SCRIPT WRITING

FOUNDATIONS 101

3 ways to access

live on zoom

A guided script development system

that helps you build the foundation of your story from the ground up.

This is a method designed to give you full creative control over your story—without losing clarity on how all its parts connect.

Writing a script requires sustained awareness across multiple layers such as character, plotting, world, tone, meaning, conflict, and many more that are not generally in the forefront of your mind but are critical to best practice in the craft.

Even experienced writers can lose sight of integration during development without a system, and too many lose a grip of the vital basics that keep the heart of story beating.

It is essential to have a system to keep you grounded so that you ensure you build on a solid foundation and don't get lost in the weeds, inadvertently forgetting about or omitting vital elements, and then, keeping them all aligned.

In this course, you learn how to:

identify every building block and layer (there are a lot!)
craft each one as we systematically build one upon another
keep them all integrated and congruent
learn some unique tools to help you

You will leave with a re-usable guide book and system to keep you on track every step of the way.

WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH

By the end you will have:

a mapped foundation for your story
a clear sense of narrative direction
a structured development pathway for your script
a one-page sales document
a reusable system for continuing script development
and more

You can bring an existing project or develop a new idea during the course

"[Susanna] does such a great job of walking you through the layers of a story, sharing tips and tools and is a great cheerleader to help develop yourself further. "

– April Pineiro, CA Filmmaker

THE CORE CHALLENGE

Why scripts lose coherence

As stories develop, writers often make decisions in isolation:

a character change here
a plot adjustment there
a tonal shift elsewhere

Without a system to keep all story layers visible together, narratives can drift, fragment, or lose focus.

The challenge is not generating material—it is maintaining coherence as it develops.

"When I first started out I had just dozens of stories that went nowhere and died in ACT 1. Now I have multiple bulletproof, industry ready scripts, and I’m actually pitching those scripts to producers."

– Colin Langford, South Carolina Writer/Filmmaker

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS

A multi-layer development process

You are guided through a structured process that ensures every key dimension of your story is intentionally developed and tracked.

1. Creative alignment

Before development begins, you clarify:

audience
medium
genre expectations
narrative intent
thematic direction

2. Story layer development

You build the full architecture of your story:

character psychology and relationships
world-building and narrative rules
tone, aesthetic, and style
conflict systems and dramatic pressure
thematic meaning and subtext
sensory and experiential design

3. Structural organization

Only once the story is fully developed do you engage structural systems such as:

Harmon’s story structure
beat-based frameworks
story spine approaches
or writer-selected structural models

Structure is used to help solidify the plot layout —not define the story.

4. Multi-perspective interrogation

Your work is examined through multiple creative lenses:

writer (intent and clarity)
actor (embodiment and truth)
director (scene logic and execution)
dramaturg (function and structure)

This ensures the story holds across interpretation, performance, and narrative design.

"What sets Susanna apart is her ability to structure lessons in a way that builds knowledge step by step, allowing for real, lasting growth. Her tools and teaching approach gave me the confidence and insight I needed to elevate my work, and for that I am sincerely grateful."

– Clark Moses, CA Filmmaker

Extra Consultation Time

Additional Consultation time is available for an additional fee.

“For the past four year I haven’t sent out a script that didn’t go to [Susanna] first, and I can’t imagine not having her insights and guidance. With her help, the story that’s in your head will arrive on that page – and faster than you think.”

– Daniel Mesta, New York playwright/dramaturg

Writer's Circle

Reinforce Your Work

Writer’s Circle is our regular Tuesday morning gathering where we share our scripts, have them read and receive valuable feedback. This a perfect follow-up to support your continued writing journey. Join us in the fall after summer break.

“...we took home first place for the 3 minute films, and won best overall cinematography! So thank you! Without the help of your writers group, I for sure wouldn't have done this well!”

– Ace Lovelace, Kansas City Actor, Writer, Director

About Your Instructor

Susanna Bezooyen is a writer/dramaturg/producer who holds an MFA in Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, UK. She has won numerous awards for her work. In February 2026 her short film "It's Not Haunted" premiered on the festival circuit. The feature for "It's Not Haunted" is now in development for a production company in Utah and she has another feature slated for production with a producer in Colorado.

Since Fall 2019, she has hosted the Writer’s Circle, where hundreds of writers, directors, producers and dramaturgs working with hundreds of scripts—have supported one another in the script development process as they move projects from concept toward production.

It was participating in the group that prompted Susanna to develop this Script Writing Foundations 101 course to address the needs she was seeing in the room. She says it is the course that she wishes she had.

"Susanna has a gift for writing and teaching. She is very patient.

– JoAnna de Castro, CA Actor

"Susanna is a gifted writer with years of experience. Her greatest asset is her ability to see one’s potential and help them gain a vision for themselves. She’ll be your biggest cheer leader and your best advocate in confidently improving your writing and creative work.

– Benjamin Raymant, London, UK Actor

WHO THIS IS FOR

This is for you if you are:

A script writer wanting a repeatable system to keep you on track.
A beginner to intermediate script writer
A director or producer needing help with understanding the scriptwriting process
Wanting to write, but are short on ideas
Full of ideas, but have no clue how to start
A writer stuck in early drafts or constant rewrites
A novelist or other writer looking to adapt your work to a scripted medium

What This Is Not

This Is Not:

A course where you will finish writing your script (unless it's short)
The beginning and end of learning the craft
A fixed formula or single method
A passive or prerecorded course
For anyone adverse to group participation

This course covers the vital preparatory work required before doing the bulk of the writing. We all work together in a collaborative way while also giving you time throughout the course to do preliminary writing.

What you will leave with is:

A structural foundation and reusable development system you can continue building from with clarity and direction.

How the System Was Developed

This system has been developed through years of sustained creative practice, study with leading writers in the field, and direct engagement with hundreds of writers and scripts through Writer’s Circle.

It is grounded in observing a consistent challenge:

writers losing coherence during development—not due to lack of talent, but due to the absence of a reliable system for tracking and integrating creative decisions.

This intensive is designed to address that directly.

Delivery & Investment

Script Writing Foundations 101

See 3 Ways to Access Foundations

Retreats are custom designed and priced to your specifications.

Contact Susanna to inquire: scriptsbysusanna@gmail.com

Inquiry