"Find an ending, but don't cheat, and don't you dare bring in a deus ex machina."
So what do you do after you check out tonight's Screenwriters Salon, arriving early enough to win that screenplay software? Why, you work on your long-dormant ideas for movie scripts, of course. You know, there's that one that's been rattling around in your brain, where a teenage boy is in love with his cousin, but meanwhile, a giant mole destroys a humble village. Believe us: That's gold, baby! Now all you have to do is get your ideas down, edit compulsively, find an agent, and sell your scripts to a major Hollywood studio...who will repay you for your hard work by watering down your ideas (in order to make them more palatable to the public) until you find them completely unrecognizable. And then, ashamed of what has happened to your art, you kill yourself.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Before all that soul-crushing and your inevitable lonely death, how's about you submit your script to a local competition and win some cash?
Screenwriters everywhere are urged to enter the Northwest Film Forum's 9th Annual Washington State Screenplay Competition. The winner will receive valuable industry recognition along with cash and other prizes. All feature-length screenplays (regardless of the writer's state of residence) with at least 75 percent of the action set in the state of Washington are eligible.Previous winners have gone on to secure writing jobs with studios, have had their screenplays optioned, and have seen their visions make it to the big screen. [Dudes, that's totally how 50 First Dates writer George Wing got his start.]
Although the competition is in its ninth year, this is the first year it is being hosted by Northwest Film Forum (NWFF). Previously, the competition was hosted by the Washington State Film Office. Due to internal changes at the Film Office, the competition has changed hands, but the goal remains the same: to support new writers while showcasing Washington State's potential as a rich setting for innovative and compelling stories and to support new writers.
Scripts are being accepted now through December 31st with a $40 entry fee. If you need a little more time (and you have a little more money), you can submit it by January 27th for $50. The winners will be announced mid-June.
So you got your free software, you got your incentive for writing---now all you hafta do is rack your brain for a plot. A plot that has "at least 75% of its action set in the state of Washington." Hmmm...what about the tale of a charming young lady of impeccable wit and beauty who struggles and perseveres to write for a local blog? Call it Juwanna Mann. No need to thank us.
Submissions should be sent to:
Screenplay Competition
Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
