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Success Stories

Karen Bryson in screenwriting finals

Karen Mueller Bryson, of Gold Canyon, Arizona, has placed in the top 20 of this spring's Phoenix Film Festival screenwriting contest with her romantic comedy script, "Zak Goes Back to School," the story of a famous boy band member who can't shake his past when he returns to college. Winners will be announced March 18, 2009. Karen is a graduate of the UW-Madison online screenwriting course, "Write Your First Draft Fast," in which Christine DeSmet mentors writers on their scripts from the idea stage through the finished script's FADE OUT. Congratulations, Karen, and good luck in the finals!

Malta screenwriter and UW online student is semi-finalist

Philip Spiteri, of St. Julian's, Malta, is a semi-finalist in the Screenplay Festival contest in the action-adventure category with hsi feature film script, "The Cost of Redemption." Philip wrote his script in the UW–Madison online course taught by Christine DeSmet, "Screenplay: Write Your First Draft Fast." Philip's script is about a reclusive medical doctor who discovers his new neighbor and her young son must go on the run because of what they know about a murder plot implicating the White House. Congratulations, Philip!

Screenwriting student wins award from BBC

Martin McSweeney, Cork, Ireland, a graduate of our UW online course in screenwriting, won a writing award from the BBC on Oct. 31, 2007, for a TV script based on his novel, Two Weeks In June. Martin now gets into BBC workshops and gets a chance at a commissioned script. Congratulations!

Writer Lisa Holewa finds agent and a sale at Writers' Institute

Lisa Holewa had a pitch meeting with agent Marilyn Allen (Allen O'Shea Literary Agency) at the 2006 Writers' Institute. That turned into a sale for Lisa's and Joan Rice's book, Elephant Ears and Marshmallow Feet, a guide for parents that takes tricks and activities developed by teachers and translates them into techniques parents can use at home to get their children organized, listening, and cooperating. The book sold to Maria Gagliano at Perigee (Penguin Group). Congratulations, Lisa!

Online screenwriting course grad tops in two contests, options script

Mike Mason, Norwich, England, has finished in the top ten in the 2007 Scriptapalooza contest with his script, "LA Coincidental," a comedy send-up of film noir detective movies. He optioned the script to Hero Pictures. Mike wrote the script in our UW online course, "Write Your First Draft Fast," with Christine DeSmet, http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/lsa/online. An interview with Mike is online at the Scriptapalooza website. Mike also won first place in the Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum contest, where second place went to another of Christine's students, Pat Fitzgerald. Her script is "Kid," the true story of Billy the Kid.

Congratulations to all!

Screenwriting and short story news from Christine DeSmet

Christine DeSmet has learned that a romantic comedy she wrote with writing partner, Peggy Williams, made the top ten percent semi-finals in the annual Austin Film Festival contest. Called "Anyone Can," the story is about four slacker guys who think they can get rich quick by writing a romance novel but instead end up in the cross hairs of a real romance writer out to destroy them. Christine teaches the UW's online screenwriting course, and welcomes new writers anytime. Also look for her Saturday, Feb. 23 introductory workshop in Madison.

Christine DeSmet has two new short stories published this fall, including her first ghost story, "When the Dead People Brought a Dish-to-Pass," in the book, Shadows in the Heart/A Jewels of the Quill Halloween Anthology, published by Whiskey Creek Press. The light-hearted romantic mystery is about what happens for a troubled young woman when her dead relatives from centuries before decide to cheer her up by giving her a Halloween party and bringing food from each of their eras, as well as a possible suitor. The story takes place in fictional Moonstone, Wisconsin, on the south shore of Lake Superior.

Christine's other story takes place in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. "Stolen Pleasures," is in The Object of Romance Anthology, from new publisher, Beacon Books Publishing. In that romantic mystery, an art shop owner's bad luck with dating gets worse when the most recent guy turns up dead after eating her maraschino cherry cake.

Excerpts of Christine's stories are at www.JewelsoftheQuill.com

Write a screenplay that gets noticed...

Screenwriting: write your first draft fast

A unique, one-on-one mentoring course that gets your script written—all the way to the FADE OUT. Really.

