Character & story
Develop believable characters, discover what drives your screenplay, and build an effective outline.
A live writing cohort with Diane Bell
Write your
screenplay
by New Year’s.
The story you’ve been carrying around?
Let’s get it onto the page.
A clear weekly method. Live support. A community doing the work alongside you. Work toward a complete first draft—not another year of “one day.”
Payment plans available for both options.
October 27 — December 31, 2026 Online · Live calls + weekly lessons
A first draft. A real beginning.Let’s give it somewhere to go
01 / From inspiration to action
You’ve found
a way in.
Now let’s keep
you writing.
Maybe the free sessions gave you a breakthrough with your characters. Maybe you’ve finally understood why you keep getting stuck. Or maybe you simply know you don’t want another year to end with this screenplay still unwritten.
An opening is a beginning. The next part is returning to the work, developing the story, and continuing when the middle gets messy.
That’s what this cohort is for.
The course gives you the method. The live calls, shared milestones, and community give you support while you put it into practice. You don’t have to figure out every step alone.
Not a perfect screenplay. A first draft.
02 / The method
A course that gets you writing.
Not just watching.
Write Your Screenplay in 8 Weeks is the foundation: prework, then eight weekly lessons with practical assignments. One new module each week. Apply it to your story before moving on.
Find your way in.
Scenes & dialogue
Understand formatting, write scenes that move the story forward, and develop authentic dialogue.
The messy middle
Work through second-act challenges, find your midpoint, and use plot archetypes to keep raising the stakes.
The ending & what follows
Shape a satisfying third act, finish your draft, and learn how to approach revision.
Video lessons · Audio versions · Downloadable worksheets · Transcripts & timestamped outlines
03 / The difference this time
You won’t be
doing this
alone.
The course gives you a path.
The cohort gives you people
to walk it with.
Five live Zoom calls with me
A kickoff, three working calls, and a celebration. Check in on writing milestones, address questions in the group, and find your next step. Recordings if you can’t make it live.
Your own writing community
A private Facebook group just for this cohort. Share progress and stay connected with writers working toward the same finish line.
A rhythm that keeps you moving
A weekly writing tracker, shared milestones, and a final writing sprint from December 14–20.
The Writer’s Assistant
An additional tool for questions and prompts between sessions. It will not write your screenplay. Your story, imagination, and voice remain yours.
Put these in your calendar
Five live calls · 1 p.m. Eastern
- OCT27
- NOV10
- NOV24
- DEC08
- DEC29
We celebrate on December 29.
The writing finish line is December 31.
04 / From writers who have done the work
“I had my first draft.
Totally shocked me.”
Then I took your screenwriting course, diligently followed your guidance and my story poured out onto the page. I had my first draft. Totally shocked me.
If you are ready to quit talking about writing a screenplay and actually do it, take this course. I started with a scrap of an idea and in 8 weeks wrote a full-length screenplay.
There is a craft, a definite skill set to writing a professional script. Diane's course helped me understand both the intuitive and the analytical side of script writing.
Excerpts from students of the course included in this cohort. These describe their earlier course experiences, not results from this new live cohort.
05 / Your story. Your level of support.
Two ways to join.
One writing finish line.
Both include the complete course and live cohort. The Writer’s Room adds personal story guidance, workshops on your pages, and feedback on your finished draft.
The course + live group support
The Cohort
$497 pay in full
Or choose a payment plan.
A clear method, live group support, and a shared commitment to keep going.
- The full Write Your Screenplay in 8 Weeks course and lesson materials
- Five live cohort calls with Diane, with recordings
- A private cohort Facebook group
- A weekly writing tracker and shared milestones
- The December writing sprint
- The Writer’s Assistant
If what you need is a practical way through the draft and a supported place to follow through, choose the cohort.
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Closer support + finished-draft feedback
The Writer’s Room
$2,497 pay in full
Or choose a payment plan.
Everything in the $497 cohort, with more individual attention while you write—and a consultation when the draft is done.
A private story session
One 60-minute, one-to-one session with Diane in early November, focused on your story and where you’re getting stuck.
Your small-group writers’ room
Four 90-minute sessions between the main cohort calls, just for this group. Bring pages and stuck points, and we’ll workshop them together.
A full script consultation
Feedback on your finished draft to guide revision. Normally $997; included here. Delivered in Q1 2027. Submit by January 31, 2027; notes back within three weeks of submission.
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You don’t need the Writer’s Room to receive the full method or participate in the cohort’s group calls. Choose the support that fits how you want to work.
Hi, I’m Diane Bell.
I know what it’s like
to care about a story
and struggle to write it.
I’m a Sundance award-winning screenwriter and director. My own first screenplay took me three years to write. That experience is why I created this course: to give you a practical way through the work, with support while you do the writing.
And this isn’t just something I remember from years ago. After stepping away from screenwriting for nearly a decade to raise my kids, write a book, and focus on teaching, I’ve recently finished my first screenplay in all that time.
I know how it feels to return to a story, work through the block of getting it onto the page, and keep going until the draft is finished. It’s fresh for me, too.
So I’m not teaching this from a distance. I’m in it with you.
Let’s get your script written.
xo, Diane
06 / Before you decide
Real questions.
Straight answers.
Do I need screenwriting experience?
No. The course covers the foundations, including character, story, scenes, and formatting. You can begin with an idea or use it to move an existing screenplay forward.
You do need a willingness to choose a project and make regular time for the writing.
What if I can’t attend the live cohort calls?
They’re recorded, so you can catch up. Attending live gives you the opportunity to participate in the group conversation, but missing a call doesn’t mean you have to stop writing with us.
How much time will I need?
You’ll need time to watch or listen to the lessons and, most importantly, apply them to your screenplay. This is a writing commitment, not just a course-watching commitment.
Will Diane read my screenplay?
The $497 cohort includes teaching and live group support, not a private script consultation.
The Writer’s Room includes workshops on pages you bring to its small-group sessions and a full consultation on your finished draft. Submit by January 31, 2027; notes are returned within three weeks of submission.
Why is the script consultation in 2027?
The cohort’s goal is a first draft by December 31. The consultation comes after that writing phase, so you can receive feedback on the full draft and decide what to work on next.
January 31 is the consultation submission deadline, not a change to the cohort’s December finish line.
Is a completed screenplay guaranteed?
No. We’re working toward a complete first draft, with a method and support to help you get there. Your progress will depend on your starting point and the time and work you can put into your screenplay.
Your story deserves a real place in your life.
Let’s give it
the rest of the year.
You don’t have to know every scene before you begin.
You can discover the screenplay by doing the work.
If you’re ready to choose your story, make time for it, and work toward a complete first draft, I’d love to support you.
WE BEGIN OCTOBER 27, 2026.
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