Have Some Coffee, Swap Stories, Write a Screenplay

BY Rob Baker

Attention budding screenwriters: Before cashing it all in and flying to L.A. in search of fame and fortune, truck on over to the intersection of Lincoln, Irving Park Road, and the Lincoln Restaurant. There, if it’s the first Sunday evening of the month, you’ll find members of the Chicago Screenwriters Network noshing, discussing the art of T.V. and movie scripts, and doling out all sorts of writing pointers.

The Chicago Screenwriters Network has been meeting for about 12 years, ever since its founder, Chicago cop Ed Bernero, had a hankering to write television police shows, but no screenwriting experience. So, he set out to learn about it.

According to the Network’s current president, Brad “Sonny” Wareham, Bernero first went online searching for people to help him write a television script. He quickly encountered someone with a mischievous bent, however, who told him he could get the information he needed by hitting his computer’s “Ctrl-Alt-Delete” buttons.

When Bernero did that, he of course lost his internet connection. Angered by this trick, he decided on another tack. He placed a newspaper ad seeking locals who would like to meet and discuss screenwriting. Through this, Bernero met three or four people and the Chicago Screenwriters Network was born—as was a new career for Bernero. He ultimately moved to L.A. where he became the producer/writer/director of two acclaimed series: Third Watch and Criminal Minds.

In its early days, Wareham recounted, the Chicago Screenwriters Network met at a restaurant called Lockwood Castle, which was unique “because the back room had nutcrackers lining the walls, and they also had great ice cream.” One day someone called, however, and said they couldn’t meet there any more: the restaurant had been turned into a Starbucks.

Soon they found the Lincoln Restaurant, their base of operations ever since. Though their numbers have grown (they currently have a member mailing list of nearly 400, of which 25 to 100 might show up at any given meeting) their quest remains the same: the writing and selling of screenplays.

Becoming a network member is as simple as appearing at one of their meetings. The entry fee is $3, which, Wareham said, helps pay for the group’s Web site (www.chicagoscreenwriters.org) and other incidental expenses. The Lincoln Restaurant also charges a $6.50 cover which can be applied to food orders.

Meetings begin at 5 p.m. when small groups collect to discuss individual screenplays. Each month, any member can bring in a script for consideration. Volunteers are given copies to read and, the following month, they meet and give the author feedback.

At 6 p.m., there is a workshop or guest speaker. Topics covered include “everything from writing characters and dialogue, to creating a pitch, to putting things in mythic structure,” Wareham said. “We’ve been flooded with guest speakers that are pretty unbelievable.”

Among these have been Harold Ramis, director of Groundhog Day, and, earlier this month, Jeff Lieber, writer of the Tuck Everlasting screenplay and creator of the TV series “Lost.”

Meetings traditionally wind down with members casually talking shop.

Wareham said he started attending meetings because he wanted to write a script for “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” He and a friend submitted a script which did not sell, but the show’s producers liked it and asked Wareham to pitch other ideas to them. Though he never ended up selling a “Star Trek” script, he ultimately did sell one to the series “Stargate-SG1.”

“Before that happened,” Wareham said, “I didn’t even know what a pitch was or how to write a screenplay. Being in the Chicago Screenwriters Network really helped. One of the big values of the group is to be able to share your ideas and, without paying a reading fee, to get some feedback.”

Steve Wilburn has been a member for nine years. In 1999, one of his scripts made it into the semi-finals of the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting Contest (“considered the biggest screenwriting contest, or at least it was when I was in it,” he said). Wilburn agreed that a network meeting is a great place to get writing counsel.

“The main reason I first started coming is that I found out that going to the smartest people I know for advice was useless,” Wilburn said. ”The only people who could help were screenwriters. Only if you’ve been trained in it can you really give advice.”

All screenwriters are welcome at network meetings, Wareham said, whether they be rank beginner or experienced pro.

“We call it a ‘network’ for a reason,” Wareham said. “It’s good to just go in and meet people and exchange ideas and learn from each other.”