My, what a rough week this was.

PAGE semifinalists and Nicholl quarterfinalists were announced. My script was not on either list.

Disappointing, especially since I think it’s a pretty solid script.

At least that’s what my readers say.

But like you always hear: it’s all subjective.

Your first thought when you get that notification that includes “Unfortunately,…” is probably “I must be a really shitty writer”.

Not so. I’ve read a lot of scripts of exceptional quality that also didn’t advance, including one by a previous Nicholl top 10 finalist.

There is absolutely no way to tell how a script is going to do in a contest. You send it, hope for the best, then move on to whatever the next thing is.

After I’d posted about not advancing, more than a few writers responded in kind.

“Me too.”

“Another swing and a miss.”

“Whoo! My eighth consecutive year of not advancing.”

It’s taken me a lot of time to accept that while it’s great to see your script do well in a contest, when it doesn’t do well is no absolute reflection on you as a writer.

Again: it’s all subjective.

One writer I know was frustrated after years and years of their script never doing well in a contest. That script then went on to place in the top 50 for the Nicholl.

This isn’t to say that your script couldn’t do with a little more work. That’s really up to you.

If you’re among the horde of writers whose contest journey has come to an end, give yourself a minute to vent and air those grievances, then decide what you’re going to do about it.

Is your script as solid as it can be, or would it be worth your while to give it another read to see if anything could use some tweaking?

Something to also keep in mind: winning a contest can be a stepping stone to a career as a writer, but it’s not the only way. A script can not do well in a contest but still attract the attention of somebody interested in making it.

As another writer put it: “I’d rather write a script that would be a good movie, than one that wins contests.”

At this point I don’t know what my plan is for next year’s contests. I’m too busy working on scripts to worry about it.

Which reminds me of another three important little words:

Don’t. Stop. Trying.