In the blink of an eye, the first semester reached its end and with hindsight, I believe that it set an extraordinary exposition to a journey within the wonderland: scary yet extremely exciting and rewarding. I am glad to say that both modules of this semester (Genre and Theme, Story and the Journey of Change) offered such safe and creative spaces for us to explore our potentials to the best of our abilities albeit in completely different ways; after all, in my opinion, Jonathan Hourigan’s focus on character and Tim Price’s emphasis on structure are a perfect match made in heaven (as unlikely as it may seem). Nowhere else could we as screenwriting students be supported to closely collaborate with each other, to meticulously watch, read, and analyze myriad of movies and TV series, to learn how to respectfully criticize each other and take criticisms in return, to push ourselves to our limits and not be ashamed to ask for help, and last but not least to make mistakes. In other words, a life time of experience encapsulated in only 3 months!

Moreover, we had the chance to meet with numerous writers, story liners, script editors and producers currently working in the industry; people who once shared similar positions as us. All of this and much more made Mondays the day that I looked forward to the most. The rest of the week would be dedicated to what we are all actually here to do: writing! But that doesn’t mean that we are left on our own. Besides the professors’ consistent assistance throughout the week, the students deeply rely on each other as a cohort. On top of that, the 1 on 1 meetings with the professors help us navigate our way in writing. Accordingly, receiving feedbacks that are specifically meant for you makes you feel heard and respected as a unique writer. It is fascinating how out of the same set of skills that are equally taught to a group of students could emerge such nuanced and diverse writing styles. And so the journey continues… I wonder what’s more to come?

Written by Fatima Mehr, a Screenwriting MA student

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