Meets: 5 Wednesdays, Oct 1-29, 2025
Instructor: Michael Graf
Location: Live on Zoom
Cost: $595
Enrollment: 6 openings
“I am thanking my lucky stars that I decided to take this class. Michael is an exceptional teacher; it’s rare to find someone that talented who is also generous and willing to share so much of what he’s learned about writing and the business. I would not change anything about this class. ”
There’s no business like show business… and there’s no writing like writing for the big screen.
Writing a successful screenplay is a completely different beast than writing successful fiction, with very different rules requiring a different kind of writing discipline.
In this intimate workshop you’ll meet for five one and a half to two hour evening sessions with a working screenwriter and learn the fundamental building blocks to writing a successful screenplay. We’ll give you the tools needed for writing a screenplay that can actually get read in Hollywood.
During the workshop we’ll discuss:
the kinds of stories and genres that sell
how to adapt novels and narrative fiction for the screen
what the entertainment industry demands from a screenplay
writing for a collaborative art form
how to hook an audience and make them your advocate
writing for the ear
balancing character driven vs. plot driven storytelling
We’ll also look at the difference between writing features for the big screen and writing episodic series for TV and streamers.
This is a great class for aspiring screenwriters and narrative fiction writers and memoirists looking to adapt their work to the screen and enhance their craft with a focus on actionable narrative.
Students should come ready to write, to share ideas and to connect with other like-minded writers. Our goal is to help you find your voice as a screenwriter and to give you a working writer’s insight into successfully navigating today’s entertainment industry.
“Michael is empathetic, positive, flexible and gregarious. Honestly, I can’t recommend Michael enough. Additionally, the fundamental tenets of good fiction writing are really no different than good screenplay writing, and so it was wonderful to have Michael affirm this. ”