Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets

Learn six different types of story summaries and how to use them to develop your scripted projects. My one-week online class starts Monday, May 5th.

Read on to take advantage of a sale!

From elevator pitches to development meetings to conference calls with talent, a screenwriter’s ability to share stories in a variety of narrative forms is both a valuable and necessary skill-set. In the upcoming 1-week Screenwriting Master Class online course Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets [starts May 5], you will learn six different story summaries that are critical assets for any screenwriter.

A screenwriter not only needs to know how to write a script, we also have to be able to convey our stories in multiple other ways. Beyond that, every time we shape a story in a different way, we learn something about it. As such, summaries can be helpful tools in developing, understanding, and crafting our scripts.

This 1-week online course that I will be teaching covers multiple story summaries: Logline, Synopsis, Breakdown, Treatment, Scriptment, and Beat Sheet.

Learn the ins and outs of six different story summaries including using them to help you craft your stories.

Plus, you will have the opportunity to craft a logline of your own story with an optional workshop exercise.

The course consists of:

Seven lectures written by Scott Myers

24/7 message board discussions

Optional workshop writing exercises with instructor and class feedback.

A live teleconference with Scott Myers and class members.

In the past, the response from participants in this course has been extremely positive. Here are some testimonials:

The prepared lectures alone are worth the price of this class. But, the added bonus of discussing the lectures as well as being able to workshop my loglines with Scott and my classmates was a fantastic learning experience that really helped me develop my ability to whittle an idea down to one intriguing sentence. If your manager, agent, guru, mother, or favorite reader asks you for a synopsis, treatment, beat sheet, or logline and you have no idea what any of those are, then this class is for you. — Calvin Starnes

Just wanted to thank everyone in this class especially Scott for a most valuable week of learning. I found this type of interactive environment has been far more helpful for me than reading books has been. The group collaboration has been excellent and I have really enjoyed and valued everybody’s contributions. I’ve personally found this course has really helped me zone in on the crucial aspects of each respective type of story summary. This in turn has given me much more confidence in taking the next steps into creating the first draft and I would like to thank you all for that. — Steve Broughton

That’s the “secret sauce” in all the SMC classes you and Tom teach. It’s not a “here’s what to think” listing of so called “rules of writing.” Instead, the emphasis is always on HOW to think like a professional, about story, character and the business side of the craft. — John Arends

If you haven’t tried an online course before, this is a great and simple way to do it. You can download lectures any time and read them at your leisure. Peruse forum comments from your fellow classmates and respond whenever you want. The teleconference is on Skype and recorded so you can have access to it for transcription purposes. It’s amazing how convenient and effective online learning is.

So why don’t you join me for Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets? You can find out more about this 1-week online screenwriting class here.

I hope you can join me starting next Monday, September 9th for this important and informative class!

While you’re at it, check out the schedule for all of my Craft classes in 2025!

Craft: Story Summaries–From Loglines to Beat Sheets — May 5, 2025
 
 Craft: Handling Exposition — May 19, 2025
 
 Craft: Character Development Keys — June 16, 2025
 
 Craft: Create a Compelling Protagonist — July 7, 2015
 
 Craft: Write a Worthy Nemesis — August 4, 2025
 
 Craft: Scene Description Spotlight — August 18, 2025
 
 Craft: Scene-Writing Workshop–September 7, 2025
 
 Craft: Dialogue-Writing Workshop–September 21, 2025
 
 Craft: Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling–October 27, 2025

The Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling [already run | available]

The class is normally $95. I’m running a sale: $59!

You can enroll in the Craft Package which includes all 10 Craft classes at a discounted sale price: $400. That’s each course for $40 apiece! You not only get all 10 one-week classes, you also obtain exclusive access to the Craft Package site enabling you to go through all of the Craft lectures — 70 in all, each written by me — at your own pace and on your own time.

Know somebody who’s a writer? Or is someone looking to get you a special writing gift? Check out the Craft Package for something truly unique and turn the rest of 2025 into an excellent learning opportunity.

Remember: The Story Summaries — From Loglines to Beat Sheets class begins Monday, May 5th. For more information, go here.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with you in the Craft curriculum!