On October 17, thousands of aspiring screenwriters, directors and producers piled into the Los Angeles Convention Center for the Second Annual Screenwriting Expo. For three full days, screenwriters participated in workshops, pitch sessions, trade shows and a screenplay competition. Workshops covering the basics of film and television writing were led by industry professionals such as William Goldman (MARATHON MAN) and top screenwriting teachers like Linda Seger (“Making A Good Script Great”). Time was limited, but I made sure to hustle to attend 15 different seminars.

The first lecture I went to was a discussion with Aaron Sorkin, co-creator of “The West Wing”. Aaron’s words are celebrated in this town with billboards on Beverly Boulevard quoting his third film AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT. Dressed in a preppy olive sports jacket, Aaron shared the experiences that took him from an acting major at Syracuse University to a successful film and television writer. Apparently, he was unsuccessful as an actor in New York City after graduating from college and began writing dialog and scenes for pleasure on the cocktail napkins where he bartended. Writing brought him a confidence that he never felt before. These napkins eventually formed the content of plays that won him his first theatrical agent. He then wrote (actually re-wrote 30 times) A FEW GOOD MEN on still more napkins and wanted to produce it as a one-act play. His agent tried to convince him that this would get him work writing for television or film, but Sorkin only wanted to write plays. His agent approached producer David Brown (JAWS. THE STING) who coincidentally was looking for a courtroom drama after finishing THE VERDICT and was immediately interested in “A Few Good Men”. Sorkin, a 27-year old unemployed bartender, asked Brown if he sold him the film rights, would Brown guarantee that he also produce A FEW GOOD MEN as a play? Brown agreed. But Sorkin, still not satisfied, said to him, “You’re a great film producer, but do you have any experience doing plays?” Well, “A Few Good Men” opened at Kennedy Center and then went to Broadway. Meanwhile, Sorkin had to figure out how to write a screenplay. He went to the Drama Bookshop and bought a screenplay format book. It took him three days to write one page of this strange new format. He ended up with William Goldman as his mentor and meanwhile coming up with the idea for MALICE. Sorkin, thus launched his career in Hollywood. A charming and witty speaker Aaron gave the following warning: “People will tell you about rules. Most of the time they are wrong. They don’t understand the real rules, so they make up false rules. For instance, he was told that four topics for television don’t work- Divorce, Jews, New York City and Mustaches.” The mustaches he couldn’t explain but has anyone seen “Once and Again”, “Seinfeld” or “Sex And the City”?

One of the most helpful screenwriting books that I have read since moving to LA is “The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters”. The book, written by Karl Iglesias, details how fourteen A-list screenwriters approach their craft, addressing everything from rewrites to dealing with writer’s block. I was thrilled to see that the author was presenting several seminars at the Expo. Receiving the Expo’s highest speaker rating, Iglesias presented his new “Evoking Emotion” Series, seminars devoted to how to do just that through each of the following topics 1) Style and Description, 2) Character, 3) Story and Scenes, and 4) Dialogue.

I discovered a new screenwriting approach while at the Expo, as well. I sat in on Jeff Kitchen’s “Two Tools For Advanced Screenwriters” seminar early Saturday morning. I was seminar-hopping at this point trying to soak up everything, but Jeff’s lecture caught my attention. Using a combination of psychological and logical approaches, Jeff described the principles of dramatic action using examples from THE GODFATHER to demonstrate how the protagonist is forced through Dilemma, Crisis and Decision and Action leading to an explosive and revelatory conclusion. Also, one of the most popular seminars at the Expo, this seminar was packed at 8 AM on a Saturday morning.

I also attended seminars with industry legends. I listened to the wisdom and tales of Carl Gottlieb who wrote JAWS and THE JERK and also directed Steve Martin in a pre-JERK short film that the studio didn’t even want to finish! Later on, I went to an outrageous panel discussion with the legendary Bob Kosberg, Hollywood’s King of the Pitch, and Peter Guber, Chairman of Mandalay Entertainment. To an outraged audience of screenwriters, Bob advised people to sell high concept ideas to studios rather than waste 3 months of their lives writing them. One pitch that he has sold to Jeffrey Katzenberg was the story of the first boy to go to Vassar, starring Michael J. Fox. Bob declared that he is in the “Emotional Transportation” business. Peter Guber then asked Bob, “So, how many of your ideas have actually been made into films?” Bob’s response was, “Not many.” There were several other panels with hot writers in the industry including Shane Black (LETHAL WEAPON), Tom Schulman (DEAD POETS SOCIETY), Callie Khouri (THELMA AND LOUISE), Heather Hach (FREAKY FRIDAY) and Todd Samovitz (WONDERLAND).

Finally, I had a chance to catch up with some friends who were teaching at the Expo. Chris Keane, a Cambridge-resident and former Dudley Film speaker, was there teaching five seminars and signing copies of his new book “Hot Property.” My neighbor here in LA, Catherine Clinch taught a wide range of topics from “How to Pitch” to “How to Write the Story of Your Life.” I even ran into Boston filmmakers Clodine Mallinckrodt, Lauren Fleshler, and Lauren Ivy Chiong (formerly from Boston) was also there.

I certainly found the Expo to be a great experience. I learned a ton and was tipped off to many new screenwriting resources. The Expo also offered several opportunities for people to network and schmooze. I met one screenwriter from Philadelphia at the trade show who has since sent me a great script set in my hometown. In only its second year, the Expo is extremely well-organized with an incredibly wide range of topics to fit the needs of any screenwriter. For more information on the Expo, please visit www.screenwritingexpo.com.