Women Going Places Fellowship

22 Mar 2023, posted by Brad Miller

Writers Boot Camp is continuing our support of diverse artists and fresh voices by providing three $2500 full scholarships in the Tuesday, April 18th Basic Training to women writers.

The top three winners will receive the Tuesday, April 18th Basic Training conducted by Writers Boot Camp founder Jeffrey Gordon, who created the same process more than 30 years ago that 12,000 writers and filmmakers have experienced. You don’t have to live in LA to participate since meetings are via zoom.

The 10-Week Basic Training imparts comprehensive fundamentals while you write. You’ll take an idea–for a feature film, TV Pilot (or book or novel)–from a single sentence to a first draft in seven weeks–and then you’ll complete two rewrites in the remaining three weeks. The only requirement is the commitment of 10 hours for writing and exercises each week for 10 weeks.

Please complete only one application per person. Partners working together may apply via separate applications utilizing the same project. Keep every answer to only one single sentence, including your answers to the four topical questions combined into one four-sentence paragraph.

If you’d like to find out more about Writers Boot Camp, please complete a Career Survey Here. Please note that the Career Survey Page is NOT the Fellowship Application Page.

Free Application by Thursday, April 6th, 5pm, LA time. The application is on this page below.

This month’s theme, “Women Going Places”, is not only about physical adventure but the focus of female fortitude, the bravery to explore emotion, intimacy, relationships and even the experience and recovery of past trauma. The creative parameters of stories–whether TV series ideas, feature film scripts, theatrical material or books/novels–are wide open in this realm. Story ideas may be of any genre, from road trips to more genre stories to personal adventures, from movies like THELMA & LOUISE, NORMA RAE, WINTER’S BONE and OUT OF AFRICA, as well as TV series ranging widely from the quintessential depiction of women going places like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and recent series depicting women Sex and the City, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Queen’s Gambit, The Handmaid’s Tale and Inventing Anna. Your project simply must be topically relevant and depict principal characters who are female regardless of the severity or serenity of the circumstances.

As always, we believe at Writers Boot Camp that the best idea is the one you’re actually working on and that you feel you can sustain passion for the many stages of work necessary to fully develop it. The stories that create a relationship adventure beyond the physical adventure of the plot have the best chance to be seen and succeed.

To be eligible for Writers Boot Camp’s Women Going Places, applications must be received via the website by 5pm, LA time, on Thursday, April 6th, 2023. Applicants must also reply to an email from the staff to briefly confirm their availability to participate in Basic Training so another deserving candidate is not prevented from winning.

It may be helpful to consider that the individual answers and ideas in the four-sentence paragraph can each represent a new story idea–and they may also work together to make a case in support of your proposed project. While the application doesn’t have to take long, winners tend to be very effective at making the most of their sentences.

We will only contact winners by phone and individuals as needed for supplemental information that may be required. Non-winners will be contacted by email after winners have been selected within a few days of the application deadline.

Please do not leave any answers blank.

Only winners will be notified individually. All non-winners will be notified by email no later than March 28th.

For perspective, the higher percentage of our hundreds of alumni successes and their credits have been achieved by women. While we celebrate our anniversary each October, the first, experimental session of Writers Boot Camp that founder Jeffrey Gordon conducted was in his living room in March 1989 during his last semester of his MFA at USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program.

Name:

Mailing Address:

City, State & Zip Code:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

How You Heard About Writers Boot Camp:

Name of Personal Reference & Relationship to You:

Reference Contact (Phone & Email):

Your Occupation or Job Title:

Your Entertainment Industry Background and Experience:

Prior Writing and Filmmaking Experience:

Are you currently working--and can you comment on your employment situation?

Please answer these four topical questions in order in only one sentence each within one paragraph--and without including the questions: How has being a woman informed your perspective as an artist? Share with us an extraordinary experience that you attribute to being a woman. What is your view of progress in the world regarding women's rights? What historical event or subject regarding gender would you like to see updated and how would you specifically revise it?

If you win a Writers Boot Camp scholarship, please state the title and format of the project you will write, and share the premise in a single sentence only. A Premise Line is more than a typical logline and may include up to 50 words, focusing more on the middle of the story and what characters actually do along the 2nd-Act Adventure. If your project is for television, then the A-Story of the first episode will be more relevant than a general series description.

Please include above: Title, Format (Movie, TV Pilot, Book, etc.), and Premise Line (One Sentence Only).

For the purposes of announcing winners, please provide a single-sentence bio about yourself written in third person, including where you're from and where you live, your educational accomplishments, your professional background and entertainment industry goals.

My name below certifies that all my answers on the above application are true. I understand that my email submission will be kept confidential and not shared with anyone outside Writers Boot Camp's staff without my permission. I understand that if I win an award, it is not transferable and if I cannot fully utilize it, then it will be offered to the the next eligible writer. I understand that due to the short timeframe until the fellowship process that only the winners will be notified of their standing by telephone. All applicants will be notified by email with the results and guidelines for additional benefits, if applicable. My name below acknowledges Writers Boot Camp’s pledge of confidentiality regarding my application, answers and project details. I understand that all internal staff discussion of my project idea is in the interest of determining winners. I understand that I am sharing my ideas and answers to be eligible for a fellowship award and that submission of this application does not guarantee me receipt of conceptual notes or story services. I understand that I can protect my material by registering and/or copyrighting my written materials prior to submitting them. I give permission to Writers Boot Camp to verify my information and answers with the above reference and understand that this verification, if necessary, is only for the finalists and only to determine award eligibility.

Login