Great Competition Results - Now What?

The other day we talked about what to do next if this competition season yielded zero results for you. How do you handle that disappointment and put it in perspective?

On the other hand, what if a script you've written placed in a competition? What if people start calling you? It's a great problem to have, right? I have already had three managers email me and ask to see the top five scripts in the Silver Screenwriting Competition. And we haven't even announced the winner(s) yet. That's tomorrow.

First of all, a quarterfinalist placement is not likely to garner any phone calls or interest. You'll need to have placed as at least a semi-finalist. And it depends on the industry relationships going on with the competition you entered.

If your script did well in a competition, first of all, congratulations. That means your script was more original and better executed than the majority of other scripts in the same competition. This puts you in the top percentages. And that's something to be very proud of. But what happens next? Is your phone going to start to ring? And if it does - what can you expect? Does this mean success is knocking at your door? It might. But proceed with caution.

Two things to think about:

One: Please be measured and thoughtful in your response to those who may contact you asking to see the script. Don't freak out with joy and promise them exclusive rights to your script, all future scripts or your first born child. Don't make a $1 option agreement with the first joker who calls. Don't be overly flattered; be cool, man. Be cool and do a little research. Look up the person on IMDB Pro. What are his or her credits and professional credentials? Where is their office located? This may be a new company which has no credits, but click on the names of the principals; at a different company they probably do have credits of some kind. One would hope. Be careful. In fact, if you are in doubt, contact me and I might be able to shed some light on the reputation and track record of the rep in question.

Two: You do have an arsenal, right? More than the one or two scripts you entered this year? Are you writing within the same genre? I hope so. You want to establish yourself as an expert in one genre. Many writers feel (and I used to too until it got me nowhere) that they should write in many genres to prove that they have flexible chops. Don't do this. It won't prove anything, it just makes you less marketable. Line up your arsenal and have a look. Do you have another sample ready to send out if requested? Is it in great shape? Now is the time to get some feedback and assurance on your other scripts. A rep who calls and asks for more samples will be greatly turned off if it turns out the competition winning (or placing) script was your best work and that, in other words, you do not have "legs" as a writer. Nobody wants to rep a one-off.

So let's say it's the worst case scenario. You placed well in a competition, the phone rings and you really don't have any other samples ready to go. While it's not the ideal, it's not the end of the world, necessarily, either. A stop-gap would be to have a list of what you're working on handy, and where each project is in it's completion. Have a list of premise lines, in other words, and be able to say: this one is in outline form, this one is halfway written, this one is just an idea. You should have this anyway, Wavers - at all times - your Inventory List.

Whether you placed this year or not, now is the time to review your inventory of scripts and take stock. Do you have an offering of several scripts in the same genre? Scripts which showcase your voice, your particular point of view and your strengths? Scripts that are read-ready right now, sans structural, thematic and pacing problems?

If the answer is uh - not really then it is possible that your placement this year will not yield you the results you'd hoped for. And there's always next competition season to work on that. Wavers, I cannot stress enough how important having an arsenal of scripts stacked up is. I had one client who placed well at a very big deal competition call me in a bit of a panic. She doesn't have anything else ready to go. Not a terrific situation to be in. I know that every time I talk to a potential rep about one of my clients, the FIRST thing they ask is what else the writer has. Again - one-off = no good. Reps want to know that you have more where that great script came from. That you can consistently write salable material, in other words.

REMINDER:
Become a member of new The Rouge Wave II. Create your own page. Network. Socialize. Discuss stuff. It's free and it's fun. Find out how other Wavers fared in competitions. Discuss your experiences with various reps. Share. Be friends.

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