[H.B. Faulkner]

*****Cheryl or Hal (or whoever reads these), I'm lost as to assignment submissions. I hope I'm doing things correctly, but I'm in Module 2, and there's no Module 2 discussion to post to. (And no recent replies in this Module. I know I started very late, but where are all the other submissions??? Am I in the right place? Thanks, H.B….*****

H. B. Faulkner's Transformational Journey

VISION
H. B. Faulkner is a household name and at the top of every great producer’s wishlist to partner with in making dream stories and epic movies come to life, which audiences worldwide love and crave, and buy tickets to experience, then continue to talk about their whole lives.

What I learned from doing this assignment is that you mustn't keep every "opinion" by AI, as it creates a tome of info that bogs you down to a standstill. You should just save the best of the best suggestions and any brilliance you don't want to lose–but that are meant for other projects down the road (as you do for your own creation sessions), and categorize them immediately, so that your process isn't sabotaged.

DEANNA "DEDE" ARCHER

Arc Beginning: Widow paralyzed from moving forward with life.
Arc Ending: She has gained renewed passions, knows what she wants, and steps toward it.

Internal Journey: From powerless, shellshocked, and empty to empowered, passionate, and thriving.
External Journey: From stagnant widowhood whose life is crumbling to passionate mentor and therapist for living purposefully.

Old Ways:
• Was pursuing another's dreams, didn't remember her own passions.
• Unprepared, overwhelmed, and in distress.
• Paralyzed by fear and hiding from life.
• Questioning her foundations for everything.
New Ways:
• Knows her passions and direction.
• Courageous, open to advancement and risk.
• Living her passions and elevating them.
• Guiding and mentoring others who are stuck and aimless.

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B. Faulkner’s Intentional Lead Characters

VISION:
H. B. Faulkner is a household name and at the top of every great producer’s wishlist to partner with in making dream stories and epic movies come to life, which audiences worldwide love and crave, and buy tickets to experience, then continue to talk about their whole lives.

What I learned from doing this assignment is that characters are expected to be written with depth in screenwriting, as they are in all other forms of writing.

• Character: Deanna Bertram
• Logline: Deanna is in her second year of stagnant widowhood, from her 24-year marriage, that she can’t seem to break free of.
• Unique: She’s trapped in an emotional bog but takes a honeymoon by herself and becomes an expert on moving forward in life. Deanna’s grief isn’t just about missing her husband—it’s about realizing she never fully defined herself outside of him. Her initial reluctance to embrace adventure makes every step of her transformation more rewarding. Her dry humor and independence set her apart from the typical rom-com protagonist, allowing for sharp, comedic dialogue and heartfelt introspection in equal measure.

• Character: Liam O’Conor
• Logline: Liam is a bitter Irishman, renovating a dilapidated cottage, who becomes a reluctant innkeeper and tour guide for Deanna
• Unique: He’s an overachiever workaholic who’s bitter from being left by a wife (who later died). He doesn’t even know if he’s a divorcee or a widower but keeps himself too busy with work to even care. Having never grieved for losing his former wife (in marriage or death), bitterness is his grief, so actually Liam is also, in a sense, stuck in grief. Unlike the usual rom-com hero who simply needs to “loosen up” or “fall in love again,” Liam has been hurt to the point of actively rejecting love.

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B. Fulkner’s Title, Concept, and Character Structure!

VISION :
H. B. Faulkner is a household name and at the top of every great producer’s wishlist to partner with in making dream stories and epic movies come to life, which audiences worldwide love and crave, and buy tickets to experience, then continue to talk about their whole lives.

What I learned from doing this assignment is that producer’s really do want an outline of a screenplay, and there is a simple process for building one. (Yay!) I used to hate them! But I’d never been trained in building one. I just trained myself when I needed one. I look forward to being better trained!

Title: The Widow’s Guide to Honeymooning

Concept: A stagnating widow takes her husband’s planned Irish honeymoon, only to find herself transformed by riotous mishaps, unexpected romance, and life-changing revelations about her purpose.

Character Structure: Rom-Com with two characters owning the story

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B Faulkner
I agree to the terms of this release form.

As a member of this group, I agree to the following:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
This completes the Group Release Form for the class.