Start anytime; work at your pace; email your instructor anytime. No deadlines

FADE IN: Two kinds of writers love this course:

1. You're writing your first script and you're lost and could use some hand-holding.
2. You're frustrated by several tries at a screenplay but can't get it written, and workshops and books aren't helping.

You can choose from two levels: Basic and write just 20 pages; or go for it all and write your entire script with Christine by your side via email.

Christine takes you from the idea stage to your final page, holding your hand but not talking down to you. There's no fluff in this course, just the techniques to get you there with savvy advice to help you stay away from potholes on the journey to a great script.

We avoid "formula" speed-writing. "Formula" marathons for writing often yield an unsatisfying script. Pour a cup of java and let's make writing fast mesh with writing quality. We cover:

1. Making a script effective from the start
2. Developing story structure
3. Deepening characterization
4. Enriching scenes
5. Discovering the secrets of middles
6. Finding endings with fast finish techniques

The instructor also makes sure your format is professional.

Writers finishing this course have optioned a screenplay (both original and adapted from novels), made it to the semi-finals of the prestigious Nicholl's Fellowship Contest, earned top honors in the Page International Contest, and earned a film festival public reading with a first screenplay.

 

Fees and what you get for your dough

Level I ($195) features optional, basic-level exercises, and a critique of 20 pages of script pages; Be-A-Pro level ($395) includes feedback on all exercises, coaching from idea stage through the FADE OUT on your screenplay, and a critique of your finished draft, PLUS a critique of your revision and marketing assistance. Both levels receive access to the same course materials.

Check out our student success stories.

Syllabus: Each unit includes suggestions for reading, online handouts, and fun, meaningful writing assignments. In addition, you'll be encouraged to try a few pages on your own screenplay each week. Nothing too strenuous, but look how much you'll accomplish in only 6 units!

 

Unit 1 What makes a script successful or saleable? How do I start it effectively? Concepts and Character: How do I know my idea's worthy of a whole tale for the screen? What is the core of "Story"? The issue of Marketability vs Creativity. Key ingredients for great screenplays. Plotting for Power: What comes first. Handouts. Assignments include: Write page 1-your most important page. Unit 2 Story Structure Laying out a story. Three acts, four acts, and more. Story questions and story spine: Character and structure merge and become promises of action and more. Turning points, character arcs and more refinements that make a story move forward. Handouts. Write pages 1-10. Unit 3 Characterization Traits. Trouble. Triumph. Attitude. Angst. Abilities. What do we need to know about our characters? Setting up motivations for payoffs. Handouts. Write pages 10-15.

Unit 4 Scene Work Every script needs tension or suspense and it's each scene that develops that for you. How to "power up" your scenes. At least 3 types of scenes good screenplays tend to have. Dialogue tips for enriching scenes. Handouts. Write pages 15-25. Unit 5 Midpoints and Muddling Problems Subplots. To use them or not? How many? Why? Secondary Characters and their Functions. Why middles go flat and what savvy screenwriters know about them. Handouts. Write pages 25-30. Unit 6 Fast Finish How screenwriters write when they don't know a lot of stuff yet. Tricks of the trade. Fast doesn't mean to rush it. Traps to avoid. The truth of logic and credibility. Endings need to accomplish at least 3 things. Push through to the finish-remember that pioneers don't turn back. They take the next step. So will you. Marketing tips. Handouts. Writing until the "FADE OUT."

 

Special benefit of this course: Both levels give you a professional screenwriting mentor who won’t disappear after you finish the workshop. Create dynamic stories all the way to FADE OUT. Also, at the Pro Level, because your instructor believes so strongly in the power of revisions and polishing, she has included a critique of not only your first draft but also of your revision of that draft.

You can start our workshops anytime, and there are no required hours to log on. It's all done with one-on-one correspondence with the instructor using email. Some classes have materials on a web site, but you can access those at your leisure with a password that we will give you. We have writers from around the world participating in our workshops, and we have success stories. A lot of great writing gets accomplished via email. Because of the one-on-one nature of our workshops, you'll find them an excellent "coaching" or mentoring situation that will keep you going. And if you want to just work on your own-hey, that's fine too. Of course you can do the suggested exercises on your own and pass on the feedback if you'd rather do that. We're also here throughout the year if you have questions.

