Years ago it became evident that my solo writing factory, churning out scripts, was useless until I found a way to get my product on the shelves. Back in the day,query letters (in real envelopes!) was NOT working. Especially when the assistants saw my return address. I couldn't waltz into an L.A. office and pitch my stories face to face.
Then I noticed a few names popping up on the Internet - names of writers who had won scholarships or screenplay competitions. It wasn't the prizes that caught my attention (and quite often the monetary prize wasn't that impressive), but the fact that in most cases producers would read the winners. Winning or placing high in these contests was also a way to validate my work. How did I compare to the thousands of other writers out there? Was I delusional thinking I could make this a career?
So which ones to enter? First I researched and found regional contests, then scrolled through screenwriter's forums (Moviebytes is a good one), for writer's comments on which of the hundreds of contests were worth entering. Then I held my breath and submitted.
Was it worth it? I won a Praxis Screenwriting Fellowship (in Canada), for a comedy that was optioned by one of the judges. Unfortunately she couldn't get it together to produce it, but it was picked up again and is presently in development with another company. A couple of shorts won or placed in the top three with contests, and in 2009 my supernatural thriller,Peripheral Vision, won a Bronze with the Page International Screenwriting Awards. It also won the top spot in the Thriller/Horror category with the StoryPros Awards Screenplay Contest. I recommend them in my "Resources" links, not just because I won and I'm a big ass braggart, but because they are two of those highly respected competitions that get good reviews from other writers. When you do query producers and/or managers and agents, it's nice to have those successes in your first paragraph. It's human nature for industry professionals to want to deal with writers who show they are serious about their craft. Until we get something produced, this is one of the ways to do that.
I think of my writing as being on the end of a looooong rubber band that has to be sprung out there in any way possible. It's a lonely business, and once in a blue moon (my moon) it's such a boost to get an acknowledgement that you're on the right track.
Oh, did I mention I lose more competitions than I win? But hey, at least I'm in the race! And something about that gives me a jolt of optimism.
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