Over 8700 screenplays from around the world were submitted into the 2024 Page International Screenwriting Awards. 974 screenplays advanced which represents the TOP 10% of all entries.  My screenplay BREAK AWAY made the Quarters.  Good news!  Onto the next round which will be much, much tougher. PAGE splits their contest into different categories.  I competed in the Drama Category where 185 screenplays advanced out of 1782 entries.   But in the Quarter-final cut, all screenplays compete with each other.   The TOP 25 screenplays in each category will advance to the semi’s.  Which means in my category, a small percentage will make the next cut.   To see a complete list of all the quarter-finalists, visit HERE.

BREAK AWAY has been re-written several times.  It is a specific story that blends the world of hockey and mental illness.   I’m hoping it will advance to the semi-finalist round, but it will take readers who not only enjoy the craft of my writing but the story I’m telling.  Writing, as I’ve always said, is a subjective art form.  A subject matter that appeals to one reader, may not appeal to another, which why a writer must write what he/she feels is important to them.  Forget about trends, or what’s hot in the culture, or what other people are writing or what “the pros” are telling you what to write on a given day.  All these things fade, but your heart doesn’t.   You write what is in your heart, because as the PAGE motto proclaims:  THE MAGIC BEGINS ON THE PAGE…   Begin with the word and the rest will take care of itself.

Once you tap into that magic, there will come a time you will put your script out into the world for them to read/see it.  The possibilities of reaching a wider audience is always an exciting prospect.   Unfortunately, writers often get bogged down by impatience and rejection along the way.  I recently got an email from a theatre company who read my play ANIMAL.  The reading committee response to me after many months of waiting around, was simply this:  I’m afraid we found that your play won’t fit well into our season.  Bummer, but you can’t take these rejections personally.  If you do, you will never write again.   If I did, I would have quit a long time ago.

Use rejection, disappointment as fuel.  Pour it into your next project, adventure and do your best to keep your chin up.   There will always be naysayers out there, but try not to be one yourself because there are times it will be hard to stay motivated.  It will be hard to find the magic which is why you have to put the work in.  Speaking of work,  I’m on page 106 in my new two-act play called WAVES that delves into grief, loss, love and new life, centered around three generations of strong-willed women – all of which are at an inflection point in their lives.  Their stories weave through memories, living in the oftentimes chaotic present while simultaneously embracing a hopeful, yet fragile future.  Wicked comedy and searing tragedy converge on a country house setting.  A first draft of any script I’ve written is usually a wonderful mess, but as I fill these pages with words and I’m coming to the conclusion of the story, I feel a sense of hope that something magical is being created.

I came across this great quote – ANONYMOUS – I could not find the source of who wrote it, but these parting words sum up my feelings: