Style = Voice

Style goes beyond mere “scene description.” My one-week online class focuses on expressing your voice on the page. It begins February 26th.

There are TWO SPECIAL OFFERS including how to receive a gift: A personally autographed copy of my book The Protagonist’s Journey! See below!

Start with this question: Who tells your story? Obviously, when you sit down to create a screenplay, you write the story. But when a manager, producer, agent, or studio executive reads your script, who tells your story to them?

It is someone who remains largely invisible, but whose presence is felt from FADE IN to FADE OUT. Someone about whom many screenwriters have little knowledge and yet traffic in that unseen world every time they write a scene. Someone who can make a screenplay a great read — or something less.

Let’s call it Narrative Voice.

Narrative Voice is not a narrator per se. You will never see it with its own side of dialogue. In fact, you will never name it in your screenplay. But Narrative Voice is there. And it is a critical aspect of your script’s success.

What is Narrative Voice?

Narrative Voice is the storytelling sensibility you bring to your screenplay through your writing style. Think of Narrative Voice as your script’s invisible character. Although silent, it is present in every scene, every line, every word you write. As you develop and sharpen each visible character in your screenplay, you also need to figure out who your Narrative Voice is, what your Narrative Voice sounds like, and how your Narrative Voice will play an active role in the telling of your story.

That is the starting point of Core IV: Style, a 1-week online class I will be teaching starting on Monday, February 26th.

OVERVIEW

In this 1-week online screenwriting course, you will learn key principles related to style that will not only empower you to craft scripts that will satisfy the standards of any professional reader, but also put you on the road to cultivating your own unique voice as a writer.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Elements of screenplay style, the connection of genre and style to Narrative Voice, psychological writing, imagematic writing, action writing, and multiple ways to transform your writing style into a vehicle for your unique voice.

• Develop your writing style with an eye toward professional trends as well as harnessing your own instincts to craft pages in a way that impresses readers.
• Workshop your story through writing assignments targeted toward finding your Narrative Voice and learning the power of ‘imagematic’ writing.

COURSE DETAILS

• Six lectures written by Scott Myers
• Special insider tips
• 24/7 online forum discussions moderated by instructor
• Writing exercises with instructor and class feedback
• 90-minute live teleconference between instructor and class members
• Logline workshop

For those of you who have not taken an online class, the interface is extremely easy. Plus, online classes can be an amazing experience. Most of the activities you can do on your own time — download and read lectures, review and respond to forum discussions, upload loglines and track comments. In addition, I’ve been teaching online for over a decade and it never ceases to amaze me how much of a community emerges in such an environment.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

Screenwriters, TV writers, novelists, and playwrights who want to free themselves from supposed screenwriting ‘rules’ and explore creative possibilities with their writing style.

I only teach my Core classes once a year and the 2023 cycle begins next month. Everything you need to know about character-driven screenwriting in this unique curriculum based on eight principles: Plot, Concept, Character, Style, Dialogue, Scene, Theme, Time.

CORE I: PLOT — A one-week class which begins with the principle Plot = Structure and explores the inner workings of the Screenplay Universe: Plotline and Themeline. Start date: January 15. [Already run / course site available]

CORE II: CONCEPT — A one-week class which begins with the principle Concept = Hook and examines multiple strategies to generate, develop and assess story ideas. Start date: January 29. [Already run / course site available]

CORE III: CHARACTER — A one-week class which begins with the principle Character = Function and delves into archetypes: Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, and Trickster. Start date: February 12.

CORE IV: STYLE — A one-week class which begins with the principle Style = Voice and surfaces keys to developing a distinctive writer’s personality on the page. Start date: February 26.

CORE V: DIALOGUE — A one-week class which begins with the principle Dialogue = Purpose and probes a variety of ways to write effective, entertaining dialogue. Start date: March 11.

CORE VI: SCENE — A one-week class which begins with the principle Scene = Point and provides six essential questions to ask when crafting and writing any scene. Start date: March 25.

CORE VII: THEME — A one-week class which begins with the principle Theme = Meaning and gives writers a concrete take on theme which can elevate the depth of any story. Start date: April 8.

CORE VIII: TIME — A one-week class which begins with the principle Time = Present and studies Present, Present-Past, Present-Future and time management in writing. Start date: April 22.

These eight Core classes represent decades of my work on the front lines of the entertainment business as a writer and producer, and engaging the craft as a teacher as well, over time pulling together a coherent, comprehensive, and cohesive approach to screenwriting theory.

This is not about secret systems or magic formulas, rather the Core content presents a story-crafting process that starts with characters, works with characters, and ends with characters. That process of engaging you with your story universe through your characters and getting you in touch with these living, breathing individuals informs every step of your creative process, leading you to story structure, themes, conflict, subplots, and all the rest. As I say, Character Driven Screenwriting.

SPECIAL OFFER #1: This cycle, a special sale price. Normally the Core classes are $95 each. In 2024, each is on sale for $79!

A popular option is the Core Package which gives you exclusive access to the content in all eight Craft classes which you can go through on your own time and at your own pace, plus automatic enrollment in each 1-week online course — all for nearly 50% off the normal price of each individual class. If you sign up now, you can have immediate access to all of the Core content.

“Joining Scott’s Core classes is one of the best decisions anyone could make when deciding to embark on the journey of writing a screenplay. His passion for teaching and screenwriting could not be more inspirational. I couldn’t wish for a better teacher and mentor!” — Theodora von Auersperg

Imagine not only learning all of the Core content, but also talking with me and other writers every other week for an hour or more in live Zoom teleconferences. If you sign up for the Core Package, you get all that… and more!

SPECIAL OFFER #2: This year, when you enroll in the Core Package, I will send you a personally autographed copy of my book: The Protagonist’s Journey … my gift to you!

Scott has pulled off a remarkable feat. He’s made a complete compendium of the screenwriting craft while continuing to encourage the antithesis of formulaic writing.” — Peter Craig (The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick)

My book is an introduction to character-driven screenwriting and storytelling. The Core curriculum takes you much deeper into the subject matter and touches on all the key principles you need to know to elevate your screenwriting chops.

For The Core Package and a free autographed copy of The Protagonist’s Journey, go here.

For information on Core IV: Style, which begins February 26th, go here.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!

P.S.: I also offer any of these online writing workshops — Prep: From Concept to Outline, Pages I: Writing the First Draft, Pages II: Rewriting Your Script — as private one-on-one sessions. If interested, email me: scott@screenwritingmasterclass.com.