Wendy Jane Henson

Angelfire Arts

Wendy Jane Henson, MA

Welcome. Come in. Don't be shy.

This site is for people who chase the Hollywood dream. Or at least those who think they want to try. It is a dream that many people have. All are encouraged to make use of this site, whether it is simply to answer a question, find helpful reference materials, or to join my free online screenwriting class.

I began writing for print when I was in high school. My articles have appeared in national magazines and on the Internet. I am the author of a novel, Honor Song, which I adapted from my first optioned screenplay. My great passion, however, was always drama.

Originally trained as an actress, I hold a bachelor's degree in theater arts and a master's degree in screenwriting. Working in educational and non-profit theater, I produced and directed 26 plays ranging from classical Greek and Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams and David Mamet. My first efforts at playwriting led to production of my one-act plays. When my first full length piece, a finalist in the American Playwright Program, was produced, my next step was writing for film.

My first screenplay was a finalist in the Artist Trust Awards and then a quarterfinalist in the Nicholl Fellowships, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Subsequently, my scripts garnered some more awards and continued to score high in competitions. Yonkheer, a Nicholl Fellowship finalist, placed among the top 10 scripts selected out of 6,073 entries.

Three of my scripts have been optioned, giving me experience with the stress and frustration of development hell. Honor Song, a Gap Award winner and Nicholl semifinalist, is my "almost produced" experience. I hope to have fingernails left when one of my scripts finally reaches the screen. (Fair warning: Writing a screenplay is the easy part. Selling one, let alone getting it produced, is far more difficult. But more about that later. )

Since 1995, I have taught theater arts and screenwriting as adjunct faculty at Portland Community College, Portland State University and Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon. I also taught online for the film industry trade magazine, Hollywood Scriptwriter, and I have been a mentor for the Santa Fe Screenwriters Conference. When I began teaching, I couldn't find a suitable textbook for first time screenwriters, so I wrote Screenwriting: Step by Step. It is available worldwide and used for screenwriting courses in three countries.

To see an excerpt from Screenwriting: Step by Step, click here.

To see a special screenwriting tip, click here.

To see a sample screenplay, click here.

Back For information about my free online screenwriting class, click here. Next