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Breaking the Code: Heather Turman on Mastering Screenplay Structure and Finding Freedom in the Rewrite
by Writing Workshops Staff
A month ago
In Hollywood, Heather Turman has carved out a unique space as a creator and mentor. With fifteen years of navigating the labyrinthine world of screenwriting, from CBS writers' rooms to indie film sets, she understands how to transform kernels of ideas into festival-winning features. Her students don't just learn structure; they absorb a philosophy that views confusion as creative fuel and rewrites as playground rather than purgatory.
When we caught up with Turman to discuss her upcoming Feature Screenplay: Concept to Outline + First Act in 8 Weeks! course at Writing Workshops, she revealed the hard-won wisdom behind her teaching methodology.
Having spent years as a self-taught screenwriter before completing UCLA Extension's prestigious program, she understands the particular ache of creative isolation and the transformative power of structured guidance.
Heather's course promises to compress years of trial and error into eight intensive weeks, where students will journey from blank page to completed outline plus a polished first act.
What emerges from our conversation is a portrait of an artist who has turned her own creative struggles into a roadmap for others. Turman's approach is pragmatic and deeply empathetic, treating screenplay structure not as a rigid formula but as a framework for liberation.
For writers ready to stop overthinking and start creating, Heather's course offers technical mastery and permission to play.
Our Interview with Heather Turman
Writing Workshops: Hi, Heather. Please introduce yourself to our audience.
Heather Turman: Hello, I'm Heather Turman. I'm a screenwriter and instructor with a passion for story. Nothing makes my soul dance more than helping writers of all levels maximize the potential of their stories.
Writing Workshops: What made you want to teach this specific class? Is it something you are focusing on in your own writing practice? Have you noticed a need to focus on this element of craft?
Heather Turman: Before I completed a UCLA Extension Program in Screenwriting, I was a self-taught screenwriter. I read and studied every book on the topic and broke down every film I could to teach myself the craft. While I have a lot of pride in my growth as a writer, my journey was long and arduous and filled with years of confusion and overthinking. When I'd finally mastered the craft I looked back and realized how much precious time I'd wasted – time that could have been saved had I had access to a course as thorough and instructive as this. I developed this 8-week course to help writers of all-levels more deeply grasp the fundamentals of screenwriting so they don't have to read all the books and learn through trial and error like I did.
Writing Workshops: Give us a breakdown of how the course is going to go. What can the students expect? What is your favorite part about this class you've dreamed up?
Heather Turman: The course begins with a structure 'boot-camp' so to speak. Through class discussion we will view and break down existing films and screenplays by focusing on important beats and act breaks. Students will then share their working concept with the class and together we'll help refine the idea so it fits within the framework of screenplay structure. From there we will focus on each act as it's own separate entity until students have a full picture of how each act in their script will unfold. By the end students will have a full, working outline of the screenplay and a draft of their First Act. My favorite part of this class is getting to have students share pages from their screenplay that a few weeks prior was nothing more than a kernel of an idea in their mind!
Writing Workshops: Who was your first literary crush?
Heather Turman: Miranda July
Writing Workshops: What are you currently reading?
Heather Turman: In addition to student screenplays, I'm reading a novel by Tom Robbins, "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues"
Writing Workshops: How do you choose what you're working on? When do you know it is the next thing you want to write all the way to THE END?
Heather Turman: When I find myself thinking about a concept or a character all day, that's when I know I need to write it. When I'm dreaming about the characters that's when I know I'm writing something worthwhile that I have to see through to the end.
Writing Workshops: Where do you find inspiration?
Heather Turman: The smaller moments of everyday life inspire me most, especially when I witness people in a moment that exposes their most human selves. When I experience that, I am driven to capture it in a scene.
Writing Workshops: What is the best piece of writing wisdom you've received that you can pass along to our readers? How did it impact your work? Why has this advice stuck with you?
Heather Turman: Get excited about rewriting. Once I realized I had the freedom to REWRITE what wasn't working -- and stopped seeing the revisions process as a daunting one -- the words really began to flow. That change in perception has stuck with me because now I am excited to explore on the page rather than letting ideas fester in my mind and prevent me from moving forward. Rewriting is where you truly get to PLAY.
Writing Workshops: What is your favorite book to recommend on the craft of writing? Why this book?
Heather Turman: Oddly enough, my favorite book to recommend about writing is "Rebel Without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez. It's not about the craft per-se, but it's an important read for writers because Robert writes what would go on to become an iconic film using extremely unconventional methods. By writing scenes based on what locations and props he has access to that would look cool in a movie, Robert's book is a masterclass in how to go with the flow and not overthink -- and shows how confines are actually where writers get to unleash their full creativity.
Writing Workshops: Bonus question: What's your teaching vibe?
Heather Turman: Conversational and encouraging. No one does well with an overbearing parent/teacher/mentor. Freedom, space and encouragement are necessary for growth.
Ready to transform your screenplay idea from a whisper of possibility into a fully-realized first act?
Heather Turman's approach to teaching structure has already helped countless writers break through creative barriers and achieve festival recognition.
Don't spend years wandering the wilderness of self-taught screenwriting when you could master the fundamentals in just eight weeks.
Join Heather's Feature Screenplay: Concept to Outline + First Act in 8 Weeks! course and discover how constraints can become your greatest creative catalyst. Your story deserves to be told—and now you'll have the tools to tell it masterfully.
