Writing Consultant
“Michelle has a wealth of knowledge and experience growing up in the business which gives her a keen eye to help make sure your script is ready to be sent out into the world of the decision makers who can (greenlight) your script. Having Michelle take a look at my screenplay before I had a meeting with major studios such as Disney made me feel confident I was ready to take meetings.” – Wendy Wilkins, Award winning Actress/Writer/Filmmaker
“It was just one Skype session with Michelle Cohen, when I got to the point in my writing where I felt like my head was in a blender, that stopped the spinning and set me on a path of clarity and true direction.” -Robin McDonald, actress and librettist
Michelle has enjoyed the opportunity of assisting many wonderful writers realize their dreams with their screenplays, plays, novels, and non-fiction books.
Most recently, she worked as a consultant and editor for Jeff Corey's memoir, Improvising Out Loud: My Life Teaching Hollywood How to Act. She proved a major force in bringing this book to the public. Leonard Nimoy wrote the Foreword, Jack Nicholson contributed artwork, and the book is published by University of Kentucky.
Michelle wrote the screenplay for the short film, Beyond Belief, a romantic comedy. She has now expanded it into a feature film currently in development.
In the book arena, Michelle is the author of The Intuition Tool Kit, Downloads From The Universe, Actually, There is Something Under the Bed: A Parent’s Guide to Empowering Their Child In the Dark, as well as Of Course You Can Sing! Michelle also co-wrote MenoOpop (a Menopause Pop-up and Activity Book). Weird, a novel about four teenage girls and their experiences with a OUIJA board will be her first fiction book.
…for film and books
“In developing my creative skills, I came to writing much later in the game, although I did keep winning poetry contests and literary magazine awards without noticing my propensity for the written word.
I started working on the Mary Pickford project just to see if I could write a script and considering the extraordinary response and reception I have received from Hollywood, I discovered I can. Happily, what started as an exercise has become a breathtaking journey.
I think the fact that I am a classically trained actress who was steeped in the craft from an early age has placed me in great stead. I am familiar with the regular canon of playwrights as well as having explored lesser known or more obscure artists through the years. The same is true for novels, having an English teacher for a mom who would throw another classic my way whenever I was ‘bored’.
The fact that I, too, am a writer, not just a teacher has informed my understanding of the writing process itself. And my director’s eye seems to be very valuable for a writer to experience since they will eventually be working side by side with their own director once their piece gets picked up. And of course the producer brain in me is never quite shut off. I do it to myself all the time. The writer thinks, “I know! Let’s put this scene on a ship!” and the producer responds, “Great! In the cabin…”
A skill I have learned I am quite good at is being able to see the story as a whole and help make sure the through lines remain true to the author’s intention.
Also, I discovered the hard way with my own work, that many critics tend to forget that the work is not their own and start trying to recreate it the way THEY would want it to go instead of how the person who ACTUALLY created the piece wants it to go. I never forget when I am working with someone else, that I am facilitating THEIR dream.”