Karol loves sharing her passion for writing and for film with students in both large and small group settings. She is available for workshops for students ranging in age from upper elementary school through high school.

If you are an adult and interested in Karol coming to your school, you can email her at k.a.hoeffner@gmail.com

What makes Karol stand apart from other young-adult novelists who make school visits?

As a working screenwriter, Karol provides students with an insider’s look into film-making, adapting novels and creating original screenplays. Her stories from the set underscore the importance of the written word, even in a visual medium.

But what Karol does best is inspire students to discover their own creative voice and to give them the tools they need to find the stories they want to tell.

Karol encourages the participants in her workshops to enter writing contests. In the last six years, Karol has inspired over thirty-five winners in the International Family Film Screenwriting Contest.

Here’s what teachers have to say about Karol’s workshops:

No single 5th grade writing experience generates a more positive response than Karol's screenwriting workshop. Three straight hours of writing discussion and creative thinking may seem excessive, but the funny thing is that the kids actually want more with her! Karol's seven-step approach is easy to follow, and makes longer narrative writing seem plausible for the kids. And the results are phenomenal! Our kids write screenplays that astound even us veteran teachers. Students from Pennekamp have been winning screenplay competitions for the past several years, with one screenplay even becoming a webisode. Karol is not only a great writer, she has the gift of teaching as well.
— Mike Warner, teacher

Authentic writing, which is taught, judged and rewarded, is what Karol Hoeffner gives my students. Her enthusiasm and knowledge produce a delight for writing their own screen plays during the workshop. Karol propels a full third of the class to refine and enter an international competition.
— Dawn Curry, teacher

This program does so much to get our students, not just to write but to really think about what they want to say. Because of the excitement of this program, many of our students want to participate in extra writing homework! Karol’s unique ability to guide our young authors and focus their ideas is amazing.
— Bill Ahrens, teacher

Types of Workshops

School Assemblies:

Using slide shows and clips from her films, Karol Hoeffner discusses how she became a writer, where she finds story ideas, the difference in writing novels and screenplays, how to create characters, the importance of improving pages, and rewriting on the set. As an author and a screenwriter, she inspires kids to begin their own journey as a writer. (Grades 5-6 – 50 minutes; Grades 7-8 – 60 minutes; Grades 9-12 – 60 minutes)

Class Visits:

Assemblies may be followed by class visits (30-45 minutes) where Karol meets with the students in a smaller and more interactive environment where she answers questions and engages students in exercises designed to jump-start the writing process. (20-30 students)

Screenwriting Workshops:

Karol presents her “How to Learn to Write an Award-Winning Screenplay,” a three-hour, action-packed, highly interactive workshop where students learn how to find a story, create dramatic structure, and format a screenplay. In the workshop, students actually begin work on their screenplays. And every student receives a folder with hand-outs to guide them through the process of completing their screenplays. (20-30 students)

Writing Residencies:

Residencies involve three to five consecutive days where Karol combines large school assemblies with class visits and screenwriting workshops. These residencies are tailored to the needs and size of the individual schools. (For instance, in middle schools, it might involve 2-3 school assemblies, an in-service program for teachers, classroom visits for seventh graders and screenwriting workshops for eighth graders.)

Adult Workshops

Karol also conducts screenwriting workshops in both large and small group settings writer tailored to university-level students and in-service workshops for teachers on teaching creative writing.

Educational Background:

Karol has a Master’s in Education and completed doctoral work in film theory and screenwriting at the University of Texas at Austin. Before becoming a writer, she taught Journalism at a high school in Dallas. She is currently is a screenwriting instructor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.