screenwriting competitions Archives

The Unbearable Lightness (and Sleep Deprivation) of Having Submitted Your Screenplay

Posted on July 31, 2013 Written by Pinar Tarhan

screenwriting competition big break — Image via bigbreakcontest.com

* I wrote this post on the morning of the 25th (of July), but I could post it today because I was on vacation (and very happy about it) with a rare and impossibly slow Internet connection (not that I cared that much about it – thanks to the holy trio of sun, sand and sea.)

I finally did it! I finally submitted my screenplay to Final Draft’s Big Break Screenwriting Competition.

After weeks and weeks strenuous of editing, and double-checking the page limit (80-120 for feature scripts, over 150 to be disqualified), I managed to rewrite my originally 240-page script to a tightly written 142-page one.

To my delight, it had become a lot tighter, and I hadn’t lost too many solid scenes. I was congratulating myself on the delicate balance I had found between showing and telling. It was past 2 on the morning of *my self-inflicted deadline (more on this in a bit), and I was still not completely finished editing.

Every time I looked I noticed stuff I could word better, repetition I could avoid, extra spaces that had been previously missed. But I had to give it up sometime, and I was looking forward to some shut eye: I was to get up only 4 hours later to catch a plane towards my hard-earned vacation.

So I crossed my fingers, hoped I hadn’t overlooked some deadly errors and opened the submitting page and to my horror, I saw the note: 135 pages max. Oops. Anything over 135 couldn’t even be downloaded. So cursing myself for not having checked the tiny number on the submission page earlier (but in my defense, why mention 150 as the absolute max. here and have a different number on the submission page?), I started, in panic, to brainstorm about what more I could possibly cut, without damaging the story.

I did my best to sharpen the dialogue further, edit some obvious parenthetical stuff and I did cut all the transitions (though I think some of them remained – I know you are not supposed to edit at the last minute, but desperate times…).

So I submitted my freshly edited, 135-page story at about 3.30 AM. I crossed my fingers, and got my confirmation email shortly after.

The irony is, I was hell-bent on not rushing things. I had started the rewrite months before. But I am one of those people who sometimes get the best inspiration hours before the impending doom deadline, even if the deadline is self-inflicted.

As opposed to the latest possible deadline of 31st, I’d wanted to finish it by 24th, since I’d be on a plane on the 25th and I wouldn’t have access to a fast and secure internet connection.

Some of my favorite scenes were actually finished on the night of 24th, and you did read about my final editing adventures…

This part was written today:

I submitted another script today, this time the pilot episode of a comedy/drama series.

Funnily enough, this time if I were to have a problem with the page number, it would be that I didn’t have enough. It’s 41 pages, and an-hour dramas are supposed to be a bit more than that, typically somewhere around 60-65. And well, it is not a sit-com. So I guess it would be an half-hour comedy/drama. Oh well…obviously I do hope it is liked. And if it is liked, the initial page number won’t matter a bit.

The thing is, when I created it, I didn’t know that much about standard lengths, and my episode page numbers (I wrote about 22 for this series) ranged from 40 to 90. Ah, the sweet oblivion of writing freely when you don’t have a clue about industry standards…

Wish me luck. And I do wish you the best of luck with all of your writing ventures. May luck, inspiration and correct (and timely) editing be with us all…

So I Didn’t Win That Writing Competition. So What?

Posted on August 20, 2012 Written by Pinar Tarhan

Image via scriptpipeline movie idea contest.

Obviously I wanted to win. It would have been terrific if I had. But I didn’t win my first competition. Should I just go to a bar and drown my sorrows? I think not. Here’s why:

I entered Script Pipeline’s Great Movie Idea contest this July and I didn’t win. I felt a little upset, but just a little. 5 minutes later I bounced back, having come up with this article idea, as well as having noted down the next competition deadline.

Let’s face it, there’s not much to feel sad about. While the chances of winning a screenplay (idea contest) is probably higher than winning the lottery, it is still not a very easy thing to do. Even after having come up with the best idea you could and having written the best treatment you could, as well as having followed the guidelines, you are at the mercy of the taste of the judges. And while there are some story elements and storytelling ways writers/editors agree on, there is still that bit that leaves it to luck: the taste of the judges.

