1^st lesson free

Price $58
Answer 1h

$58/h

1^st lesson free

Scriptwriting

I am a friendly and professional instructor holding an MFA in Screenwriting, specializing in writing for film and television. I effectively teach the art of screenwriting to empower and inspire aspiri

Scriptwriting

Lesson location

- online

About Mo

I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember. I started by making ridiculous little movies with my sister and friends on an old camcorder, mostly because I wanted to make people laugh. Those little movies eventually became sketches, plays, performances, and screenplays.

I’ve spent more than 30 years performing on stage and screen and more than 15 years teaching acting and improv. I hold a BFA in Acting and an MFA in Screenwriting, and I completed The Second City Chicago's improv and sketch-writing conservatory programs. My background has taken me through theater, comedy, improv, film, writing, directing, and producing, which means I tend to approach stories from several angles at once.

As a writer, I love thrills, chills, and frills: character-driven stories with big ideas, strong genre elements, humor, horror, and plenty of humanity. My MFA thesis, the psychological horror feature Persecution in the Night, has since received recognition from multiple screenwriting competitions and fellowships.

I’m also committed to creating a safe and welcoming space for diverse writers and anyone who has ever felt like their permanent address might be The Island of Lost Toys. I believe some of our most exciting stories are found where identities, experiences, genres, and perspectives intersect. Great work will always be found where intersectionality meets imagination.

More than anything, I love working with emerging artists. I’ve had incredible teachers and mentors throughout my career, and I know firsthand what it means to have someone take your strange little idea seriously. I want to be that person for you.

About the lesson

You have an amazing and wild idea. I must hear about it!

Before we worry about formatting, act breaks, or page counts, I want to know what you’re excited to write and why you’re the person who needs to write it. My holistic approach to screenwriting begins with the most important tool a writer has: their voice.

Your voice comes from your personality, perspective, methodology, and lived experience. It’s what you want your reader, and eventually your audience, to feel with every fiber of their being. Craft matters, but voice is what creates the connection. It’s what helps a reader connect with the person behind the pages instead of simply moving on to the eighteenth script they’ve read that month.

Then, we learn the craft.

When inspiration is scarce or even gone, we rely on craft to keep writing. We’ll develop your understanding of structure, formatting, genre, world-building, character, action, dialogue, and rewriting. For beginning feature writers, I often teach the sequence approach as a foundation, not a formula. For television, we’ll explore the particular demands of the form, including character development, story engines, and A/B/C/D stories.

I believe you need to understand the rules before you break them. Especially as a new writer, breaking convention should be a choice, not an accident.

Our sessions are workshops, not lectures. For pages submitted by our agreed-upon deadline, typically at least 48 hours before we meet, I’ll come prepared with an annotated PDF and written notes so we can spend our time actually talking about your work. My notes are optimistic but honest. Rather than immediately telling you how I would “fix” something, I’ll ask questions, help you diagnose what isn’t working, and give you the opportunity to discover solutions yourself. We’ll also read and discuss produced screenplays, because one of the best ways to become a better screenwriter is to constantly read great screenwriting.

We’ll finish each session with achievable next steps tailored to your goals, experience, and desired pace. I’ll provide as much accountability as is productive for you. The goal isn’t to make you dependent on my notes; it’s to strengthen your instincts until you can make those discoveries yourself.

My approach comes from both sides of the page. I hold an MFA in Screenwriting and a BFA in Acting, completed the improv and sketch-writing conservatory programs at The Second City Chicago, and have taught acting and improv for more than 15 years. My performance background shapes how I approach character, intention, dialogue, scene dynamics, and, most importantly, whether something actually feels playable.

I primarily mentor beginning and emerging screenwriters: first-time writers with an idea they can’t shake, developing writers working on a feature or pilot, actors and improvisers moving into screenwriting, and writers developing samples for contests, fellowships, applications, or other professional opportunities. Students currently enrolled in writing programs are also welcome when our work respects and complements their institution’s process.

Whether you arrive with three sentences scribbled in your Notes app or a complete first draft, I want to help you build the craft, confidence, and voice to tell your story!

Rates

Price

Pack prices

5h: $288
10h: $576

free lessons

The first lesson with Mo will allow you to get to know each other and discuss your needs for future lessons.

online

$58/h

I am a friendly and professional instructor holding an MFA in Screenwriting, specializing in writing for film and television. I effectively teach the art of screenwriting to empower and inspire aspiri

Lesson location

About Mo

About the lesson

Rates

Price

Pack prices

free lessons

online

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I am a friendly and professional instructor holding an MFA in Screenwriting, specializing in writing for film and television. I effectively teach the art of screenwriting to empower and inspire aspiri

Lesson location

About Mo

About the lesson

Rates

Price

Pack prices

free lessons

online

Similar Scriptwriting tutors in Columbus

Michael

GOKCE

Yael

Leonardo

Yonni

Matthew

Tomas

Rendah

Samuel

Kyle

Mihir

Jamie

Dan

Michael

James

Heather

Jacob

Saadia

Chameli

Cristiano

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