Build Your Story Like a Pro

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
Oct 2, 9, 16, 23, 30. Nov 6, 2023
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 - October 2:

Overview and History of Story Structure
Drawing Your Story Map
The structure of a Great Protagonist
Prompt

Week 2 - October 9:

Three Levels of Conflict; The Gap
Act One:
Introducing the Major Characters
The Inciting Incident and the First Threshold
Prompt

Week 3 - October 15:

Act Two A:
Allies, Enemies, Obstacles
The Midpoint and the Mirror Moment
Prompt

Week 4 - October 23:

Act Two B:
The Dark Night of the Soul
Writing the Epiphany
Prompt

Week 5 - October 30:

Act Three:
The Final Threshold
The Resolution
Prompt

Week 6 - November 6:

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.

Margaret South

Registration fee: $249 for nine hours of instruction

EVENING CLASS

Oct 2, 9, 15, 23, 30. Nov 6, 2023

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.