so as a lot of you have read already or seen some of my posts, I am finally in an opportunity to explore the road not taken 30 years ago. I'm taking a cheap course online for screenwriting and someone of my age with a GED I think my stuff is good, that said I'm sure I could benefit from more educational aspects of the business, creative writing, and just all the things I don't know that I don't know. so my question becomes are there any mentors in this business? are there any people just trying to help grow the younger generation with more hands on guidance? the videos are great but I don't have 3,4, $500. as much as I would like to take some of these videos and absorb them just not in my budget. so I get the ones I can and utilize them but is there anybody also in the education Market that could help? finding out that the program I joined, " call sheet media" is more than likely a scam had not hurt my confidence but it has hurt my growth. well I'm just looking for a little guidance okay a lot of guidance
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Hi, Tony Sterago. I don't have experience with mentors, but there are a lot of mentors in the industry. You might meet some by networking on here.
Some of Stage 32's webinars are free (www.stage32.com/education). And I suggest checking out the blogs (www.stage32.com/blog).
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thanks for the links Maurice I'll look into them all the ones I found so far have costed money
You're welcome, Tony Sterago. Here are some of the free webinars: www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Stage-32-and-Netflix-Partnered-Up-o...
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Tony, honestly, I also don’t have the ability to buy expensive courses.
If you have motivation, a well-structured self-study plan can replace almost everything.
Here’s what helped me the most:
One book I read:
Paul Guyot — “Kill the Dog.”
It answered so many questions about what screenwriting is really about.
A study plan using AI.
I use ChatGPT to:
– break down scenes
– practice dialogue
– get feedback
– rewrite fragments
– analyze structure
This way you can build your own “mentorship” without any budget.
Read produced screenplays.
They’re legally available online, and they’re the best textbook you can have.
Write scenes every day.
Even small ones — half a page.
It builds the craft faster than anything else.
You don’t need $500 videos.
You just need consistency and patience.
Wishing you strength on your path — you can absolutely do this.
thank you so much for the encouragement and thoughtful words. I have been using chat GBT To help me, Break down the scenes and also help with world building. It has been invaluable I agree with you It does help a lot. I guess my insecurities are just showing Because I don't know if I'm asking the right questions I don't know If the way I flush out my characters Is more of a ttrpg (table top role-playing games) Character creation Or if The writer in me character creation. I'm doing pretty much everything everyone has suggested so far it just feels like I'm doing it in the dark with a flashlight that's batteries are dying. I guess I would just feel better if there was somebody over my shoulder saying you're asking the right questions you're doing the right things in the right ways. but again thank you so very much for the thoughtful words they meant a lot and I'll keep plugging away the way I am. if you don't mind can I add you to my network?
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Tony, thank you for your message — and absolutely, feel free to add me to your network.
I’d be happy to stay in touch and discuss things as we both keep learning. I’m a beginner too, just sitting on a little hill with a notebook, looking down at the big city of screenwriters and trying to understand its streets. So we’re both figuring this out step by step.
And honestly — the feeling of “working in the dark with a dying flashlight” is normal. Let’s keep going. One scene at a time.
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Tony Sterago hi Tony, Stage 32 is the worldwide leader and entertainment industry education. You will not find better education online anywhere. Take the time to go through our education catalog, we have plenty of free webinars and webcasts in the catalog that you can watch. Definitely make sure that you are getting your training directly from top level sources. We only work with the top people who are making the films and television that we watch today. Just go to education on your top menu bar and you can view our whole catalogue. We have over 3000 hours of education in our partners with Netflix, the can Film Festival, AFM, and over 50 Film commissions worldwide.