Rewrite the Future
One Story at a Time
Write
Turn
Explore Our Mission
Story Is How We Make Sense of the World
People in recovery and those navigating the justice system often feel defined by past decisions. What research consistently shows is that this is not just an emotional challenge — it is a cognitive one.
Narrative cognition is the mental process by which we organize our experiences into story, assigning cause, consequence, and meaning to the events of our lives. When that process is underdeveloped or distorted, decision-making suffers. When it is strengthened, recovery becomes sustainable. Our screenwriting courses, seminars, and workshops teach the art and craft of storytelling — and as a natural byproduct of learning how stories work, participants develop the narrative cognition, critical thinking, and communication skills essential for sustained recovery and successful reintegration.
Write Turn is a rigorous, fun, and challenging screenwriting program — and a whole lot more. A deeper understanding of story is a deeper understanding of life; a deeper understanding of character is a deeper understanding of people — including oneself. These are not the goals of the class. They are what happens when you learn to write great stories.
We help participants rewrite their future, one story at a time.
Benefits for Participants
What Happens When You Learn to Write Great Stories
A New Lens on
Your Own Story
Story is built on universal and timeless principles — logic, cause and effect, motivation, and consequence. As participants learn to apply these principles to fictional characters and narratives, they naturally begin to apply the same analytical lens to their own lives and decisions.
Collaboration and
Teamwork
The writers’ room model encourages communication, active listening, and constructive feedback—skills needed to thrive in society and the workplace.
Cognitive and Life Skills Development
Our programs teach critical and logical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity—skills essential for reintegration. Writers learn discipline, structure, and resilience through the process of drafting and revising scripts.
Reducing Recidivism
Through Education
Research shows that participants in correctional education programmes demonstrate 43% lower odds of recidivism.*
Building Empathy and Perspective
To write a compelling character, you have to understand what drives them — their desires, fears, and contradictions. That skill doesn't stay on the page. Participants who learn to understand fictional characters become better at understanding real people, including themselves.
Vocational
Opportunities
Screenwriting can open doors to careers in content creation, film, media, gaming, and marketing. Participants gain skills that are valuable in today’s creative economy, enhancing their opportunities for post-release employment.
* As reported in a study conducted by the Rand Corporation.
Video Source: NowThis Impact
Why It Matters
Research on recovery narratives has found that how people frame their own story relates to whether they sustain sobriety — in one longitudinal study of newly sober adults, 83% of those whose accounts were coded self-redemptive maintained sobriety over the following four months, compared with 44% of those whose accounts were not. This is an observed association, not evidence that narrative instruction produces the outcome.
(Source: Dunlop, W. L., & Tracy, J. L. (2013). Sobering stories: Narratives of self-redemption predict behavioral change and improved health among recovering alcoholics. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)
A California study of substance-use treatment outcomes estimated more than $7 in gross monetary benefit for every $1 of treatment cost in that studied cohort, with benefits including reduced crime-related costs and increased earnings.
(Source: Ettner and colleagues (2006), Benefit–Cost in the California Treatment Outcome Project: Does Substance Abuse Treatment “Pay for Itself”?)
A RAND meta-analysis for the US Department of Justice found that participants in correctional education programmes had 43% lower odds of recidivism than non-participants.
(Source: Davis and colleagues (2013), Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education: A Meta-Analysis of Programs That Provide Education to Incarcerated Adults.)
Our Program
Introduction to Screenwriting
Our flexible 3-part screenwriting program is a rigorous, hands-on education in the craft of storytelling. Participants learn to view the world through the lens of story — and as a byproduct, they develop transferable cognitive, communication, and vocational skills that serve them long after the program ends.
“I came for writing tips, but I left seeing my own life like a story I could actually change.”
— Program Participant, Correctional Institution
Our Commitment to Privacy and Confidentiality
At Write Turn, we recognize the sensitive nature of the environments we work in and the trust placed in us by our clients.
We do not advertise publicly or maintain a social media presence. Instead, we operate on a referral basis, ensuring that our services are discreet and tailored to the unique needs of each facility.
Privacy and confidentiality are at the heart of everything we do.
Coming Soon
We're building a new course:
Story Development with AI
This 3-Day course aims to use the domain expertise gained through Write Turn to harness better outputs from AI when brainstorming, conducting research, and analyzing story structure.
Bring the Power of
Screenwriting
to Your Facility
