Summer Screenwriting Boot Camp: 6 Weeks to a “Vomit Draft"

Cost: $325 $260 Save 20% when signing up by June 15 and using the code EARLYSUMMER at checkout.

Student limit: 15

Are you a journalist, essayist, novelist or other writer who has dabbled in screenwriting or tossed around ideas but never really found the time to commit? This summer is the time to go all-in and finally write that screenplay that’s been kicking around in your head all these years. Other online courses will promise that in six weeks you can finish a polished draft of a screenplay that you’ll sell to Hollywood for millions. Guess what? You can’t. But you can produce what screenwriter and instructor Bill Gullo calls “a vomit draft.”

What’s a vomit draft? It’s just what it sounds like: fast and disgusting, but productive. Plus you’ll feel better after you’re done. Any professional screenwriter will tell you the importance of getting the first draft finished so you can step back and see what’s working and what’s not. This draft provides clarity to move forward and that’s the most important thing — moving forward, so you can avoid getting stuck in a death spiral of overthinking or infinitely rewriting the same scenes.

The writer behind the movies +1 (Plus One) and The Quitter, Bill Gullo has over 20 years of experience as a screenwriter and educator. He was the associate director of Almanack Screenwriters for seven years, where he mentored up-and-coming film and TV writers, and has also taught screenwriting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. In six two-hour sessions, Bill will share his own tips and tools for developing characters, outlining and plotting, structure, theme and cinematic flair. Each class will include writing prompts to explore all of the above, as well as tips on sustaining your writing practice. Students will be assigned to watch two movies with a critical eye to each element of the script, which will help lock in the concepts discussed in class. And — as long as you write at least a little bit each day — by the end of this six-week class you’ll have that “vomit draft” complete and be ready to move on to revising.

This is NOT a workshop class. You will not be required to read peers’ work, and the instructor will not read and critique your draft-in-progress. Instead, this is a fast-paced but supportive course designed to help you start and finish a draft of that screenplay before the summer ends.

This class can be completed live or asynchronously. Attendance at as many of the six live sessions as you can make is strongly encouraged so that you can get the most out of the discussion and craft exercises. But we also know it’s summer and people will be traveling, so all class sessions will be recorded and shared with enrolled students in case there are specific sessions you have to miss.

This class is right for you if…

You’re a journalist, essayist, novelist or other writer who would like guidance on how to adapt your writing skills for the screen.
You’re an early career screenwriter looking for new tools, accountability and deadlines.
You’ve dabbled in screenwriting and could benefit from concrete direction on plotting, structure, outlining and more.
You’ve always wanted to write a screenplay but don’t know where to start.

After this class you’ll be ready to…

Analyze your “vomit draft” and make a plan for revising and finishing your screenplay.
Apply the tips, tools and lessons to any screenplay you want to write.

This six-week class takes place on Wednesdays from July 16 to August 20, 7pm to 9pm ET. All Narratively Academy classes are conducted online and accessible to students anywhere in the world. This class will be recorded and shared with all enrolled students, but live attendance and participation is strongly encouraged.

Your Instructor: Bill Gullo’s writing life began in New Orleans with his decision to write a novella while pursuing his MA in literature. He later adapted that manuscript into the feature screenplay, REDMOND, which went on to win the award for best screenplay at the IFP Market in New York City. His next original screenplay, THE LONG BLUE YONDER, was a semi-finalist for the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and was selected for Hollywood’s Black List. Bill’s creative work expanded to writing, directing and producing for film, TV, stage and the web as his debut as a writer/director came with the short film, One Year Down, which premiered the same year as his stage musical, You Again (a Musical about Cloning), which he wrote, produced and directed at the The New York International Fringe Festival. Bill wrote the screenplay for the feature film, +1 (aka PlusOne), a New York Times Critic’s Pick, and wrote The Quitter, which the New York Times described as “a textured, heartfelt drama.” His original psychological thriller, Bastard, attracted Martin Scorsese as an executive producer, and he currently has two feature films at the casting stage: a science fiction love story, Nectar, written for Brazilian director Caito Ortiz, and his original darkly comic thriller, Toxic with Stephanie Laing attached to direct.

Bill teaches screenwriting at NYU and was the longtime associate director of Almanack Screenwriters, where he supported emerging film/TV writers with strong voices and unique stories. He is the founder of Storytellers Social Club, a network of storytellers from diverse disciplines and This Time/Next Time, a story consulting service for individuals and organizations.

“I couldn't be happier that I jumped into Bill Gullo's "Six Weeks to a Vomit Draft." Thirty years deep into a writing career in a completely different genre, I wanted guidance on my first foray into screenwriting to come from a working screenwriter who knows what they're doing— and Bill does. He's a great teacher, wonderfully engaged and focused, and any writer who's ready to dig in can be sure the class will delivers on its promise. —Marya Hornbacher, New York Times bestselling author

Registration Details: Seats in this class are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Cancellation Policy:

Full refund when canceling 7 or more days before the class start date.
50% refund when canceling less than 7 days before the class start date.
No cancellations after the class start date.

Questions? Email us at academy@narratively.com.

MORE: Check out all of our upcoming Narratively Academy classes here.