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B Faulkner
I agree to the terms of this release form.

As a member of this group, I agree to the following:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
This completes the Group Release Form for the class.

[H.B. Faulkner]

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.

[H.B. Faulkner]

Hello,

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.

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B. Faulkner's Her Journey/His Journey

What I learned doing this assignment is that this part was the easiest for me, flowed easily to me, and I think this is always true no matter what type of writing I'm doing.

Individual Transformational Journey for each lead character:

Each character’s Transformational Journey contains:

1. Initial state:
Him: Living as a hermit in the high mountains, because he carries heavy guilt and pain over his perception that he has killed his parents and fiancé. He's given up on all his former dreams and is only existing, alone in the world but aching, missing his loved ones.

Her: Running away from pain of disapproval from her parents. She acts as if they are dead, not correcting people who assume this. She is on her way to beginning another degree program because she has no other ideas of how to become and do what she dreams of being and doing. She doesn't know how to be confident in herself.

2. Meet-Cute moment:
He comes to rescue the group she is with, and she knocks him out because of a misunderstanding. Then she must doctor him and checks him out, trying to see past his bushy hair and beard, while he's unconscious.

3. Initial challenges:
Him: He's helped a rumor about himself become a fearful legend in the area (the murderous mountain troll), to protect himself from guilt and pain surfacing in him. He doesn't like being around people because he doesn't want them to know what he has done. He also doesn't want to even remember his former life dreams because he believes this is how he killed his loved ones.

Her: He shows disdain for "elective" degrees (art, music, etc.). She is offended briefly but used to this opinion, so in making the time in close quarters bearable, she tries to demonstrate the need for artistic pursuits. Even with his high opinion of the need for higher thought and education, when he learns more about her, he challenges her motives for getting her M.F.A. She doesn't enjoy this challenge because it's the only thing she knows to do to obtain the future she has mapped out for herself.

4. Major conflict / Obstacle:
Him: No matter how she tries to convince him, he won't stop believing that his loved ones' deaths were his fault. And he can't let himself invent anymore because of it.

Her: He thoroughly denigrates her dreams and disesteems her artist identity. She's failed in all her attempts to change his mind, and now, he has become the disapproving dream-destroyer, and she must flee from this.

5. Self-Reflection:
Him: She has convinced him of the value of artistic pursuits, in several ways, including a very significant way. But when he realizes this, she's gone. The deeper realization is that he'd never believed his pursuits were "higher". He'd only thought this belief is what was necessary to not struggle in life. He wants to apologize for hurting her, but he can't find her.

Her: She courageously steps out, instead of doing what she'd planned (an M.F.A.) and discovers the way to achieve her dreams was exactly what she'd told herself since childhood. All she had needed was that "disapproving" push from him.

6. Acceptance and Growth:
Him: He realizes what he's really always wanted is to make life easier for people (because his mother became disabled, and his family struggled). She (the artist) had brought this realization to the surface, and he realizes he needs her in his life.

Her: She pursues and begins achieving her dreams, then instead of needing to prove herself, she forgives all the naysayers, including him. She decides that everyone has opinions created by the bubbles they live in, which constrains what they allow themselves to learn. She realizes she can't control others' beliefs. She can only demonstrate her own.

7. Demonstrate the change:
Him: He returns to his dreams and eventually starts a factory that helps a lot of people. When he finds out where she is, he immediately goes to ask forgiveness, but she slips through his fingers again.

Her: She comes to the point of peace and fulfillment in her life then returns to make amends with her parents and to celebrate his success that she has followed and known from the day she left and also knows she had a part in. She mostly hopes to see that he wants her.

8. Reunion:
She sees evidence that he had been nearby when she was abroad. He tells her he saw that she didn't need him and also saw that she knew about his success, and that he didn't know what to do, but then she disappeared again. At that moment, she knows that he loves her, and they embrace, and we know they'll be together forever.

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B. Faulkner’s 7 Stages of Love

What I learned doing this assignment is that composing in a plot-driven manner doesn’t mean a story will have superficial characters.

1. Meet-Cute

(No character names yet, but “he” is a hermit, who lives off-grid in the high mountains, and “she” is an artist in her thirties, about to begin an M.F.A.)

