At Last, Silence the Internal Censor!

Most screenwriting classes offer a method or formula of how to write a screenplay. The only problem with that is that you, your personal individuality, gets put on the back burner. You worry about living up to someone else’s prescription of “good writing.” This squelches honest expression.

I will be teaching this class based on the work of Nancy Slonim Aronie as put forth in her workshops and book, Writing from the Heart. I will apply what I have learned from Nancy to screenwriting. This class is being combined with another meetup I lead called Writing from the Heart (with Nancy's blessings.). In it people will be writing short stories, plays, screenplays and hort memoirs. So we cover the whole gamut of writing in one evening.

We will do exercise with prompts that will spark our imaginations and let out creativity flow naturally. Their aim is to silence the internal censor and allow our imaginations and personal memories flow freely. The writers will then share their work; they will assign roles to other participants and hear their work read. Afterward, there will be no so-called “constructive criticism.” Participants will share what they enjoyed about the read piece, what piqued their curiosity, what moved them, what resonated with them, and NOT what they didn't like or how they think the piece can be improved. This kind of talk only serves to dishearten the writer. it is the enemy of authentic self-expression.

It is amazing when an atmosphere of openness, safety, generosity and non-judgment is fostered what writers will allow themselves to come up with. When writers write without a motive to please, their authentic voice is allowed to emerge. They learn to trust what's inside them, what they see, feel and hear and rather than what they believe will please others.

The cost of the class is only 5 dollars. Pay at the meetup.

As the great Martha Graham once said (and I paraphrase), "It is not your business if your work is good or bad. Your business it to keep the channel open." Amen to that, and thank you, Martha.