ABOUT CAROLYN MCDONALD
Carolyn McDonald is a writer, producer, director and educator whose career spans film, television and screenwriting. A former executive with Danny Glover’s Carrie Productions, she executive produced the award-winning Freedom Song and America’s Dream and has written, produced and directed projects featuring talent including Glover, Elle Fanning and Tina Lifford. McDonald teaches screenwriting at the New York Film Academy and is the creator of SOAS (Soul of a Story), a growing community devoted to helping writers create authentic, resonant and enduring stories.
Soul of a Story | Screenwriting Masterclass with Carolyn McDonald
As Artificial Intelligence and other non-sentient technologies induce a “famine of imagination” and threaten to rob humanity of authentic storytelling. And while a coherent and digestible structure is vital to every narrative, unique expressions of soul elevate the quality of a script and spotlight a writer’s signature voice and vision.
In her “Soul of a Story” masterclass, award-winning producer, writer and educator, Carolyn McDonald, helps screenwriters create films that resonate, entertain and endure. Part playdate, part workshop, this 90-minute interactive session helps storytellers identify and infuse expressions of soul — like tone, theme, rhythm, motifs and character depth — into the body of their work.
With offerings for writers of all levels, the “Soul of a Story” masterclass offers tools that helps screenwriters:
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Build authentic and believable worlds
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Infuse more soul into their 3-act structure
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Create more multidimensional characters
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Design dynamic contrasting relationships
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Explore ways to incorporate more rhythm
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Organically infuse evocative motif & metaphors into scripts
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Establish more engaging themes
Though not required, participants will get the most out of the event if they have an existing concept/idea (something they’re working on or just an idea) to use for the exercises. Participants will receive links to a free excerpt of Carolyn’s upcoming book “The Soul of a Story” during the event.
*Limited Seating
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm
Location: Scarritt Bennett Center