For years my family, friends and students said I should hold classes online. And I refrained. Mostly, because one of the great joys to me of teaching is the exchange of energy and ideas in the classroom. The give or take. The repartee. The mojo, if you will. Well, thanks to social distancing protocol, the universe has caught up with me. I should know better. It always does.

When I returned home to Atlanta from Los Angeles, everyone said I should teach. But I didn’t. Until finally I slipped and fell into doing workshops. Then folks said I should write a book. But I didn’t. Until the opportunity dropped from the sky and landed at my feet. Everyone said I should teach at a university. But I didn’t. Until a call came one day inviting me to give it a try. And so here I am. A screenwriter. An author. A college professor. Doing what I love. Sharing what I’ve learned. Happy as a clam. Who knew? Well, everyone but me actually.

Thanks to the geniuses at Zoom, I now find the ability and opportunity to teach screenwriting much the same way I do in the classroom. Interacting in real time with students. Talking (and typing) back and forth. Sharing visual aids on-screen. And laughing uncontrollably with my students. All from the privacy of my own home.

The beauty of this, of course, is now my students can do the same, learning everything I have to offer in the privacy of their own homes too. From anywhere in the world.

For convenience, I have broken the 12 hours of my Screenwriter School weekend workshop into six sessions. They will take place Saturdays from 12pm – 2pm EST. The first online course will be May 16 – June 20. Enjoy lunch during it, if you wish. Interact if you want. Take notes however you like. Just join us.

Make the most of this damn quarantine. Learn something. Writing something.

Take a step in the direction of your dreams.

Just because I was slow to pick up on my cue from the universe, doesn’t mean you have to.