Here are details on the three classes I’ll be offering next month at the 2010 Screenwriting Expo (Oct. 7-10 at the LAX Hilton). The first two are updated versions of talks I gave last year, that the Expo asked me to offer again. The last is a new one. They are all happening on Sunday, Oct. 10, but I highly recommend getting a pass to attend all three days. They have some great speakers this year. For more details, click here.
“Finding and Writing the ‘Story’ in True Stories”:
Every successful story needs to be a coherent emotional journey from beginning to end, whether it really happened or not. Erik will discuss what he has learned about identifying a good true story, mining and assembling its dramatic elements, and how and when to fictionalize.
“Creating and Pitching Series Ideas for Television”:
Just like in features, concept is king in TV development, and the criteria for what makes an idea workable (fresh, compelling, and real) are very specific. Erik Bork will detail what he has learned from experience presenting dozens of ideas to networks, studios, producers, and his own agents at CAA.
“Throwing rocks at your main character: how to keep a story moving forward”:
All great scripts are about problems that desperately need to be solved. Learn the keys to getting a reader emotionally invested in what your characters want and can’t have – and how to build that investment as the things they try to fix get worse and worse.
