The 90-Day Screenplay Telecourse

This class is NOT an in-person class, but a telecourse class. You need access to a phone to dial in to the live class.

The 90-Day Screenplay is an intensive workshop designed to guide the screenwriter from initial idea, through first-draft, and finally to the completion of a polished screenplay. This workshop is available to screenwriters at all levels.

The 90-Day Screenplay Course Outline

The first month is dedicated to stream-of-consciousness writing exercises as you begin to develop a relationship to the world of your screenplay. I'll work one-on-one with writers each week to illustrate story principles. Through guidance and inquiry into the nature of your premise, an outline naturally emerges. Month two is devoted to writing the first draft. I will lead you through the hero's journey week by week, as the first draft unfolds. The final five weeks are spent on the polish. Below is a brief outline of the weekly topics covered.

Week One

• Imagining the world of the story
• The power of the subconscious
• Seeing beyond the initial idea
• Character suggests plot
• Stream-of-consciousness writing exercises
• The structure questions

Week Two

• The Three-Act Structure
• The dilemma at the heart of the story
• Single and multiple protagonists
• Plot versus theme

Week Three

• Conflict/Tension/Antagonists
• The protagonist's false belief
• Story involves the betrayal of a lie
• Transformation/Wants and needs

Week Four

• Writing cinematically
• Writing film dialogue
• Beats/Scenes/Sequences and Acts
• Narrative Drive

Month Two: The First Draft

Week Five

• Beginnings
• Theme
• Inciting Incident
• Opposing Argument
• The protagonist's decision

Week Six

• The protagonist's false victory
• The protagonist's temptation
• The worthy antagonist
• Turning points

Week Seven

• The protagonist suffers
• Raising the stakes
• The protagonist surrenders

Week Eight

• The protagonist reframes his goal
• The protagonist is reborn
• The protagonist makes a new choice
• Transformation/Resolution of the dilemma
• Closing credits

Month Three: The Revision Week

Week Nine

• A new outline
• Reordering scenes
• Conflating scenes
• Adding material

Week Ten

• Revisiting Act One
• Clarifying the dilemma (reading scenes)

Week Eleven

• Revisiting Act Two - Part One (reading scenes)

Week Twelve

• Revisiting Act Two - Part Two (reading scenes)
• Pitch your screenplay to a top Hollywood talent manager

Week Thirteen

• Conclusion

FINAL CLASS

• Tying up the loose ends
• Where to go from here

This course includes

• 14 Live 90-Minute Workshops
• Q&As - Email your questions to me. I’ll go over them Live at the end of each workshop and work one-on-one with writers as needed.
• Playback Access to the workshops for at least 7 days following each respective class.
• 90 Daily Letters outlining the process.
• Story Structure Worksheets and over two hundred Stream-Of-Consciousness Writing Exercises.