The Second Draft Studio
A Screenplay Revision Lab with Tom Vaughan
Rewrite with purpose. Reshape with power.
May 21, 28, & June 4, 2025
8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific)
You’ve typed “FADE OUT”—but your story’s journey has just begun. In this three-session masterclass, veteran screenwriter Tom Vaughan (Warner Bros, Disney, Castle Rock) pulls back the curtain on the real work of rewriting: shaping your first draft into a submission-ready script that gets noticed. Whether you're polishing for a producer, a contest, or your own creative satisfaction, The Second Draft Studio is your step-by-step path to a sharper, stronger, and more compelling screenplay.
With nearly thirty years of Hollywood experience and credits, including Winchester (Helen Mirren), Unstoppable, and Haunting of the Queen Mary, Tom brings a rare blend of industry insight and hands-on teaching expertise. Across three sessions, Tom will walk you through professional revision strategies—from structural overhauls to scene-level rewrites. You’ll explore how to find your story’s true spine, ask the right questions of every scene, and navigate notes like a development exec—whether you have one or not.
By the end of the lab, you won’t just have a better draft—you’ll have a sharper eye, a deeper toolkit, and a new way of seeing your story. Get ready to rewrite with purpose, reshape with power, and reignite at The Second Draft Studio.
Here’s How the Three-Session Lab Will Unfold
Workshop 1: The Goal of the Rewrite.
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What story are you telling?
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What you wrote vs what you think you wrote.
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Finding fresh eyes, especially your own.
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Navigating notes from others.
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Navigating development.
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Being your own development exec.
Workshop 2: Big Picture Rewrites
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The story.
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The structure.
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The characters.
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The subplots.
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Rewriting Act 1.
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Rewriting Act 2.
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Rewriting Act 3.
Workshop 3: Scene Rewrites
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Five Great Scenes.
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Five Questions for every scene.
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What is the change?
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Who wants what?
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Whose scene is it?
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What is the emotion?
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Why is it compelling?
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Checklist for every scene.
By the End of These Sessions You’ll Have:
…more than just a stronger draft—you’ll have a sharper sense of what story you're really telling. You’ll know how to approach your screenplay with fresh eyes, navigate conflicting notes with clarity, and become your own development executive. You’ll rework structure, deepen character arcs, refine subplots, and sharpen each act with precision. On the scene level, you’ll learn to ask the right questions—about change, emotion, and purpose—so every moment on the page earns its place. Whether you're polishing five great scenes or reimagining your entire second act, you’ll leave this course with a concrete revision strategy, a practical checklist, and the confidence to shape your script into something undeniable—or, as acclaimed director Martin Scorsese puts it, “impenetrable.”
Our Faculty
Tom Vaughan is a veteran screenwriter with nearly thirty years of industry experience, writing for major studios including Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, Disney, and Castle Rock Entertainment.
His recent credits include Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023) and Winchester (2018) starring Helen Mirren. He has developed projects for notable talents including Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage, Chow Yun-Fat and director David Gordon Green.
His other produced screenplays include Unstoppable with Wesley Snipes and Critical Assembly with Katherine Heigl, while his scripts Daddy’s Girl and Most Wanted are scheduled for production later this year. Beyond his writing career, Vaughan has spent over two decades teaching screenwriting, currently serving as an instructor at his beloved alma mater, the University of Houston.
He has a weekly screenwriting email at his site storyandplot.com.
Today's Price Only $197 for 6 hours of instruction
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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, you’ll receive a passcode-protected link to watch the recordings after the course is over.
A Peek at Our Past Virtual Classes
