“For sale, baby shoes. Never worn.”

One of the most, maybe thé most, famous (very) short stories ever written.* It’s just six words, but they suggest so much. Who is selling the shoes? What happened? What story hides behind those six words? In this workshop by screenwriter Zainab Goelaman, we explore how a handful of words can spark a powerful and maybe even complicated narrative and how it can become the seed for something bigger: a film or TV scene. In this workshop you’ll discover how a minimal idea can grow into characters, conflict and dramatic moments; aka the building blocks of screenwriting.

Zainab Goelaman is a self-taught poet, screenwriter and film director based in Amsterdam. She founded her own creative platform “schrijfkunst” in 2020 and went on to develop several series for the Dutch public broadcaster NPO. In 2023, she made her debut as a writer-director with the short film “SNOR”, which was selected for a Golden Calf, a Cinekid Lion and a Go Short Award, and was recognized as Dutch Film Talent at the Festival de Cannes Short Film Corner. Zainab creates from a deeply personal and therapeutic need to see her experiences as a bicultural woman better represented in Dutch cinema and television.

* And maybe even more famously misattributed to Ernest Hemingway, but probably written by a woman 💅

Please register no later than May 1st via the registration form. From all applications, we will select a maximum of twelve participants.

Date: Saturday May 16th 2026
Time: 14:30 – 17:00
Location: The Writer’s Guide: Gouvernestraat 85C
Language: English

Tickets:
• Discount (for anyone under the age of 25, students and people with a low income): € 15,-
• Standard (for anyone who doesn’t fit into the categories above): € 25,-
• Good Samaritan (for anyone who wants to give a little extra support to The Writer’s Guide): € 30,-

Check out our other workshops.