WELLSWORLD

I had this screenwriting teacher, who sold a screenplay that was turned into a Lifetime movie. To Christian college co-eds in Grantham, PA this is the closest thing to an expert we were ever going to get. It’s not that she wasn’t smart. It’s not that she was a bad person. I just think she didn’t really have much business teaching hopeful young minds because the only thing she know to do was crush that hope.

None of us ever got past writing outlines into script-writing stage because she only knew how to tell us our screenplay ideas were not marketable. What she didn’t understand is that students still just need to learn the basics of writing and shouldn’t have to worry about writing cookie-cutter Hollywood screenplays. A good screenwriting teacher wouldn’t just project all of their own shortcomings in the industry on young kids who will be paying off their college tuition until they’re 80. OH and good teachers should wear bras when their classes are in February and this one didn’t.

So I wrote a scene for my screenplay where two kids blow up a bad guy’s head with a magic gameboy. I would like to think this was as awesome as it sounds, but she did not agree.  She told me - in front of the whole class - that this was evil and any idea that included violence with children - ESPECIALLY in a silly comedic sense - was evil and wrong.  She made it very clear that I was a bad person for coming up this idea and writing it on paper. A silence fell across the room.

After the class, I apologized. I don’t remember why.