Dates

16 Nov 2026

Workshop (12 places)

2hr

Monday  10am – 12pm (Mornings) │ 5 Weeks │ Start November 16th

Cost €135

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Course Overview

A practical and hands-on approach to scriptwriting.  Participants will learn how to write a compelling logline, become familiar with the building blocks of a good script, learn how to develop a character and plot and grapple with ways to create authentic language and believable dialogue. Finally participants will get pointers on how to hone a script , give and take feedback and the importance of rewriting.

Facilitator

Jennifer  Davidson is an experienced screenwriter, having been a core member of the Fair City writing team since 2012. Jennifer is also the Chair of the Writers’ Guild of Ireland since 2020. With a background in television production and development, she has worked for many of Ireland’s top independent production companies. A fierce advocate for Irish writers, through her work with the Writers’ Guild, she has originated and run a wide number of training and development initiatives for new writers. Her development experience includes contracts for O’Sullivan Productions, Independent Pictures, Jump Films, Animo, Adare, Shinawil, Coco and Kite 

Course Outline

Module 1 – Ideas and finding your spark  

How do you turn a premise into a story? What makes an idea compelling. How do you pitch that? And what do you do next? Turning a premise into a dramatic engine. High concept vs. character-driven ideas.  Writing a compelling logline (Who + Inciting Incident + Goal + Central Conflict). 

Workshop: We’ll do some prompt-based writing to flex our creative muscles and then look at what makes a compelling logline – participants will be challenged to write their own, and also to write a logline for one of their peers. We’ll work in a mock writers room set up and each writer will have the opportunity to dig more into their idea with support from their peers. 

Module 2: Plot or Story 

We’ll focus on the building blocks of any good script. Now that you’ve got your compelling idea – what happens next. We’ll explore some of the well-known story paradigms, and discuss how to know when it’s helping or hindering. We’ll look at the key differences between plot and story, and to begin to structure your idea into a script.

Workshop: Working in groups, writers will be asked to write the 5 key beats of an idea – making sure that every beat is the direct result of what has come before. Building from this, and focusing on their individual ideas, we’ll spend more time looking at story structure and how to build the emotional core of a story. 

Module 3: Character 

Building on what we discussed in our previous module, this week we focus on character – the foundation of any great script. Today we’ll cover internal vs external goals, the differences between plot and character-driven narrative and how to make sure your characters are always active. We’ll look at what makes a character compelling, and the intersection between character and plot.

Workshop: Writers will have the opportunity to write biographies for their main character, and take part in some writing exercises that will help them to get to know their character more. Working in small groups, they’ll also write some short scenes combining different and unlikely characters. 

Module 4: Dialogue 

Today we’ll focus on creating and crafting authentic dialogue. We’ll discuss how to effectively use dialogue to amplify a story, and what that old adage about show not tell really means. We’ll discuss subtext and indirect dialogue, and consider how to build distinct and compelling voices on the page. • Workshop: In our practical session, we’ll explore how to successfully use subtext in a scene. Writers will have to write a two page scene using two of their characters, arguing about the washing up. Each writer will be given a subtext note of what their scene is actually about. When these scenes are shared with the group, is the subtext clear, and effective? Does the scene leave us wanting to see more. 

Module 5: Writing, Rewriting, and what comes next 

In our final session, we’ll discuss second drafts and edits. Depending on where the writers are at with their work, we’ll talk about the psychology of feedback and how to handle and respond to notes. We’ll also talk about finishing the first draft and the importance of rewriting.

Key Outcomes

Become familiar with the elements of scriptwriting 
(Loglines, beats, character, plot, dialogue).
An opportunity to develop your own script ideas.
A toolkit for producing compelling scripts.
A roadmap of next steps for your own project.
A taster of what it’s like to participate in a writers room.
An opportunity to work collaboratively with other writers.

Book Your Spot here

Photo by Stephen Romary on Unsplash