Screenwriting And The Art Of Losing

Well, that screenplay contest I entered just announced the finalists. And I wasn't one of them. I'm not too upset because you can't expect to win everything. But it is a good experience for me to feel failure and rejection on one of my screenplays. It's all new to me. It's a new feeling. One that I'm going to have to sort out and work through. Other screenwriters have felt this feeling on much larger scales. It's something I should expect to get used to.

It does bring up a lot of questions, though. You take stock in what you've accomplished so far and measure all the hard work you've put into it. You start asking questions like is it all worth it to continue? Do I believe I have enough talent and determination to continue? Am I willing to make it a life-long career pursuit or should I try something else? Am I ready for Hollywood?

Than you need to ask yourself the hard questions. Did I really write the best screenplay I could write? Did I really work hard enough? Am I just fooling myself? I can say the answer to that last question is yes. We all are fooling ourselves. But some how we press on anyways. It doesn't matter that we're chasing after fool's gold. Because how neat would it be to write a movie someday?

So, here's my post-contest depression plan:

1) I'm going to post this for all the world to see.

2) I'm going straight to the movie theater. I'm going to sit by myself with a large tub of popcorn with extra butter and I'm going to fight through the screenplay blues.

3) I'm going to come home and take stock. Set more goals. drop more time-consuming activities. Read more books. Write more every day.

4) Enter another screenplay contest.

5) Repeat process until I have a happier ending.

P.S. Now that I think about it. My original goal wasn't to win the screenplay contest. It was to enter the screenplay contest. Something I had wanted to do the last two years and had failed. But this year I was determined to and I did. So I'm a winner after all.