Tension, Drama and Stakes in Writing

This course is designed for individuals who want to explore the use of tension to compel audiences and to build and maintain engagement from the very first moments of their story. The course will focus on teaching participants how to write relatable characters, who not only face opposition from without but whose own worst enemy might just be themselves. Over the course of eight weeks, participants will subject their avatars to twists, reversals and escalating oppositions that put eventual success in doubt until a final cathartic moment. This course includes a workshop element; writing generated in the course will be workshopped by fellow students. 

This course is taught by Susan Hubbard, an instructor at the University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. Hubbard is an award-winning screenwriter whose work has screened internationally. She co-wrote the feature film Realization and her play, Thundersnow, was produced in 2015. She holds an MFA in Cinema Art & Science from Columbia College Chicago.  

Notes

Online registration deadline: Sep 19, 5 PM CT