We are at the last part of contest season (peak season is January to May) and many of us are busy submitting our scripts.
It's incredibly exciting! And I want to celebrate all of you putting yourselves out there!
You have every reason to be super proud just for submitting and putting your work out there.
I also want to remind you to protect your mental health at this time.
Getting hard feedback can be difficult to receive. Not winning or being a semi-finalist can be disheartening.
But if you celebrate the micro-wins, then you fill yourself with the inspiration and confidence to not only keep going, but to grow in your craft and come back stronger.
In that spirit, what screenwriting wins can we celebrate together to help build you up? Post in the comments the screenwriting wins you're proud of.
Me: I'm prepping two scripts for five different contests, and I cannot wait to enter! But just finishing the last rounds of edits feels really good!
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I’m happy I finished my fourth round of edits on Lunar Window and am hoping the fifth round will be the last I ever have to do lol. After that… not sure what I’ll do, probably will try to focus on comics.
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I'm most proud of:
Finalist - Stage 32 TV Comedy Contest
Finalist - Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards
Semifinalist - ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition
Semifinalist - Emerging Screenwriters Comedy Contest
Second Rounder - Launch Pad
Quarterfinalist - Big Break (twice)
I know these aren't literal "wins" and haven't led to any traction (yet...I remain hopeful) for me, but they are good enough to remind myself to keep going on some of the dark days.
By the way, another mental health hurdle we often need to overcome oddly enough is WHEN you actually do place some people try to tear it down or belittle it: "no offense, but quarterfinals don't mean anything, ONLY these THREE specific contests even matter, and only if you win them" and blah blah blah. Every aspiring screenwriter is apparently an industry expert (in their own mind). It's important to block out that external troll noise too. A placement in a reputable contest means you're on to something. Go with it. Ride the high. We can then either choose to build off of it, or see it as "quarterfinalist is the best I can do. I stink." It's literally our choice.
Good luck with your scripts, Raven Riley !