if you do. I figured as much, and can’t complain as I am learning a few things. What the hell😁🦉
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I argue back and forth with this. We share some solid frustration with this program. I have taken some 20 classes and some can get complicated with the basic functions. On the other hand, I always learn a ton from each lesson. I take the view that coping with frustration and rejection is just part of the industry.
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Rene,
I’m willing.Or did you and the others jump ship?
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Hi Rene,
The trick is to take a screenwritingU class that is LIVE. I’ve taken several regular online/forum classes from them and two LIVE classes, where Hal talks live on the zoom and you get to ask him questions directly. The LIVE classes are head and shoulders better than the regular “do your lessons on your own” classes. It’s the same material, but seeing him talk live on zoom and being able to ask questions makes it high energy and exciting. Also you get to ask your questions about problems with the system. Apparently, the system has been hacked lately, so they had to shut it down, reboot it, and lost some data. It wiped out lots of forum assignments people had posted. I signed up for this class because it said the assignments would be emailed to me. Then I found out that was a mistake. So I’m kind of stuck here trying to fight with their new online system. Cheers! – Mary
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H. B. Faulkner here. Starting late.
I’ve written a stack of scripts but have not yet marketed any.
I hope to learn how to write and polish to 2025 producer standards and gain confidence to shop them.
For a few years I have been learning to illustrate my children’s books.-
Hi H.B.,
Why a name! You sure you’ve not got a novel in the works?😊😁
These are great classes to craft pitch, hooks, concepts, outlines, bones for marketing.
Best of luck to you! -Dawn -
What a name, NOT Why*
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Thanks! (It’s my real name! Although there is a story there…and I actually am a novelist too. 😁 As yet unpublished, but you have to market yourself first before that happens.) –H.B.
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Hello, I am Mary Albanese. I have written several scripts, produced some shorts (www.MaryAlbanese.com), and was a producer on an action feature THE LAST DEAL, listed in NY Times as top five action features streaming for 2024. I like to write different genres. Sometimes I work with a medium who solves some grisly crime cases, and I’ve documented her work in a series of books. So I tend to veer into horror, but I also like to write romance and drama, too.
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Hello, My Name is Julie Hackett and I am making the switch from being a film editor to a screenwriter.
I’m happy to be here and look forward to learning alongside everyone.
Aside from editing, I’m a project development evaluator for the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm, the Bell Fund and the Yorkton Film festival.
I have written a single screenplay and limped to the final scene with it. The process was very challenging, so layered
and took me forever, but luckily it was also completely addictive so I’m here for a chance to work with Hal and Cheryl’s insights to develop my story mechanics and master scene structure in the hopes of a screenplay being produced.
Throughout my career I’ve written for descriptive video services, newsletters on books, and magazines on film.
I have seen Steely Dan in concert 9 times because their lyrics are so visual… it must be my inner editor.
Nice to read your intros.
Julie
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