The writer who celebrates the legend they once were, is a writer at the height of their powers! While you were drooling in braces, eating friendless lunches, and cutting your own bangs: guess what? Teenage you was a fucking STAR. She just never knew it.
Bring your fumbles and humiliations, your ukulele songs and band camp tears! The best comedy comes from utter vulnerability, so we’re quantum leaping back to YOUR TEENAGE SELF. In this 4-part screenwriting intensive, we’ll revisit who we were in high school, roll around in the cringey nostalgia (turns out it’s delicious!), do an archeological dig in our moms’ basements, dust off any old shame, fall in love with our V1 prototypes, and from this tender and hilarious place craft an idiosyncratic, achingly specific high school heroine for the ages. Not “you”—but gorgeous pieces of you, folded into an exquisitely awesome new character. This course is equal parts catharsis and wild creativity. We’re smashing our shadow selves wide open (in a cuddly, loving way) to find full freedom on the page—and finding community in the process.
Take-aways:
• Students dissect examples of “peak uncool” high school protagonists (“My So-Called Life,” “Never Have I Ever,” etc), as well as teen archetypes.
• Zero-in on what’s YET TO BE DONE in film and TV, and zero in on what YOU in particular have to share with the world that’s all-new!
• Investigate what’s unique and special about the teen genre—and the absolute GIFT they are to an intrepid screenwriter. • Learn Lauren’s “5 Principals of the Teen Galaxy” and how they can guide you to a uniquely kick-ass new concept.
• Each week, go home with a fun and feasible new writing assignment. You’ll get direct feedback from Lauren on your budding character creation, your script concept, and writing.
• With an all-new love for the perfect dorkdom and beauty of Teenage You, you’ll create a fictional character around which to build a brilliant and fresh script! Walk away from our 4 weeks together with an incredible all-new teen character AND a starter script concept ready to bring fully to life.
Additional information:
As a group, we’ll share our Teen Self vulnerabilities, humiliations, and memories in a safe space. This class is a cathartic, and even joyous, nostalgia-dive in a supportive community.