Originally posted by JeffLowell
View Post
Yes, there are contests that are not worth entering. This is why a writer needs to do research before entering a contest. Nicholl and Austin are the top contests, but there are other contests that have been valuable to writers. Done Deal member slupo obtain representation from winning the trackingb competition. There are other members who have obtained representation from contests other than the top 3.
Yes, the majority of working writers didn’t break in through contests, though there is no doubt some did, so why discourage a writer from taking that route if he doesn’t solely rely on contests?
Jeff, I’m surprised you knocked my list of Nicholl winners because they were, as you said, “going back, what, 25 or 30 years?”
You know there are some Nicholl Fellowship winners who are obtaining representation and work to this day.
For example, take Done Deal member Wenonah Wilms. In 2001, she was a 30 year-old stay-at-home mom raising 3 young boys in Minneapolis when she got inspired to write screenplays. Over 17 years she wrote 22 screenplays. For the first 16 years, she entered 12 screenplays into the Nicholl and other contests.
This is the type of writer Bono was talking about feeling sad for, who entered contests over and over again, but her persistence and her belief in herself paid off where she was a 2018 Nicholl Fellowship winner for her script titled: “Horsehead Girls.” She received $35,000 and an agent at UTA.
After her win and receiving top representation, and now that her boys are all grown up, she was thinking of moving to LA for her screenwriting career.
Sure, for the majority of the 5,000 to 8,000 writers entering contests, only a small amount will turn that quarterfinals and higher advancement into obtaining representation and work. So, this is why it’s suggested to writers to use as many routes as possible to break in.
If Wenonah was discourage from entering contests, she may well be still sitting in Minneapolis writing query letters.
Comment