September 1, 2023 Happy Labor Day! I don't know about you, but I blinked, and the summer was over! If you can, take the extra day to reflect and relax. What are your writing goals for the Fall? Do you have a plan? It’s good to make a small plan that is possible for you to execute, such as committing to the five minutes needed to create a Word of the Day cluster each morning when you wake up and then maybe designate ten minutes to work on your project. Doing a little work before you
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Blog Updates

Gain Insight and Write Better
Happy Saturday! After twenty-five years of working with other writers, I have identified the root cause of failure. It's not talent or ability. We ponder over why some writers succeed, and many never make the grade. People who have little or no talent seem to get their work sold and produced all the time. It's not fair! And no, it isn't. I believe that our own negative judgments of ourselves create most of the failures we experience. Self-doubt can destroy our ability to succeed. The

Please Yourself First
Happy Friday! I'm excited to share that I will soon be running a new contest to encourage my fellow writers to up their game! Stay tuned! The upcoming Word of the Day Webinar will demonstrate how to use this tool to easily structure an existing story better or design a new one. Here's a hint: All stories come from our understanding of what our character's expectations are. One of the many reasons I love the Word of the Day Practice is that it intersects life and storytelling. In

“At any moment, you can either be your worst enemy or your best friend. Choose.”
I had such an exciting week! In Wednesday's Word of the Day class, my wonderful students wrote five-minute scenes after doing a special Word of the Day cluster. Each scene was surprisingly complete, with a setup and a payoff. One student's cluster revealed a new character, a temperamental dog, for the student's new comedy screenplay. After my student read the scene, she realized her screenplay wasn't moving along smoothly because the main character needed a sidekick! Another student

Highlights
The Marilyn Horowitz PANO Screenwriting Award-Finalists and Winner!


