First class tonight-- and I can't wait!

The first screenwriting class of the semester meets tonight from 6-9:50pm. And it's a GOOD thing. It's so refreshing to be a student by choice instead of necessity; to learn something out of interest instead of a need for credits toward a degree. I think I have enough letters after my name and post-bac class time for 2-3 people. Since I don't want credits, I don't see a reason to have to pay for attending class. I got permission from the instructor (the screenwriter of Snakes on a Plane!) to sit in on it as long as there are enough chairs in the room. I'm so glad I work for the university so a request like this isn't much of a stretch to grant. I'm not so sure I'd be as welcomed if I were a random person asking to sit in (thus depriving the university of some tuition money). I've done this before with other classes and I know this room is pretty big, so there shouldn't be a problem. This is an undergrad class, whereas the last two screenwriting classes I've sat in on were graduate level. The grad level classes were great, thanks in large part to the very experienced and down-to-earth instructor (a writer from Saved By the Bell who is a 'burgh native). I've sat in on nearly all of his classes, screenwriting or not, just to scrounge for some nuggets of wisdom and for the funny anecdotes and I'll be doing it again in the spring when he teaches screenwriting again (he's let me sit in on so many of his classes it might be weird for him if I'm NOT there ha ha). But I'm looking forward to seeing how a different instructor approaches teaching screenwriting. [I'm so glad nobody reads this blog. Otherwise some university administrative bigwig might put the kibosh on my classroom freeloading]

I feel good about digging in and finally focusing on writing instead of spending all my free time on something stupid like online poker (I'll leave my not-so-favorable perspective on having been a semi-pro online poker player for another time). As a bonus, it looks like enough people from the screenwriting class from last spring are interested in finishing the screenplays they started so we should be meeting monthly. Sept 4th looks like our first non-class related screenwriting workship. If this blog becomes a 'screenplay progress report' I would be so happy. That would mean I'm making progress on my own screenplay.

I have a good feeling about this year. Not that I've had bad feelings at the start of previous years-- they've been more indifferent feelings before. That's got to mean something, right?