Week after week, you religiously check your mailbox for that magic letter from a screenplay contest telling you that you’ve moved on to the next round. When the letter finally arrives, and it’s a standard rejection form, you instantly feel like a bride jilted at the altar. You were certain this draft was the ONE. You even performed a series of good luck tricks, like wearing the same color for five days, to ease your superstitions and give your script good karma. Yet, there it is, the infamous letter thanking you for your submission but ending your dream for big bucks and fame.
The most difficult thing writers have to deal with is rejection. You’ve heard all of the stories about having a thick skin in Hollywood, but it’s hard to see your “baby” cast aside after you’ve thrown everything you have into writing the best script possible. Your family, friends, screenwriting teachers, writer’s group members and consultants said it was a sure thing. So, what went wrong, and how should you move on?
First off, remind yourself that contests are not always an accurate gauge of your writing ability. It’s all subjective. On that one day, that one reader (or two or three depending on the first round of the contest) didn’t connect with your script. It’s also a game of odds and luck, where it‘s a sheer miracle when several judges agree on a script and score it in the same range. Remember that there are many working writers whose contest submissions were rejected in the first round, just as there are a number of contest finalists who have not gone on to sell a script or find work.
So, how do you handle that rejection letter, and more importantly, with what mindset should you submit your work to a contest?
Don’t give up just because your script did not make it past the first round. I’ll say it again: Don’t give up! Treat contests as a way to force yourself to meet a deadline, not as a way to measure your talent. Think of the entry fee as a relatively small investment in your writing education. Congratulate yourself for finishing a script and getting it in the mail, even if it was at midnight on the due date! Use that rejection to spark a plan of action. Reread your script. Could it be that you rushed through it and missed some glaring or not-so-glaring errors? Did you show it to your writer’s group or another trusted critic before submitting it? Are you ready to invest time in a rewrite, or is it best to move on to a new story that will get your juices flowing? Is it possible to read the winning scripts to get an idea of what moved or impressed the judges?
So, you‘ve done the above and you still think your script is better than the winners. Then, why did those scripts land the prize, and not your undiscovered gem? Often in contests, readers react emotionally to a script and forgive the writer for what may seem to be obvious mistakes. Although it’s easy for readers to first weed out the scripts that are not formatted properly and contain amateurish errors, the remaining scripts in their pile, where most submissions fall, are harder to judge. Due to the wealth of information on the web, as well as the numerous seminars and countless screenwriting books available, the beginning screenwriting market has become increasingly competitive. As the bar of professionalism has been raised, contest readers tend to react to the content of a script more than just the craft at this level. Readers look for scripts that possess a compelling premise, engaging characters and a riveting story in addition to solid execution. While paring down their pile further, it finally comes down to luck and emotion, AND if the ever-discerning reader somehow connects to your script at that given moment.
As a reader for different contests, I’ve observed that there really isn’t any secret formula to a winning script. The same year that judges will fall for an offbeat coming-of-age drama, they’ll also love a female-driven western, an edgy vampire thriller, a gripping action-adventure and a quirky family comedy. Out of all the genres, comedies probably face the hardest battle in the final rounds of a contest because, again, reaction to a script can be very subjective. I’ve been a judge in a final round of a contest where one judge thought a certain script was in the vein of THE WATER BOY while I read it as a Capraesque comedy. The script ended up moving on because even though two judges saw completely different nuances in the humor, the writing was strong and the story and characters captured and held attention long after the reader finished the last page.
While licking your wounds and lighting fire to your rejection letter, take comfort in the mantra that contests and their readers are basically out of your control. Contests can be a great avenue for breaking in and a terrific tool for motivating you to finish your script, but they are not the final opinion on your writing. Treat them like a lottery ticket. It would be wonderful to win, but it’s a long shot and as elusive as the Holy Grail.
*******
Next BUZZ: CONTESTS – THE HOLY GRAIL, Part II
“Finding Mr. Right in the Contest Jungle”