Lauren Ciaravalli
Pairs to the Floor 2nd
Lulenoxx
Gillian Fritzsche
All finalists Include previous and:
Yiqing Zhao
Jacqueline Christy
Taylor Coriell
How To Write The Perfect Pilot in 30 Days
In this practical workshop, Marilyn will discuss the elements that make up a perfect half-hour pilot.
Click here to learn more!How to Write Screenplay In Eight Weeks
This intensive writing course takes you from story idea to first draft of a feature-length screenplay in just eight weeks. Using accelerated techniques that focus on character, learn to develop plots naturally. Because of the accelerated pace of this course, you are required to come to the first class session with a story idea, ideally written up in a synopsis no longer than one page. Then, guided by the instructor and the supportive community of the class, you will be expected to write 10 to 15 pages per week. Scripts will be complete by the final class meeting.
For more information and to enroll, click here.
Marilyn is the master of stories. She creates them, teaches them, and controls them. She is able to control her own story to reflect how she sees herself. She uses stories to mirror herself onto reality. She understands that stories come from our subconscious and uses that knowledge to empower herself and others. Talking with Marilyn reminded me of my old self—the playful, creative, and insightful version that remained untainted… Read more “– Emily Linke”
Thank you. If it hadn’t been for you Marilyn, I don’t think I would have made the Woodstock film which will be at the psychedelic film festival at the producers club in November. I got it done, and you gave me the encouragement to do it. Nancy Cohen-Writer/Director Woodstock: A Snapshot in… Read more “Nancy C.”
The following is not hyperbole: Marilyn Horowitz changed my life, and it only took her a few months. For ten years (!) I was imprisoned with an idea that I had a deep passion for but felled by a lack of confidence and living with a belief that I had no business trying to write a 120 page screenplay. I felt the pain of that thorn in my side every… Read more “Brian G.”
Whatever doubts or second thoughts you’re having, don’t listen to them, because Marilyn’s class is worth it. I’ve taken a few different screenwriting classes over the years (and have paid a lot of money), but haven’t been able to find one where I actually finish my screenplay. Marilyn’s teaching style and her trademarked Horowitz system really work—I never could have finished my first screenplay without her class! I now feel… Read more “Emma D.”
Marilyn’s techniques helped me stop overthinking and start writing! She gave me exercises to take the pressure off beginning a new piece of work and opened me up to finding and following through on ideas. Thanks! ~Lauren… Read more “Lauren D.”
I’m very grateful to be able to learn from Marilyn, Her focus on the psychological and spiritual foundations necessary to create was integral to my ability to produce a first draft. The tools and structure she teaches made writing easier than I thought it could be! Much gratitude,… Read more ““…grateful to learn from Marilyn””
Marilyn’s techniques helped me stop overthinking and start writing! She gave me exercises to take the pressure off beginning a new piece of work and opened me up to finding and following through on ideas. Thanks! ~Lauren… Read more “The Word of the Day”
“Working with Marilyn Horowitz has challenged every aspect of my creative process from conception to preparation, and most importantly, execution. By doing so, she has demolished barriers, limits, and shortcomings I didn’t even know I had. In the one year of tutelage, under Marilyn, I have grown from not understanding how to approach writing a script, to crushing an entirely original first draft in just over two weeks. The most… Read more “– Larry Lowry”
“Part wish-fulfillment romantic comedy, part edge-of-your-seat end-of-the-world action thriller: it’s as if Nora Ephron wrote The Bourne Identity, but even she probably wouldn’t have handled this mix of genres with the dexterity of Horowitz. In fact, her storytelling —twisty, sexy, smart — is so skillful; it’s hard to believe this is her debut… Read more “– Michael Zam, former Associate Director of Programs in Humanities at NYU is also an award winning instructor, screenwriter and playwright.”
“Marilyn Horowitz paints a rich picture of lapsed Jews, angels, and people having miraculous abilities to survive, foretell, and sometimes alter the future. Her book plays at the borders of the normal and the supernormal, of lust and… Read more “– Dennis Shasha, co-author of Iraq’s Last Jews”
“This provocative novel weaves together suspenseful action, torrid sex, wrenching emotion, Jewish mysticism, and the deepest fears at the heart of our… Read more “– Kenneth John Atchity, Hollywood film producer and author of The Messiah Matrix”
“The Book of Zev reads like Carl Hiaasen at his best, transplanted from Florida to New York with more deft plotting and far greater stakes. Wherever they are, Elmore Leonard and Donald Westlake will be fighting for the first copy of this wildly entertaining, timely… Read more “– Jon Land, bestselling author of Strong Darkness”
“A spellbinding story of international intrigue, suspense, love and survival. Prepare for sleepless… Read more “– Larry D. Thompson, Best-selling author of The Insanity Plea”
“The Book of Zev is a devilishly delicious feast. A deeply imagined comedic thriller, it blends Kabbalah, the Bible, contemporary times, geopolitics, and life’s absurdities in Portnoyesque fashion. It’s a thriller evoking both laughter and nail-biting tension with each turn of the page. It’s pure gold from a very talented… Read more “– Mark Rubinstein, award-winning author of Mad Dog House and Love Gone Mad”
“The Book of Zev is a fast paced political thriller that never loses sight of its heart; a skeptical women searching for love and a faith she can live with, all while saving the world. A truly original… Read more “– Chap Taylor, screenwriter, Changing Lanes”