Your instructor:

Christine DeSmet is an award-winning screenwriter and script coach who teaches screenwriting online for UW-Madison. The writers taking her online course have earned a variety of honors as well. (Please see our success stories on this page.) She also writes stage plays, novels, and short stories and mentors novelists. Co-authored with Peggy Williams, her true-story film script "Chinaware-Fragile" was the winner of a past Slamdance Film Festival writing contest and optioned to New Line Cinema. Recently, their romantic comedy, "Anyone Can," earned a top ten percent placement in the Austin Film Festival contest. Their play, "CLIMAX!" made the top ten in the Wisconsin Wrights New Play Contest. With Peggy, Christine has optioned other projects including original TV material and they're marketing several screenplays. Christine is also a fellowship graduate of the Warner Bros. Sitcom Writers Workshop, and a member of Romance Writers of America, Electronic Publishing Internet Connection (EPIC), Writers Guild of America, East, and a past president of Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum. Her romantic suspense novel, Spirit Lake, is an award-winning, best-selling novel for publisher Hard Shell Word Factory. She has received rave reviews and awards for short stories in a humorous romantic mystery series now available in the anthology from Whiskey Creek Press, Mischief in Moonstone. Excerpts of her short stories and novel can be found at www.JewelsoftheQuill.com. She has Master's and Bachelor's degrees in journalism from UW-Madison and grew up on a farm near Barneveld, Wisconsin.

 

Student comments

"Why did your course work for me? It worked, first of all, because you knew what was before me and I did not. I have always had this notion that writers just wrote without a plan. I could never imagine Dickens or Inge laboring over pages of preparatory notes, outlines, beat sheets and the rest. Now I truly imagine they did for they were successful. The course worked for me because you insisted I work the course. But waite, there's more, as they say. You taught me that screenwriting is a format/formula business and if one doesn't adhere to that tenet, one has no business writing a screenplay. The real gist of it, though...the real reason I have returned for another dose, is the course critiques. I am absolutely convinced that there wouldn't have been a snowball's chance in hell of getting optioned without your critiques." ~ Carl Ames, Marshall, Wis., went from ideas stage to optioning his scripts to a producer in 9 months during 2003 with this course. Congrat's Carl! He's taking the course again to help him write a second script.

"If you write fiction --whether for the screen or for print --you NEED this course!! The exercise of putting together a screenplay is possibly one of the very best things you can do to improve your skill as a writer. Chris DeSmet is awesome --encouraging you while at the same time gently leading you to get better and to make your writing stronger. Best investment I ever made in my career as a writer." ~ Jo Schmidt, Mequon, Wis., graduate of #9009 Screenwriting/Write Your First Draft Fast (Level III)

"Before I took Chris DeSmet's course, my screenplay didn't have TRUE character arcs, turning points, echo scenes, etc. Her enthusiasm, honesty and aggressiveness never wavered. NO ONE will be disappointed taking her course!" ~ Mary Skanavis, Wauwatosa, Wis.

For more information

Contact Christine DeSmet (cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu, 608-262-3447) for more details. Work at your own pace and take up to a year to finish. You will earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) when you complete the course. CEUs: 1.2 for Basic Level; 9.0 for Pro Level.

Also of interest:

The same writing staff that bring you these great online classes also provide individualized writing critique services. Learn more by visiting our writing critique services Web page. The Writing News

 

Receive the Writing News, our free e-mail newsletter. If you subscribe, then 4-5 times a year you will receive from the Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts a detailed e-mail with information about our upcoming writing programs as well as news about student achievements, new programs, and opportunities for writers. To subscribe send a blank e-mail message to: join-writing-news@lists.wisc.edu.

More distance education: Independent Learning journalism and writing courses are another option for distance education through University of Wisconsin-Extension. Most courses are available for college or high-school credit.

How to register

Telephone: Call 608-262-2451 to register. Our phone is answered M-F, 7:00 am-4:30 pm Central Time. At other times please leave a message, and we will return your call. If you have other questions, call toll-free 1-877-336-7836.

Online: Register now online with our secure server.

E-mail: Send your name and contact information to LSAonline@dcs.wisc.edu and we will respond as soon as possible to assist you with registration.

Fax: Print and fax our registration form.

Mail: Print and mail our registration form.

 

Department of Liberal Studies & Arts | UW-Madison Continuingthe Studies