An avalanche buries most of the van she’s riding in (with a teen camp group), and He digs them out. But not before one kid has told a story about the mountain troll who killed a family nearby. When he–a scary mountain man, covered in snow–forces open the van door, she knocks him out, and they have to take him, following his dog thru the blizzard, to his tiny cabin, where they must shelter (and doctor him for a bit, during which, she tries to check him out by candlelight, thru his bushy hair and beard).

2. Attraction/Flirting

While being sheltered thru the blizzard of the century, for many days, she is her helpfully nosey, fun-loving artist-self, and sees his amazing abilities to invent mechanical devices. She bugs him until he agrees to show them woodworking.

He, in turn, learns that they share family loss and navigation of life alone, and he lets his grumpy guard down. They also share a prankster spirit and talents for sarcastic sparring.

3. Denial

Their opposing views for their lives clash, as each gives unwanted advice to the other, but they are stubbornly on paths they won’t consider veering from.

4. Separation/Forced Together

After the time sheltering with him, when a sheriff deputy arrives, she leaves abruptly with him and cannot be found at any of the places she has mentioned. He has no other information, until he receives a visit from her parents.

5. Working through Issues/Differences

Teaching the kids in his workshop stokes his passion to live his dreams again. And when a teen girl draws him as a gorilla, he cleans up his looks too.

The woman’s gentle critiques of his (seemingly) shared life experiences convince him to begin forgiving himself. And after persuasive demonstrations, showing him mistakes in some failed inventions, and new, aesthetic ways to think and design, he begins adding an artistic aspect to his work as well.

He overhears her talking about hypothetical life scenarios that match what he has suggested for her too.

6. Hate/Betrayal/All Hope is Lost

When he discovers that she has mislead him (that she’s estranged from her family, not orphaned), he insults her life plans and her very identity, and she’s utterly destroyed and shuts down.

He has instantly become what she’s been running away from, so as soon as the opportunity arises, she runs far away from him too.

7. Love Happens

After she leaves, her (retired corporate attorney) mother and father visit him. He discovers that she had written, asking them to help him with patents (and by extension, to help the teen camp, which has had to shut down).

Something she taught helps him realize that he may not have been at fault in the deaths of his parents and fiancé, and this revelation creates a whole new zeal for life in him, as well as deep love for her. He searches in vain for her, then finishes his degree–as she had encouraged–and opens a factory that builds and distributes his inventions and sponsors the teen camp.

Three years later, her mother brings him a letter from her daughter. He leaves immediately, travelling far away, and finds her following the dream that he convinced her was her destiny. Before he goes to her, he sees one of his inventions and realizes she’s known about his life and successes. He watches over a couple days, and the third day, he goes to watch her again, but she has left, and he loses her again and returns home completely wrecked.

He creates an invention that incorporates artistic design that she taught him, and when he walks into work one day, he’s told he has a visitor. It’s her. She’s looking at a framed picture in his office of her teaching the kids in Nepal. They embrace, and we know they’ll always be together.

[H.B. Faulkner]

Wow, Lorraine! That's courageous! Well, I believe in you then!

(BTW, last year, I couldn't read for 5 mos. More correctly, it took 10 min. to read a sentence. I couldn't even remember 6-digit codes to get in email. At 5 mos., I was able to almost read a whole paragraph, so I knew it was coming back. Maybe not the same reason as with you, but it was from trauma. So, I can identify a LITTLE. It was scary. Especially for a writer. Which is why I know I believe in you!)

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by  H.B. Faulkner.

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B. Faulkner’s Rom Com Project

What I learned doing this assignment is certain, deeper aspects and fitting attributes of my characters that didn’t have to be worked out but were lying under the surface already and just flowed when prompted by these questions.

1.
Who is she?

An artist, who is running away from disapproval and toward an illusive, ideal picture of an artist’s life.

Who is he?

A mountain man hermit, hiding away from life and the world and trying to keep old dreams buried, because he bares immense guilt about a tragedy.

What makes them lovable?

She’s quirky, playful, and fun. She sees the best in strangers and is always trying to help them discover their destinies.

