Not long ago while taking a quick break from writing to check on the business side of things, one email among the morning stampede caught my eye. Usually a random announcement of a deadline for even a respectable screenwriting competition would’ve resulted in a summary deletion on my part.
However, for some unknown reason, I thought, Hey, that’s just enough time for me to polish that quirky action-adventure script I relegated to the digital dungeon.
As the title of this post suggests, such a switch from one writing project to another in midstream was not my first, nor in all likelihood will it be my last. There was something oddly satisfying about swapping out WIPs (works in progress) and realigning my storytelling mindset from third-person narrative prose to full-on script mode.
So over the past two months, I devoted the lion’s share of my free time to revising that script—from morning writing shifts to a myriad of micro work sessions to numerous late-night proofreading bursts.
I still fell short of not only the Early Bird window, but both the Regular & Final windows as well. When I realized I was approaching burnout at warp speed, I decided to slow my engine down just enough to still get the job done without adding more hours to my sleep deprivation column. I went so far as to pay the reasonable sum of ten extra bucks to submit a more polished version during the Extended window deadline, otherwise known as the “You’re so damn late sending us your script we hope we can find somebody to read the thing.”
But I’m happy to report that I submitted the completed script to that contest with three days to spare & only a few hours before leaving for a camping trip which proved to be the perfect ticket to winding down after a fairly exhausting writing run. Did I celebrate? Of course. Was my celebration commensurate with the amount of time & effort I put into revising that script? Hell no.
After all, I had some serious packing to do the day we left since I’d done almost nothing to prepare ahead of time, choosing instead to go on the hunt for plot holes, widows, orphans, inconsistencies in dialogue patterns, & such.
By the way, I’m fully aware that many pundits in the writing world disparage contests by accusing them of essentially offering a pay-per-award arrangement so participants can add an amateur phrase like “award winning” to their bios & ad lines, something I wouldn’t dream of doing & won’t do even if my script were to place in this contest.
But in my limited experience in the world of script writing, that opinion seems to be somewhat diluted among experts. It turns out legitimate screenwriting contests can provide an opportunity to have veteran, professional readers take a look at an individual’s work & in some cases offer constructive criticism. In addition to monetary awards, the top performers in the contest I entered, for example, receive help with finding experienced representation & making important connections in the screenplay social network which can be a significant boon for an outlier like me.
So now that I’m back from my relaxing vacation, I can wait oh so patiently for the late August announcement of scripts that make it into the quarterfinals while I once again focus on my novel after its two-month refrigerated retreat.
I’d really like to finish the first draft of my WIP by early this fall so I can spend the winter fine tuning it to an acceptable level with no deadline looming in the background—other than my own, that is.
Till my next post a fortnight from now.
Drew
Latest review of Core Haven: Hope Amid the Ruins, 2-9-26
P.S. At the time of this writing, Core Haven: Hope Amid the Ruins has maintained its 4.9 out of 5 with 48 global ratings & 46 customer reviews on Amazon, along with 4.61 out of 5 with 127 ratings & 118 reviews on Goodreads. Not too shabby, right?
My first self-published novel, Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown: A Tale of Survival, is currently available on the Kindle Store.
My companion novel, Core Haven: Hope Amid the Ruins, was released on July 31st, 2025. Available now.
