Author Archives: Ela Thier

writing assignment, June 2, 2011 It’s 1:20am and Susan wakes up from a nightmare, her heart racing. She has a big day tomorrow, that starts at 6am, but she can’t get to sleep. Now: before I sum up this exercise … Continue reading →

writing assignment, May 3 People think of scripts as consisting of dialogue (the short lines in the middle of the page), and descriptions (the long lines going across the page). But a better way to think of scripts is as … Continue reading →

Writing assignment, April 27, 2011 When I wrote THE WEDDING COW, there was a scene in which Jack stops at a gas station. In the first pass at that scene, your typical car-mechanic-type guy in overalls walks out to help … Continue reading →

writing assignment April 19, 2011, (c) Ela Thier —————————— This week I celebrate Passover, which commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. The story of Passover is an action-packed-let-my-people-go epic story of overcoming obstacles towards a high-stakes goal. Like … Continue reading →

weekly writing assignment (c) Ela Thier First part of this week’s exercise is you writing a poem. Here’s how: I want you, in writing, to describe the shirt that you’re wearing right now. I want you to describe it in … Continue reading →

Writing assignment, April 5, 2011 Gloria wants: to get a job as a [insert tough job here] Because: her husband got caught for twenty years of tax evasion and they’re broke on their bums (ouch) But: she’s a 50-something who … Continue reading →

Weekly writing assignment, March 29, 2011 Lulu wants: to nail an audition because: she’s perfect for the role! she was born to play this role. but: when she shows up at the audition after dozens of hours of practice and … Continue reading →