My screenplay WHO IS MOLLY STEELE? just made the Quarter-finals in The StoryPros Awards.  The above is a small sample of scripts/writers who made the cut.  My entry was the last script listed because of the alphabetical order by title.  You can find the complete list of all Quarter-finalistists HERE.   The Quarters represents approximately the top 20% of all screenplays entered.   StoryPros divides its awards into the following five genres:

• Action/Adventure/Thriller
• Comedy
• Drama
• Family
• Sc-Fi/Fantasy/Horror

MOLLY STEELE is competing in the Family Category where it will fight for a semi-final spot.   I wrote the script several years ago and recently spent time tweaking, tightening and re-writing bits throughout.  Here’s a short synopsis of WHO IS MOLLY STEELE?:

A reclusive and secretive woman becomes the headline following a plane crash where she is the lone survivor. When one of the victims of the crash – a 10 year old boy – begins showing up around her, she is forced to confront the lies she has told about who she is by taking a cross-country road trip to the place where she grew up – to a life she abandoned some 25 years ago.

There are many writers writing scripts in the world.  I received news from another competition called The Page International Screenwriting Awards where MOLLY STEELE is competing in the Family Category (Page has 10 different genre categories).  Writers submit their work across the globe and this year’s competition generated a whopping 9115 screenplays.  It’s nearly impossible for a script to stand out.  Take a look HERE, where the Page Competition lays out all the places scripts were submitted from around the world.

Yes – you have to have a great story.  Yes – your writing has to be impeccable.  Yes – you need some good luck.  Yes – you have to have persistence.  Yes – rejection is the norm.  Yes – writing is hard.

But it’s not impossible.  And sometimes, a little good news…like MOLLY STEELE making the Quarters at StoryPros is just enough encouragement for you to say, okay – someone is listening to me and likes what I have to say.

In a few weeks, I’ll be having a 2nd reading of my play WAVES.  Back in January, I had my first reading – read about it HERE.   I received decent feedback from this reading, made some edits, tightened the script and now I’m at the point I need to hear it read aloud again with another group of actors.  I’ve spent some time away from WAVES, which is a good thing.  It’ll give me a fresh perspective when I hear it again.  Writing is a process and I haven’t had the time or energy lately to devote to another play I’ve just begun writing called THE ROCKER.  This play is in its infancy stage, but I have high hopes as I slowly but surely breathe creative life into this new, unusual story.

Yes – writing is hard…but not impossible.  Fear is often the enemy.  Don’t make it your friend.  Be good to yourself.