Category Archives: Weekly Writing Lesson

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 →

Writing assignment: week of March 22, 2011 Comedy doesn’t come from people being funny. In fact, no one is hardly ever funny in comedies. Most comedies thrive on people taking themselves seriously in absurd situations. The more seriously the characters … Continue reading →

Writing assignment, March 14, 2011 GUESSING GAME!! Below is a transcription of a conversation between husband and wife as he comes home to find a candle-lit dinner prepared for him. See if you can guess what popular movie it’s from: … Continue reading →

Writing assignment: March 8, 2011 Subtext is that gap between what people say and what’s actually going on. One of my favorite examples is from “The Professional”. The killer holds a gun to this guy’s head in front of his … Continue reading →