Writing Prompt: I Love BBQ

The crowd at our "Mad Men" panel

By Marilyn Friedman

60 people attended our TV Drama panel last Friday. It was a fantastic event with "Mad Men" writers Michael Saltzman and Jason Grote and "Monk"'s Bill Rabkin!

For yet another thrilling Friday night, join us at our TV Horror Panel with EP's and writers Tim Minear and Lee Shipman of "American Horror Story" and "Hemlock Grove" on June 7th.

Before you get wrapped up in afternoon BBQ's and excursions to the beach, don't forget that we have a whole pack of classes starting after Memorial Day with award-winning writers including Essay Writing, Novel Writing, Picture Book Writing, Novel Series Writing, Screenwriting, One-Person Show, TV Drama Writing, and Twitter. Sign up before you leave for the weekend and you'll have a treat to look forward to when you come back home.

I hope to see your sun-kissed faces soon! Happy Early Memorial Day! Below are the latest class offerings, followed by a free writing prompt. 

Classes Starting May 30-June 6:

• You In 1200 Words: Writing and Publishing The Personal Essay
• A Novel Approach: Tackling The Long Format Writing Project
• From First Loves To Tales Of Teenage Woe: Writing For Young Adults
• Writing In Series: Crafting Stories That Keep On Telling
• It's Playtime: Writing For Kids 
• Dream It, Write It, Pitch It: Screenwriting Bootcamp
• #FameSuccessLove: Harnessing The Power of Twitter
• From Pitch To First Draft: Writing the Television Drama (7 Wk)

Other Classes:

Creative Writing/Multi-Genre

• Mini Writing Pad Bootcamp
• Literary Games: The Art of The Found Story

Fiction/Memoir

• Memorable Memoir: Writing A Compelling Past 
• Short and Sweet: The Art of The Short Story
• Writing The Marketable Picture Book
• Memorable Memoir Bootcamp: Make Your True Tales Thrilling
• Addictive Fiction: Writing The Knock Out Novel

Journalism/Web Writing

• Tales From The Carpool Lane: Writing The Parenting Essay
• So You Want To Be A Freelancer Seminar
• On The Record: Writing and Publishing The Profile
• You In 1200 Words: Writing And Publishing The Personal Essay
• What Do You Think? Writing the Op-Ed or Cultural Essay

Writing For Actors

• Story Time Plus: A Performed Essay Workshop (5 Wk)
• It’s All About You: A One-Person Show Intensive

Screenwriting

• Writing A Pilot That Can Fly (Weekend Intensive) 
• Work The Room: Mastering The Power of The Cocktail Party Pitch

Writing Prompt:

Since Memorial Day weekend is just a few days away, here's a writing prompt to get you in the holiday mood. Make a list of your 3 favorite BBQ items or the top 3 things you love about BBQ's. Be specific. For instance, the first item on my list is grilled corn. There is nothing better than gnawing on ultra sweet corn on the cob grilled on the BBQ. It makes me so happy! If someone invites me to a BBQ and they mention that grilled corn is on the menu, I'm there.

Pick your one item off of your list. Now add a few specific details about why this thing is so great (e.g. ultra sweet taste, smoky grill marks, launches me back to lazy summers in my backyard in Chicago with just one bite, I hear the cicadas whining and feel the soft blades of grass under my toes). Now for 10 minutes, write a scene or story that includes this item or write an ode to this item, making sure to include at least one of the specific details. 

What do you love about BBQ's? Don't forget to share the results of your 10 minute write in the comments of this blog to be entered in the contest for a free class!