Fundamentals of Dramatic Writing
Harvard Extension School
CREA E-91
Section 1
CRN 17476
What makes a scene hold an audience's attention, and linger in the imagination? How does writing come alive when it moves through action rather than exposition? Dramatic writing is built on action: characters pursuing objectives in the face of resistance. What are the many ways that expresses itself in different forms? This practical course offers an entry point into dramatic writing for television, film, and the stage, designed for committed writers with little or no prior script-writing experience and a genuine commitment to craft. The course moves swiftly from foundational elements into practice. Students learn to shape scenes around objective, obstacle, stakes, and transformation, and to write dialogue that reveals character under pressure rather than explaining it. We examine case studies from plays, films, and television from a writer's perspective, and pay attention to how choices on the page generate meaning in performance and production. Students stress-test their own original ideas in dramatic forms. And while each medium has its own conventions (and students experiment in all three mediums), the focus remains on the shared engine that drives all dramatic work.
Credits: 4
View Tuition InformationTerm
Fall Term 2026
Part of Term
Full Term
Format
Live Attendance Web Conference
Credit Status
Graduate
Section Status
Open