I just returned from a one week screenwriting workshop at the Norman Mailer Writers Colony.
The workshop was led by David Black, an award-winning journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and producer. His novel Like Father was named a notable book of the year by the New York Times and listed as one of the seven best novels of the year by the Washington Post. The King of Fifth Avenue was named a notable book of the year by the New York Times, New York Magazine, and the A.P.
Among the television shows he has produced and written are the Sidney Lumet series 100 Centre Street, which was listed as one of the 10 best shows of the year, the Richard Dreyfuss series The Education of Max Bickford, Monk, CSI-Miami, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, and Law & Order, which received an Emmy nomination for Best Dramatic Show and a Golden Globe nomination.
It was fun to have a week devoted to discussing films and television shows. And since I’ve watched almost twenty years of Law & Order episodes it was fascinating to learn how a script for that show is developed. We had a great group: Jonathan Rocks (his real name), Asmara B. (concert violinist with a really long Indian name which I can’t remember how to spell), Deirdre Sinnott, Amy Crocker, Kevin Heisler, Kim Howard and Rosary O’Neill. The screenplays that the group were working on ranged from fracking to New Orleans old money, to New York mobsters to an obsession with British royalty and more.
The workshop is held at Norman Mailer’s house in Provincetown, Cape Cod. The workshop participants are housed in condos scattered around the town, all of which have kitchens and living rooms. Plus they provide us with a bike so we can navigate the town and surrounding sand dunes. It’s a unique experience and I highly recommend it to writers who are looking for a different kind of workshop experience.
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| Norman's Deck |
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| Bike Trail to Dunes |
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| Sand |
