Full disclosure: This is a post I'm moving from my previous website. Originally dated: January 2, 2022
When I first arrived at UMaine Farmington, my love of writing revolved around fiction...usually short military thrillers. I took nonfiction classes that helped me share my own stories. But the class I most enjoyed and learned from was screenwriting. Cheers, Teal!
Screenwriting is the art of writing for the screen: Ads, movies, TV shows, and many YouTube shows. I focused on writing for the big screen in college - feature-length films. I'm still working on those. Don't worry, Sebastien! <-- He's a character of mine.
Recently, I am diving into TV shows - sitcoms in particular. I still struggle with conflict, probably because I'm not a fan. I am becoming better with the help of my girlfriend, Anna. This includes several books she gifted me for Christmas. Among them, the little book of sitcom by John Vorhaus. Thanks, babe!
Diving into this book has revived my love for the screenplay and created an interest in TV writing. It has also given me time to think of the craft and better my writing. Most importantly, conflict. Vorhaus writes about a "scene's want." In each scene, something must happen. If there's a boy wanting to ask a girl to prom, the scene wants to know if he will follow through. It sounds simple, but it's helpful to go back to the basics.
I am looking forward to writing more and creating the first few episodes of my web series about Maine. You'll hear more about it in the future!
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