It seems that May is the month for screenwriter gatherings.

The International Screenwriter’s Association is hosting a free “mini-camp” on Tuesday, May 17 from 7:30-9:30pm in Santa Monica. The session is entitled “The Two Levels of Rewriting.”

Here’s what the invitation says:

After pouring dozens of hours of ideas and sweat into your first draft … no one likes it. It’s confusing, it’s incomplete, it’s not special. You have to admit … even you don’t like it.

Part of that is because it’s a first draft. But part of that is because there are so many common first draft problems that writers without training and education make over and over again. But with Tools and an understanding of the full development process and the work ahead, you can shorten your re-writing and create an effective early draft.

Join Writers Boot Camp founder Jeffrey Gordon in a FREE Mini-Camp Tuesday May 17th dedicated to the different levels of rewriting. Jeff’s insightful approach to conceptualizing and brainstorming an original approach to your film, TV or Web project, and filling it with uniquely entertaining moments will help even experienced writers effectively improve their project with each draft.

What’s a Mini-Camp?
A Mini-Camp is an informative, educational, free event revolving around the most challenging aspect of writing: full and entertaining conceptual development. The insight writers can gain just from a Mini-Camp can have a tangible impact on their craft.

In these candid, comprehensive discussions, Writers Boot Camp founder Jeffrey Gordon provides an introduction to potent tools designed to facilitate conceptual brainstorming. In just one session, you will learn some of the tools that have empowered an ever-growing list of Writers Boot Camp alumni to transition to careers as professional writers.

You can RSVP to the event by clicking here.

CineStory is also hosting an event this month on May 10. This one is $20 a head, but it looks to be well-worth the cost. This “From Script to Screen” meeting is a Q&A with Mark Fergus, writer of Children of Men, Iron Man, First Snow, and the upcoming Cowboys and Aliens:

No ordinary writer Q&A, From Script to Screen is a creative and practical autopsy of how a script goes from the the written word to the silver screen.

These evenings will provide detailed insight on the whole process experienced by the produced writer, including conception of the story, approach during the writing process and the metamorphosis of that script during production.

Learn more here.