Lit Fest 2024

In this seminar, we’ll explore the craft of dramatic writing, specifically crafting your first original television pilot—an essential “calling card” for breaking into the industry. We'll discuss character arcs, narrative structure, dramatic escalation, conflict, and the construction of compelling scenes. We'll look for ways to preserve our literary voice and unique identity in a form often (mistakenly) considered formulaic. We’ll watch clips from some successful pilot episodes as illustrations whenever possible, and some outside viewing may be suggested (particularly the pilot episodes of Atlanta, Reservation Dogs, Insecure, Severance, The Curse, and Breaking Bad.) We’ll also talk about the art of adaptation—turning one of your own stories/novels (or somebody else’s) into a pilot script. Finally, we'll end with one generative exercise each session, designed to get you started on the first ten pages of your script and rough outline by the end of the week. While the course is geared towards creative writers interested in trying to write their first script, the principles taught in this class can easily apply to any narrative work—stories, novels, memoirs, essays, plays, etc.