Claudia Hunter Johnson is the writer/director of the civil rights documentary feature, The Other Side of Silence: The Untold Story of Ruby McCollum, winner of the Gold Jury Prize at Seattle's Social Justice Film Festival and Best Florida Documentary at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Her memoir Stifled Laughter, now in its 2nd edition, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won the inaugural P.E.N./Newman's Own First Amendment Award and the 2023 Best Books Award for Current Events. She's also the author of the memoir Hurtling Toward Happiness: A Mother and Teenage Son's Road Trip From Blues to Bonding in a Really Small Car. She has taught screenwriting at the FSU Film School and USC's School of Cinematic Arts.

Introduction: The Power and Importance of Human Connection PART I: Preparing to Write the Short Screenplay 1. Connecting to Purpose 2. Connecting to Self 3. Connecting to Genre 4. Connecting to Process 5. Connecting to Collaboration PART II: Aspects of the Craft 6. Story and Screenplay 7. Character 8. Structure 9. Dialogue Part III: Five (Not So) Easy Screenplays 10. The Discovery 11. The Decision 12. The Boxing Match 13. The Improbable Connection 14. The Long Short Screenplay PART IV: Eleven Screenplays That Make It Look Easy 15. Chillin' Out 16. The Great Wall of Vicky Lynn 17. Killer Kart 18. Intercambios 19. Underground 20. Tough Crowd 21. Kosher 22. My Josephine 23. Lena's Spaghetti 24. Cool Breeze and Buzz 25. Slow Dancin' Down the Aisles of the Quickcheck Conclusion APPENDIX A: Available Screenwriting Software APPENDIX B: Films and Television Series Referenced APPENDIX C: Further Reading