I can vouch for the pros of online classes having taken Scott's Pixar class in the past. I attended a writing seminar locally in person last week. Whilst it was informative, it was a large room of writers, one person talking and a lot went in one ear and out the other. I felt I gained more from Scott's class. With the online classes, the sense of community is surprising. The fact it fits in your schedule at whatever time suits you is a bonus. And the material is there for you to dip into as needed. And Scott as you may have noticed from GITS is very generous in answering questions posed in the teleconference. (My Skype acted up on the day but I was still able to listen to the conversation). I don't know of anyway of saying this that doesn't sound like I've pocketed a bribe, but I recommend taking Scott's class. There's no need to be intimidated, which was probably my biggest concern, they're very friendly. (And no there isn't a gun being held to my head either).

I'm in the same boat: no bribes, no gun, and a whole-hearted redcomendation. I have taken three SMC classes now, two with Tom and one with Scott. They were fantastic and eye-opening. Plus, if you think Scott is energetic and upbeat here at Go Into the Story, you ain't seen nothing till you've been on a live conference call with him. Wow. I can't begin to imagine what the in-person UNC classes are like. The time-shifted nature of the classes made the incredibly convenient and contributed to incredibly high levels of student participation, too. Scott, I'm glad you wrote this post (which I've cross-posted at The Board, btw), because one of my concerns before I took the first class was about scheduling conflicts. I suspect that I'm not alone in that and I hope that if more potential students understand both the high value of the classes and the flexible set up that they will be more inclined to jump in. Thanks again, to you and Tom both, for the awesome learning experiences.