This is a long shot, I know, but does anyone have any funny stories from their time on a writing course? Maybe it was just something someone said. Maybe you had a pompous tutor, or your course was filled with people who had no sense of humour, but still thought they were going to be the next big thing.
The first one I went to had about 20 people on it. By about week 5 we were down to 6 (4 regulars). It was a 30-week course.
Dan
Quote: Griff @ January 10, 2008, 9:09 AM...one young chap, a gigging stand-up comic, launched into a long routine about anal sex, paedophilia, cancer, rape etc...
He must've thought he was on a writing 'coarse'. boom boom. (god that's a terrible joke)
One of the girls on my course recorded lessons on a dictaphone and then sent us critiques of our critiques. Also another girl said she'd like to see the tutor naked, just as he walked into the room. That's about it - not many funny situations on a writing course unfortunately.
On one writing course, we were asked to give a paragraph description of an idea to develop. One person took twenty minutes plus. At one point they actually got the script out and read 'relevant' sections. The finishing touch was when they used character voices.
Needless to say, whenever a question was asked the rest of the class was determined to get their hands up first.
ha ha - these are pretty funny stories!
Quote: Griff @ January 10, 2008, 9:09 AMAre you writing a sitcom set in a writing course, catskillz ?
I've been on a few comedy writing courses, met some very, umm, "interesting" characters on them, but it'd be a bit mean to tell you about them on a public forum which they might be reading. (Obviously, I've met lots of great people on these courses too, one of whom I now co-write with.)
One scene which sticks in my head is the sitcom writing course I went on last year. Some of the attendees were serious about writing, some of them were just there because French/Needlework/Recorder Lessons were full up. I will always remember the look of absolute horror on two old biddies faces (who were in the "shouldn't hae been there" category)when one young chap, a gigging stand-up comic, launched into a long routine about anal sex, paedophilia, cancer, rape etc. without the slightest inkling that his elderly audience weren't enjoying the free taster of his material.
My sitcom isn't set in a writing course. I was just looking at the thread about courses last night, and started coming up with some funny ideas.
Not strictly a writers course but I was on a course some years ago for aspiring deputy-heads and we all had to go away over night and write an application for a D-Head job. Unfortunately 10 members of the course went away and individually downloaded the same exemplary letter from the Internet. The following day we all had to read our letters out. It's called 'cascading' in shit-speak. By the time the tenth identical letter was read out the guy delivering it was sweating like a seven year old girl at a paedophile convention.
Do today's kids really just get all their work off the internet, like people say they do? If so, my generation missed out on it by the skin of our teeth. People were just starting to get into the whole internet thing, when I was in my final year at school, and I remember going into an internet cafe a couple of times myself. Unfortunately, I didn't get home access, until about 4 years after I'd left.
I actually used one piece of work off the internet and handed it in. I did edit it ever so slightly but I got a B for it so I'm happy 
On the theme of the title but not the way the thread was intended, has anyone done the "Writers Bureau" course and is it worthwhile?
It is up to 4 years and I realise that at my age it's a bit of a risk but someone has offered to pay.
Quote: swerytd @ January 10 2008, 2:28 PM BSTThe first one I went to had about 20 people on it. By about week 5 we were down to 6 (4 regulars). It was a 30-week course.
Dan
Was that the ultra realistic murder mystery course?
I actually just did a writing course in New York. Was out there for six months, the course was split in two, so I had nine weeks with one tutor and another nine weeks with a separate tutor.
It was a screenwriting course so not specific to comedy, but I did write a comedy script for the course. The first nine weeks were very much a mixed bag. The tutor, although a decent bloke, wasn't really the ideal tutor for me, the rest of the group agreed, not feeling he was really putting the effort into our course.
The second tutor I had for the last nine weeks was fantastic, very very good. I have always been of the opinion that 'those who can, do, and those who can't, teach'. However, the second tutor was very much the exception to that. Very enthusiastic, talented, and honest. He won a Short Film Academy Award for a short film he wrote & directed a couple of years back. He's also just had funding to complete shooting on his first written and directed feature.
I've attended three writing courses in my time. I always feel that there is so much stuff you are told which doesn't help in your future work, but you might pick up the odd bit of information/tip/trick that is invaluable for your future writing. It's always going to be a mixed bag, but I just take from the experience what I feel helps me, and everything else I leave behind, or push to the back of my mind, just incase it comes in useful.