[lew sherwood]

HI ALL –

Unfortunately a personal issue has come up in my family and am not able to participate in the course at this time to map my thriller.

However, just reviewing all your responses is a way for me to learn!

Best wishes on your thriller journey.

Lew Sherwood

[lew sherwood]

The Russian Teacher Conventions.

What I learned doing this assignment is that working with a defined model for the conventions helps to clearly focus and define your thinking.

Concept: An American woman Russian teacher visiting St. Petersburg suddenly finds herself with the famous missing Romanoff Ruby worn by Anastasia when the girl was executed in 1918, and now the leader of a Russian Mob family will kill to get it. Also a woman.

Conventions

Hero: A “fish-out-of water” but specially skilled woman Russian Teacher

Demand For Action: A Russian mob will kill her to get the Romanoff Ruby

Mission: Because The Russian Teacher learns there is reward for the Ruby by Romanoff decedents living in America, she must get out of Russia alive with the Ruby.

Antagonist: “The Panther,” the dangerous woman leader of a Russian Mob family.

Escalating Action: The hunt by the mob, betrayals, torture and the battle with The Panther.

[lew sherwood]

Hey, action writers —

My name is Lew Sherwood, and I am late to class! A non-COVID family health issue has delayed me and may in the weeks ahead. That said…

I have written one unsold feature but mostly short scripts, and six months ago a producer contacted me about expanding one of the shorts into a Faith Based Children’s Halloween feature called “Halloween Heroes,” about a rag tag group of kids who are magically imbued with the powers of their Halloween costumes to save their town from an evil villain. It’s going into production in late April starring Dean Caine.

I am in geezer territory, closer to 80 than 75(!), so never give up your dream to sell a script!

I have been in advertising for over 50 years, and did the advertising for Walt Disney Pictures, and many others. We did the one sheets for Rocky, All The Presidents Men, Superman (with Chris Reeve), Close Encounters of The Third Kind, and some of the Bond films. Ancient history! Many of my ad agency partners went into the film business, but I stayed in advertising.

But now, I am circling back into screenwriting full time , and I can tell you that this course from Cheryl and Hal is one of a kind. I have taken screenwriting courses from Robert McKee, John Truby, Save The Cat and others — but the way these two have built the model for Action Writing is pure genius!

Other classes tell you where to drive, but this course gives you a map to get there! They even put gas in your tank. I have never seen anything like it.

Get the T-shirt, “Keep on writin!’

(I hope to be here more often than not.)

Later, Lew…

[lew sherwood]

Lew Sherwood
“I agree to the terms of this release form.” for Writing Killer Action

1. That everyone’s work here is copyrighted and they are the sole
owner of that work. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this
group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that
idea.

2. That this program is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun and I will not share,

disclose, present, or deliver the information, design, and writing of this

program to anyone for any reason without written permission from Hal Croasmun.

3. That I will keep the other writers’ ideas and writing confidential
(including Hal’s materials) 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.