I am not saying my idea would definitely result in a blockbuster, but directed in a certain way and marketed the right way, it wasn’t without potential. But I know that there were probably ideas that were more appealing, marketable or simply mind-blowing. I also know that having submitted an idea that was in the romantic comedy genre (although it was/is different from the typical ones.) might not have been that impressive.

Even I, writer and fan of romantic dramas/comedies, happen to prefer compelling thrillers, good action with great humor – and wish I could have come up with legal thrillers in John Grisham style, or sci-fi action pieces like Equilibrium, The Island or Gattaca. I l also would have loved to come up with something like The Man from the Earth (a sci-fi/drama genius with the lowest budget, really good acting and awesome idea), Law Abiding Citizen (an edgy action/thriller) or obviously, Braveheart (the wonderful epic combination of history and fiction, drama and romance, action –with the touch of great one-liners and the rare but effective comic relief.) You get the idea.

And while I was content with my treatment, it was my first (that was submitted) and no doubt could be massively improved.

I still love my idea. I will be pursuing agents and contest, while getting better at explaining my ideas, finding loglines and writing treatments.

So I still have a long way to go. But I also need to find an agent/company/director/judges…etc. that have similar tastes to mine. To give examples from successful novelists, Grisham was rejected. So was J.K.Rowling. The list goes on forever, although those two are my favorite examples. To give examples from screenwriters, Allan Loeb (Just Go With It, Wall Street Money Never Sleeps…) got rejected for about 3 years. Maybe not all of his stories ended up as movie wonders, I was entertained by many of them. And did I mention he has been constantly selling since 2007?

So I didn’t win. It is not the end of the world. In fact, it is the start of a brand new one. So many things to work on, so much research to do, so little time. And I will be writing. And improving. And submitting…

Inspiration Caught This Freelance Writer Big Time

Posted on June 7, 2012 Written by Pinar Tarhan

inspiration-moment, writing inspiration, inspiration for writers — Image via copyblogger.com

I can’t believe my last post was a month ago. I’m so sorry about that. But I have a valid excuse: I was listening to my own advice (I’m a big fan of practicing what I preach.) Inspiration and motivation were chasing me at record speed so I willingly surrendered. I’m not saying that I didn’t get any valuable ideas to share here. I did. But I wanted to keep a really good record of every idea and goal so I jotted down a lot, changed my mind a couple of times about which contests to enter, wrote my drafts and I’m back. And I promise not to stay away for so long again.

Inspiration-struck Me:

– I have had these two fun screenplay ideas (actually I’d written the first drafts a long time ago) for ages but there was no way I’d be able to format them in time for the Big Break Contest organized by *Final Draft (a screenwriting software I’ve been happily using whose review I’ll post soon).

But Big Break’s *extended deadline is 15^th June, they want the full script and the awards are nothing short of amazing. But my two scripts need adjustments in many areas, and there is no way they will be fit for a contest until the deadline.

Then I realized that I could enter the Script Pipeline’s Great Idea contest, where you are allowed to write anything from a logline to a treatment of 3-5 pages.

So guess what? Currently I’m writing 2 treatments and editing them. I’ll then submit & keep my fingers crossed. And even though I don’t get to be a finalist, I’ll have two very clear ideas on how I want to outline the story, and relive the events and my characters. Of course I won’t be sitting on these screenplays afterwards.

– I have some upcoming fun and useful writing posts.

– I have some wonderful movie post (for my entertainment blog) ideas, based on the romantic in me. It’s all Forget Me Not’s fault really. I can no longer delay those posts, such as the most romantic & original marriage proposal in a movie.

– My favorite TV shows are either over or on a seasonal break- which incidentally is on its way to be another post here. Oh yes, it is perfectly writing-relevant, trust me.

– I’m planning a two week trip to Norway and Sweden which motivated me further to pitch and research more efficiently.

Not only is it a specific deadline challenge, but also its blows to the budget will provide more incentive to increase my freelance income. Not just because I will spend a lot, but I’ll want to go on a travelling spree again very soon.

Yes, I confess, I am addicted to traveling, nearly as much as I’m addicted to writing and entertainment.

There’s more, but let that be another post.

How has your writing been going?

Please note that extended deadlines typically mean increased entrance fees.
The links in these posts aren’t affiliate links, just the direct links to the contest information pages.