He’s a giant, surly monster-looking man, who willingly plays the part of the “mountain troll man”, in order to keep people at arm’s distance. But evidence presents itself of some surprising ineptitudes but also a huge heart, when he can’t help but rescue those weaker than him–physically as well as educationally.

What attracts them to each other?

He sees her as a breath of fresh air in his stale, small, hermit world, and as a kindred spirit–in the sense that she is also self-sufficient and navigating life without loved ones, and also seems to ache for those missing people.

She sees thru his surly exterior to his generosity and encouraging nature, by watching him care for and teach the camp kids and by what certain endearing items he keeps around his otherwise stark, masculine home.

They are both intelligent, wise-cracking pranksters, compelled to one-up each other, and this builds excitement in their hearts for each other, beginning as familial affection, but turning into romantic love.

What needs does each fulfill for the other?

He seems to her to be accepting and appreciative of her giftings, and this causes her creativity to blossom, as well as her love.

She is life for his dead world, and she makes him feel like his former hopeful, dreaming self, which also causes his own love, and maybe some hopes, to come to life.

2.

3.

4.

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B. Faulkner’s RomCom Project

What I learned doing this assignment is that it is creativity-inducing to chop up an idea and mix ideas around.

Two people who belong together: A free-thinking artist and an irritable hermit inventor, both self-sufficient and navigating life with no family, find in each other what they wish they had.

How are they separated? She leaves him unexpectedly, with little info about her.

What forces them together? An avalanche traps the pre-teen kids’ camp group she is travelling with, and the man shelters them in the weeks before Christmas.

Issues to be resolved: He carries guilt for causing his parents’ deaths and has squashed his own dreams. She carries a broken heart by those closest to her disesteeming her identity.

On their journey of love: The revelations of each’s sad family situation and unrealized dreams that bring them full-circle to remedy each other’s plight.

2.
Experience of falling in love:

On their journey of love: The revelations of each’s sad family situation and unrealized dreams that bring them full-circle to remedy each other’s plight.

Relationship Setup: We watch the two fulfill in the other what is missing and causing pain.

Issues each must resolve: He carries guilt for causing his parents’ deaths and has squashed his own dreams. She carries a broken heart by those closest to her disesteeming her identity.

Separation: She leaves him with too little info to find her.

How will comedy be expressed? funny situations, like the curmudgeonly man being the legendary “mountain troll”, the artist redecorating his cabin, a kid drawing the man as a monster, snow fights, the man only having canned beans in his cupboard, a bit of fish-out-of-water humor that backfires, and sarcastic and mocking banter between the man and woman

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B. Faulkner
I agree to the terms of this release form.
GROUP RELEASE FORM
As a member of this group, I agree to the following:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
This completes the Group Release Form for the class.

[H.B. Faulkner]

Hello everyone,
I'm H. B. Faulkner. I've written a handful of scripts–well, maybe an armload. Features, shorts, TV pilots… I've never shopped them. For the past 7 years, I've written 2 novellas and 5 short stories (picture books) for children. I never planned to write children's books, but halfway into my first novella, I decided that's what it was. I'm illustrating 2 right now, which will be my first time really illustrating.

I've kept learning about all types of writing that interest me, and when I read that a RomCom course was coming, my heart leapt, so I decided it was time to return to screenwriting as well.

I look forward to interacting with you all.
–H. B.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 2 weeks ago by  H.B. Faulkner.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 2 weeks ago by  H.B. Faulkner. Reason: Took out my formal name
• This reply was modified 8 months, 2 weeks ago by  H.B. Faulkner.

[H.B. Faulkner]

H. B. Faulkner

I agree to the terms of this release form.

As a member of this group, I agree to the following:

1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.

2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.

I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.

3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.

4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.

5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.

6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.

[H.B. Faulkner]

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.

[H.B. Faulkner]

I read this to mean leave it (paste it) below.
–H.B.

[H.B. Faulkner]

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.

[H.B. Faulkner]

Rene,
I’m willing.

Or did you and the others jump ship?

[H.B. Faulkner]

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.

[H.B. Faulkner]

Truth.

[H.B. Faulkner]

I afmire you, Douglas, for your humility pursuing more education, with 40 yrs under your belt!

[H.B. Faulkner]

Your musical sounds awesome!

[H.B. Faulkner]

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