My screenplay BREAK AWAY made the quarter finals of The Page International Screenwriting Awards.    Over 9400 screenplays entered and 1183 advanced (which amounts to one out of every 10 scripts advancing).  Page is a contest where scripts compete in different categories.  BREAK AWAY is in the drama category.  There are 3 winners in each category and a overall winner of $25,000.  The odds of winning anything are slim to none.  But if you are a writer, you have to put your work out there for eyes to read no matter the fear of rejection.

Page is a great organization that promotes winners.  A few years ago I placed in the the top three in the family category for my screenplay THE GREAT SURRENDER.  Last week I received an email from a production company who were looking for a certain kind of script and they contacted Page to see if any of their winners might interest them.  The judges at Page passed on a description of THE GREAT SURRENDER and it peaked the interest of this production company.  They reached out to me and I sent them my script.  Now I wait and see if it is something they would like to option.   There have been other film companies that have reached out to me because Page made them aware of my screenplay.

You need someone in your corner to champion your work because there are many voices out there that can so easily reinforce that feeling of rejection.  Recently I found out my screenplay LET IT SHINE did not advance in Humanitas New Voices.   New Voices were looking for stories that do the following:

• Challenge us to use our freedom to grow and develop.
• Confront us with our individual responsibility.
• Examine the consequences of our choices.

LET IT SHINE was a perfect fit for this program but alas, it did not advance.  It’s deflating.  It’s disappointing.  I don’t write about all my defeats and rejections because it would be too depressing, but I do shout out all the more for any small victories  (like Page).  I truly believe bigger victories are always just around the corner.  I need to remind myself daily that true victory is to embrace the process of writing and getting to that elusive ending.  That is a joyful thing that should be celebrated – the sheer joy of creativity!  I’m nearly finished the outline of my new screenplay A PROMISE I MADE TO MR. BANGLES – a twisty, black comedy mixed with nervy drama, tragic circumstances, highly flawed people and a dash of quirky fantasy.  I’m looking forward to writing the actual script because getting to this point was rife with much doubt,  lethargy, negative voices and nagging rejections.

So I say to everyone out there – whatever you are trying to work out in your life – whatever victory is not happening for you – hang on!  Don’t give into the naysayers because that is the easiest thing one can do.   The easiest thing for me to do is NOT to write.   We are all far, far better people when we are challenged.  That is when we learn something about ourselves and more often than not, the best learning comes in the defeat when we are down and seemingly out.   Joyful things can exits in the midst of hardships and disappointments.   It’s a matter of prescriptive, seeing the big picture and being open to learning life lessons.   Okay – pep talk over.

Speaking of joyful things, my one act play THAT’S HOW IT GOES SOMETIMES will be performed online August 5 to 8 for The Ward One Acts Festival.  I don’t yet have a link to where it can be streamed, but once do I will pass it along for anyone interested in watching.