4 Sessions: every other Thursday, May 14, May 28, June 11, June 25
8:00-10:00pm ET
Sunil Yapa

Sunil is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter. His bestselling novel Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist was a finalist for the 2017 PEN/Faulkner award and was described as "fast-paced and unflinching" by The New Yorker, "a genuine tour-de-force" by The Seattle Times, and “generation-defining” by The Toronto Star. Yapa holds an MFA in Fiction from the City University of New York- Hunter where we worked with Colum McCann and Peter Carey. He also holds a certificate in writing from the UCLA Film and Television program. 

How do the great storytellers work their magic? How do they make us forget about our phones and read (or watch) long into the night? As writers we often get stuck: 40 pages of nothing and then an explosion of random plot moments, or poignant character studies without movement. What is the solution? How can we bring plot and character together into a story that is as gripping as it is emotionally satisfying?

Using films, tv series, and novels— from Finding Nemo to Ferrante, Gone Girl to The Great Gatsby—we will break down 3 distinct techniques to tell a story. Character, Plot, and Suspense. My goal as a novelist and screenwriter is to give you screenwriting tools adapted for the novel so that you can break through on your project. Class includes watching two movies per week, one seminar meeting a week. Each week’s seminar will include a discussion of the previous week’s films; a new lecture; two copies of the new week’s worksheets, one for the movies to be discussed, and one to be applied to your own work. A manuscript or idea in progress is encouraged but certainly not required. 

Topics:

Week 1: You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Week 2: Contradictions, Frictions, and Needs

Week 3: How to Create Suspense 

Week 4: Hollywood Bullsh*t Demystified plus a short word on Pantsing v Plotting
Office Hours: a free one-on-one hour in the beginning, middle, or end of the course, to discuss any movie, concept, lecture, maybe to generate an outline together, or discuss the workbook you’ve created over the 4 classes of the course

Workshop Highlights:

• Learn screenwriting tools from a novelist

• Watch and breakdown 8 key films and shows

• Masterclass to help you find an organic storytelling strategy that fits your needs

This class has 2 partial scholarships available. To apply, please fill out this form by Monday, May 4.