Build Your Story Like a Pro:
A six-week live, interactive workshop taught by Margaret South, developer of feature films and founder of All Girl Productions
Feb 19, 26. Mar 4, 11, 18, & 25, 2024
8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Pacific)
“When All Girl Productions acquired the rights to the book Beaches, it needed quite a bit of work and imagination to adapt it for the screen. Margaret worked with the writer to accomplish that, and successfully guided her to write the memorable screenplay it became.”
— Bonnie Bruckheimer, Producer, Beaches, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Whether you’re writing a novel, memoir, or screenplay, story structure is your friend. Love Story. Buddy Comedy. Science Fiction or Horror. The basic structure remains the same.
Now, through a six-week class with Margaret South, you’ll master the art (and science!) of story structure. This is your chance to get those beats in the right places. You’ll save yourself time—and a world of heartbreak. Why write fifty fantastic pages that turn out to be the backstory?
Over the six 90-minute sessions, Margaret will do a deep dive into the must-have elements of any story. You’ll discuss the Three Levels of Conflict and the Four Traits of a Protagonist. And each week, she’ll share prompts that are keyed directly to your story.
Ready to master Story Structure, no matter what your genre? Join Margaret for this six-week course and build your story like a pro.
Build Your Story Like a Pro Syllabus
Week 1 - February 19:
-
Overview and History of Story Structure
-
Drawing Your Story Map
-
The structure of a Great Protagonist
-
Prompt
Week 2 - February 26:
-
Three Levels of Conflict; The Gap
-
Act One:
-
Introducing the Major Characters
-
The Inciting Incident and the First Threshold
-
Prompt
Week 3 - March 4:
-
Act Two A:
-
Allies, Enemies, Obstacles
-
The Midpoint and the Mirror Moment
-
Prompt
Week 4 - March 11:
-
Act Two B:
-
The Dark Night of the Soul
-
Writing the Epiphany
-
Prompt
Week 5 - March 18:
-
Act Three:
-
The Final Threshold
-
The Resolution
-
Prompt
Week 6 - March 25:
-
Scene Study: Fight, Negotiation, or Seduction
-
Review
-
Further Reading
-
Prompt
Faculty
Margaret South founded All Girl Productions with Bette Midler and Bonnie Bruckheimer, and developed feature film projects for Disney, Fox and Tri-Star Studios, HBO, ABC, and NBC, including the beloved Beaches. Together with Ms. Midler, she wrote the screenplay A View from a Broad for Disney Studios.
Ms. South also created the innovative Kids Talk Story curriculum, provided in public schools. She has appeared at the Crossroads Writers' Conference, the Maui/Hawaii Writers’ Conference, the Women in Film Convention, as well as American Pen Women, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She has worked with writers for over three decades.
Registration fee: $249 for nine hours of instruction
EVENING CLASS
Feb 19, 26. Mar 4, 11, 18, 25, 2024
8 to 9:30 PM Eastern (5 to 6:30 PM Pacific)
Please note: Our classes are designed specifically for live participation, so your attendance is important. If you need to miss a class for any reason, per request you’ll receive a passcode-protected link to watch the recordings after the course is over.
A Peek at Our Past Virtual Classes
