Writing Screenplays – A Panel Discussion

When you walk out of a movie theater—remember doing that?—do you ever wish you could write a script? Well, you can. On Sunday, February 7, at 2:30 p.m., Wendy Thornton will lead a panel discussion about screenwriting with Gary Gordon, Shamrock McShane, and Tom Miller. The program will be held via Zoom (see link at the end of this article.)

The four panelists will discuss the basics that answer questions like these: How do you get started? What are the formats that you must follow? How do you structure a movie plot?

They will touch on the beginning, middle, end, plot points, character creation, character arc, genre, and the seeming conflict between creating a tight outline, yet keeping it loose enough for creative ideas along the way. They will also discuss the use of screenplay software and how to enter various contests.

Writing scripts is an enjoyable variation of the classic act of writing. Before you know it, you’ll be envisioning your characters on the silver screen.

Wendy Thornton will begin the discussion. She is working on a screenplay and is the author of several books including Sounding the Depths, Dear Oprah Or How I Beat Cancer and Learned to Love Daytime TV, and a  mystery, Bear-Trapped: In a Trashy Hollywood Novel. Her stories and essays have been published in a variety of journals and books including Riverteeth, Epiphany, and MacGuffin. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, has been Editor’s Pick on Salon.com multiple times, and has received numerous awards. Her works have been published in England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and India. And somehow, Thornton still finds time to teach writing at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida.

Gary Gordon is an author, songwriter, screenwriter, travel writer, comedy writer, and playwright, who says he probably spends “too much time on Facebook.” He spent over twenty years in Los Angeles, California, learning the craft of screenwriting and working on several works-for-hire. After returning to Gainesville he participated, before COVID, in the WAG Screenwriting pod and taught screenwriting at Santa Fe College.

Shamrock McShane, writer, teacher, and actor, is a 1986 graduate of the University of Florida’s Creative Writing Program. He is the author of the novel Rock Beauty and the nonfiction novel Hall of Fools. As a screenwriter, he collaborated with his son, director Mike McShane, on films including The Votive Pit, You Are Not Frank Sinatra, and It’s All Good. A Shakespearean-trained actor as well as a prize-wining playwright, his acting credits include playing Mercutio, Macbeth, and Prospero, as well as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.

Tom Miller is a playwright, screenwriter, performance artist, musician, director, sound designer, and actor. He hosts an avant-garde variety show, The Tom Miller Show, a staple of entertainment in Gainesville, Florida, since 1984. In its current form, the show is known as the Reverend Angeldust’s Tabernacle of Hedonism. Miller says it is the “longest-running variety show in the United States.” Miller holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Florida and an MFA in Screenwriting from the David Lynch MFA Screenwriter’s Program at Maharishi International University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. For more information, check out his website, https://filmfreeway.com/TomMiller

Link to Join this Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89973131287?pwd=UWc4WXRaaDl0OWVQWmgwbTBiNHdVQT09

Meeting ID: 899 7313 1287
Password: 316819