“THE BOOK OF ZEV is a dark comedic thriller that revolves around Zev Bronfman, an angry, virgin, atheist cab driver, Sarah Hirshbaum, a depressed, redheaded, God-hating kosher chef, and Sarah’s former lover and the current Iranian head of state, who believes he must bring on Armageddon and the Second Coming. Funny, fast-paced, and highly… Read more “– DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Samantha Cody and Dub Walker thriller series”
“Sometimes a woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do. A sharp psychological thriller of high intellect about a woman making some hard choices for the right reasons to stop an international… Read more “– Omar Tyree, New York Times bestselling author of The Traveler: Welcome to Dubai”
“Just wanted to say I read your book and think it’s terrific. You took a process that can seem overwhelming and made it very accessible. One of my favorite quotes is this: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” You really know your material and convey that understanding well. Thank you for the gift of knowledge and… Read more “Allison-Author 101 University”
“It is such an amazing ride to take your classes. Your generosity, insight and gracious support inspires me in so many ways. Not just as a writer but more importantly as a person with desires to live genuinely. Thank you so much! I look forward to learning from you again and… Read more “Levin Lee”
“Professor Horowitz offers amazing insights and tools to keep the writer focused, disciplined and thinking out the… Read more “Deborah Van Eck, executive producer, Bonyton Beach Club”
“In 2011 I heard Marilyn speak and she massively influenced me during her talk. I then went to meet with her and she help me and worked on the book I was writing. Not only was my book published by Wiley Publishing House giving me a cash advance, but it became an International Best Seller. Marilyn’s advise to look within myself and find the essence of my story was life… Read more “Sam Cawthorn, Motivational Success Coach”
“Marilyn Horowitz, full-time writer, producer and script doctor conceived this step-by-step programme that will genuinely get your first script… Read more “GQ, “The Hollywood Issue””
“For over a decade I have been recommending Marilyn to anyone with the intention of writing a screenplay (or a book or a memoir or…). Her 10-week workbook is one of the clearest and most-efficient methods around. I have used it in my own work both as a teacher and a screenwriter for many years with great success. And I can’t say enough positive things about her ongoing work as… Read more “Michael Zam, Emmy Nominated Writer (Feud)”
“Rather than bringing yet another set of theoretical tools to the table, she leads the student to the living tools already within… Read more “Brad Winters, Emmy Nominated Writer (Oz)”
“Marilyn Horowitz is a multi-tasking rock star. Whether giving advice, coaching writers or teaching classes, she goes big. Like her new novel, The Book of Zev, which we have the privilege of publishing in December. The book is big. Zev is big. Marilyn is …. not as big as Zev! Yet she soars by always striving for the best; the cover, the best line, the best edit, the best angle.… Read more “John Köehler, publisher at Köehler Books”
“It was my pleasure meeting with you at Author 101 University…You have impacted many authors and so many told me of your success. I would love to have you on my radio show and to promote the people who you are… Read more “Russ Stevenson, Russ On The Radio”
“Marilyn helped me turn my raw first draft into a marketable screenplay that I ultimately produced starring Vanessa Williams and Eartha Kitt and was sold to Warner… Read more “Caytha Jentis, Creator (And Then Came Love & The Other “F” Word)”
“MH is the best. Scriptwriting is tedious to perform but she has brought me and many others to a certain place with four common questions…I would like to say that when I started off with the idea of writing screenplay, I totally had no idea what it looks like at all, but learning from MH online posts daily, from as far as Middle East (Dubai) has gotten me a place… Read more “Edu O.”
“I really don’t think I’d be writing today if it wasn’t for Marilyn and the way she’s taught me. Her methods, her 12-step map and really everything I’ve been learning from her in the five years I’ve been studying with her, it’s really made me into the writer that I am… Read more “Nick B.”
“Marilyn helped take a story that’s been in my head for 20 years and actually get it on paper. What she does that I think is really exciting is she provides you with a structure that I think enables you to actually connect personally with your story to make it richer and more exciting so that you actually want to watch your own… Read more “Cooper W.”
“Marilyn— I thank you for your help. Your system for storytelling, along with the process of outlining, has enabled me to organize my thoughts and proceed to a finished initial draft, which is the single hardest hurdle in the writing process at least as far as I’m… Read more “Joe D.”
“When I started reading The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting, I couldn’t put it down. The book is easy to understand and gets right to the point. Marilyn encourages you to write and keep on writing. This book is a must have for screenwriters at any level. I have read many books on screenwriting in the past, but this one makes the most sense and has a positive tone of… Read more “Kristen”
“I am working through the outline for my screenplay adaptation of “Great Falls, Virginia!” Very happy with the way it’s coming along. And yes, your input was helpful in structuring it – emotionally. I am finding it much easier to decide what scenes are necessary and can stand alone, what plot points can be woven together into one scene to move along the story, and how to let the characters… Read more “Kristi K”
“The pitching advice you gave me in your ‘Writing Villain First’ class helped me secure an actual request for my script… Later, at our script consultation, your observations concerning my screenplay conclusion confirmed doubts I had been having, and your suggestions for remedying the problem were astute and on-target. These two interactions with you alone were worth the price I paid to cross the continent and attend the Expo this… Read more “Rich”
“HOROWITZ IS A ROCK… Read more “John Köehler, Founder and Publisher of Köehler Books”