Screenwriting : It's National Screenwriter's Day! Yay! by Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique

Took a class on thrillers from SU. Very informative and useful.

I don't know what's hoped to be gained by NSD. We will be valued and underappreciated at the same time no matter if we have a day or not. It's not like more awareness of screenwriters by the general public is going to help sell our work. The public don't buy our work.

Everything is what we make of it, Unc. I'm using it as an excuse to eat bacon and drink too early in the day.

Ummm, yeah, they are not an actual "university." Some folks who have taken classes have both positive and negative things to say... the main negative comment that I've read is they apparently do not give feedback, which doesn't make any sense to me as a supposed "school?" Personally, I have not taken any classes so I have no firsthand knowledge. This "holiday" is clearly a marketing ploy—perhaps with good intentions? I'm all for learning and sharing information and resources, etc. But... I dunno... me, I'm self-taught. So, to each their own! :)

@KC - Ahhh...the crackle from the pan and tinkling of the ice.

Beth, the feedback comes from the other students in the course. ScreenwritingU is largely automated, with courses that replay again and again, but they're still useful. Yes, something more interactive would be nice, but Hal and the gang do a good job of instructing within the forum he's created, automated or not. I'm looking forward to exploring what Stage32 offers.

KC, personally, I would not want feedback from other students... Huh?! How is that beneficial? How is that "professional?" Automated? Again—??? Lol! ;)

KC, just to share my experience with education options... I have taken classes and webinars through S32, and, yes, those classes and webinars do become available via OnDemand after their completion, but during the actual live class or webinar, you are able to ask questions directly to the person giving the class either through live messaging or with some classes you can ask immediate questions directly through your computer's microphone. I took Regina Lee's class How to Hook Your Reader in the First Five Pages and she personally reviewed each participant's work and gave individual feedback during her three sessions. So, I guess it depends on what works best for you. ;)

Beth Fox Heisinger , You seem a little hostile towards ScreenwritingU. I'm just saying that as someone who was looking looking for exercises and insight that the few classes I took there were beneficial to me. Since the "room" was filled with other aspiring writers, I appreciated receiving the feedback from them, even though some of the students were at a more rudimentary level than I. While I didn't learn anything new from them, I did experience some gratification from their thoughts, and confidence goes a long way towards helping a writer get someone in their career.

I'm interested in delving into the S32 educational offerings, but for now SU is the only experience I have had in a learning environment, and for the price it was a positive experience.

KC, you didn't see my "Lol"? Or my ";)"? Lol! And I'm not "hostile" more like surprised or shocked. What few webinar and/or classes I have personally taken I had direct access to the teacher. Having a student "grade" your work seems, well, counterintuitive. Being "graded" by your peers and not by the teacher, the "professional," in a paid-for "class" doesn't seem, well, right, right? Lol! For me, in the very beginning, I had the luck of finding an incredible mentor who met with me in person over coffee. You just can't beat one-on-one instruction or guidance, IMHO. ;) Best to you!

I know of several Screenwriter's U alumni that have done well on the contest/film festival circuit. I don't know how well they done selling their work but I'm sure it's as well as anyone else.

In general, scriptwriting education and seminars can definitely offer some benefits, as can books on the topic. Before I wrote my first script, I read The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley, which a very good "how to" book on formatting. I also took an online screenwriting course that cost me 20 dollars and received some minor benefits. Beyond that, I've written more than thirty scripts and tried to learn by doing and from my mistakes, which have been numerous.

The best advice I can offer is one should not be timid about promoting themselves or their work; and rise to the occasion when challenged to do so. Bold action has brought me some success.

Beth Fox Heisinger Best to you as well. Mentors are in short supply in Ohio, so you get feedback from wherever it's available.

Sounds fine, but I'm in my 6th decade now and it's very unlikely I'll ever see a college classroom again.

I can speak very highly of ScreenwritingU. I took their ProSeries classes and am now in the Master Class program. There actually are plenty of occasions when there's direct interaction with and feedback from Hal, Cheryl, and others with the program, although the feedback is mostly on loglines, query letters, concepts, etc. When feedback on actual scripts is exchanged with fellow students, I find it's as beneficial to give the feedback as to receive it. This also adds to a strong sense of community among the students, which pays major dividends. I had been a Nicholl Top 50 writer (twice) but despite this had the usual struggle to get my work to producers. SU is designed to take a writer like me and teach him or her ways to gear that talent more toward what producers are actually looking for, and then to give assistance in getting those scripts into the market. This has been life-changing for me, and yes, I've gotten work as a screenwriter and optioned scripts since joining. Highly recommended!