Crash Course in Screenwriting

Join us for an action-packed day of our "Crash Course in Screenwriting" with Professional Screenwriter Sharon Y. Cobb!
Explore the three-act structure, basics of creating movie characters, film stories and plot construction. Learn about loglines, synopsis and beat sheets. Get ready to kick-start your screenwriting career in this buckle-your-seatbelt introductory workshop.

Sharon Cobb is a professional screenwriter who is a member of the Writers Guild of America who has sold pitches and scripts to studios and has had films produced.

The course is 12/3/16 from 9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.

Learn something for the fun of it - Now at a YMCA near you

The name says it all - LEARN Jacksonville - where classes are created for adults to participate in fun activities and learn new skills. LEARN Jacksonville has partnered with YMCA of Northeast Florida to bring affordable personal enrichment programs to a location near you.

Discover everything from foreign language classes to kayaking lessons. Five local Y branches, including Arlington Family YMCA, Brooks Family YMCA, Flagler Center Family YMCA, Williams Family YMCA and Yates Family YMCA, will offer 17 unique classes beginning in May. Starting at $25 per class.

“The Y never stops exploring new ways to partner within the community and cultivate a healthy, active First Coast,” said YMCA of Florida’s First Coast President and CEO Eric Mann. “We are pleased to join forces with the University of North Florida to provide area residents with extensive educational resources that improve individual well-being.”

You do not have to be a Y member to take classes at your neighborhood Y. Everyone is welcome to attend classes at either UNF or YMCA locations. But Y membership does have its perks. First Coast YMCA members will receive 15 percent off registration for all classes taking place at Y facilities.

“As LEARN Jacksonville has become increasingly popular over the past years, it’s only natural for us to expand our reach by serving a wide variety of carefully selected classes beyond the campus walls,” said Edythe Abdullah, interim dean of UNF’s Division of Continuing Education. “The alignment between the Y’s commitment to strengthening communities and our division’s long-time goal of personal improvement will further facilitate a healthier Northeast Florida.”

Through this partnership, the new classes offered at First Coast Ys include Healthy Living in a Toxic World, Introduction to Spanish, Creative Mosaic Workshop, Crash Course in Screenwriting and more. 

Visit LEARNJacksonville.com for a full list of classes. Y members must register through FirstCoastYMCA.org/UNF in order to receive their discount. 

Click here to view the digital catalog or here to download a mobile-friendly PDF.

The Y

For more than 100 years, YMCA of Florida’s First Coast has been providing men, women and children of all ages, and from all walks of life, opportunities to build stronger bonds, live healthy and become more engaged with their communities. Learn more: www.FirstCoastYMCA.org.

University of North Florida

UNF, a nationally ranked university located on an environmentally beautiful campus, offers students who are dedicated to enriching the lives of others the opportunity to build their own futures through a well-rounded education.

NEW Creative Writing Workshops for Teens

"It is about the power of shaping your destiny no matter your age."
-Sharon Y Cobb

by Lynn Conradt-Eberlin

Teenage writers know there is no age requirement for good writing. Scripts and novels require imagination and the ability to communicate a good story. All they need is a chance to immerse themselves in the world of written creation, to understand the expected in preparation of unleashing your unexpected storytelling on the world. Prepare for the adventure of writing submersion, June 15-19, 2015 through the University of North Florida’s Division of Continuing Education!

Taking the Next Steps Toward Hollywood

By Sharon Y. Cobb

We have a vibrant film community in Northeast Florida with many talented writers. Some have been writing for many years. Some are aspiring writers fresh out of film school or UNF’s Continuing Education screenwriting workshops. They all have one thing in common: they want to sell their scripts to Hollywood or at least have their screenplays made into independent films. But where to start?

There are many scripts purchased every year by independent film production companies and studios. The popularity of certain genres rise and fall. At the American Film Market in November 2014, more thriller films were offered for sell than any other genre. Writers taking the next step in their screenwriting careers not only need to hone their craft, but also study and understand the script market.