Script Frenzy continues to create a frenzy. I have been traveling for the past couple of weeks – first to the D.C. area and then to Madison – so my writing sessions have been sporadic to say the least. Plus, I’ve brought my inCredible new iPad with me (thanks again for the Apple gift card, Kev and Moniqueeeeee!) and while my back and shoulders appreciate the ease of carrying it around as opposed to my MacBook, I am still getting acquainted with the pluses and minuses of typing screenplays on it. (I know, I know…First World problems.) One big minus is that Final Draft, my primary screenwriting software, does not have a writing app yet, so I had to find a workaround. Luckily, I did with an app called ScriptPro but, as with any substitute, it possesses idiosyncrasies that take getting used. The primary one is that I have no idea what my page count is right now. The goal is 100 pages in one month. So am I seventy pages in? (Doubtful.) Forty-five pages in? (Maybe.) Thirty? (Uh oh.) One thing is for certain – I am in the weeds…and the next four days are going to be frenzied indeed.
The big distraction while in Madison came in the form of the Wisconsin Film Festival. It was my third year going and over its five days I experienced narrative features and documentaries from all over the world. And, of course, I enjoyed many baskets of cheese curds along the way. I’ll save my recommendations for another post (probably one in May when I’m done with Script Frenzy), but suffice it to say that I saw some remarkable, inspiring films. I also met some great new people who offered lots of support and encouragement for my own efforts at making movies in Wisconsin. Considering the full houses at most of the screenings I attended, I continue to feel confident that I’ll be able to find an audience for my work. How exciting to see such local interest in independent cinema!
And speaking of my Wisconsin-based projects, last week I received the news that HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF won an “Honorable Mention” in the Thriller/Horror category of The Screenplay Festival screenwriting competition. Wow! When you’re writing in vacuum any mention is welcome, so I will certainly take an honorable one. And I entered The Screenplay Festival after reading recommendations on it from other writers, so those endorsements coupled with the fact that the contest is sponsored by production and management companies has me hopeful that this acknowledgement might bring me a bit of exposure and some requests to read the script. C’mon, Hollywood, let’s get this thing going!
In the meantime, I will keep trying to churn out new material. Like my Script Frenzy script. So back I go to page whatever.