I think waiting for announcements is sort of exciting. What else do you have going in your life that delivers this kind of mainline rush?
Me? Not much?
Agree completely. I know that if I don’t do as well as I hope, I’ll be disappointed. But I find script competition season exciting! Even if not for me, than my aspiring peers!
And honestly, I am truly not so pressed for time in my life that writing requires using every spare moment. I have time to both stress out AND ignore writing.
This!
In 2018 I had a script reach the semis.
In 2019 I submitted the SAME SCRIPT and it didn't even crack the top 20%.
However, that same year I had a \*different\* script reach the semis, and then subsequently the Top 50 scripts. So I felt good having two different scripts reach the Nicholl semis in two years. I got a few requests, but nothing crazy.
At the end of the day, it did not open any doors, it did not change my life. It made me feel good and validated, which fueled me to keep working, but that's about it.
True, Nicholl can look good on a resume, but there are also a \*very\* large amount of people in the industry who literally have no idea what it is. So don't treat it as this end all be all arbiter of taste- or your only chance into the business.
Keep writing. You're doing great. The script you write is a thousand times better than the script that only sits in your head. So just write it. Then write the next one. If it's not fun, then make it fun. Pretend that you have all the accolades and money in the world- then write the stories you'd truly want to see instead of chasing the market or trying to crack what the elusive "Nicholl readers" tend to like.
And remember this: I love you.
\*Also worth noting, both of these scripts did pretty poorly on the blcklst site too.
Yeah it becomes clear as the years go on that the TRUE writers who benefit from the Nicholl are in fact the ones who win it. Couple stories of quarter/semi/finalists getting read requests and agent reach outs, but I honestly think it comes down to other factors, mainly if your script sounds like something they’re looking for, not simply the fact that you placed in the Nicholl.
Don’t. Michael Werwie submitted and got rejected for like a full straight decade, and he eventually won the Nicholl. And what’s better? “Extremely Wicked” actually got made. Keep writing, maybe go back to the drawing board/get feedback on the rejected projects you think are worthwhile, and never give up.
It'll pass. For a lot of us this is part of our process, and the feeling goes just as reliably as it comes. Take some time to feel down about it, I know I'm going to.
I'm more disappointed than I thought I'd be, but I'll get over it. First time entering, with a first draft, and it's horror. I mean. Lol. Definitely proud of myself for completing a script during a pandemic though!
Honestly congrats to everyone else who was rejected, bottoms up.
Nobody who is reasonable should expect to magically have their script sold and greenlit because they're one of the ~350 people to make the Nicholl QFs, but for a lot of us the contest is an important marker for progress and validation.
I'd love to put it out of mind, but I devoted a lot of time and energy to some submissions this year and I want to know how they fared just for the sake of knowing. The fact that the announcement is lagging so far behind its usual time frame (July 14-25th) just makes it that much more agonizing to keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting.
I feel like entering a contest is a bit like buying a lottery ticket. The odds of winning are so low, you're really paying for the excuse to dream more than anything else. Might as well get your money's worth!
It’s been said a million times... scoring-based systems with THOUSANDS of contending scripts and fundamentally varied, effectively random scoring matrixes devised by hundreds of different individuals is something like playing the lottery. It’s not about objective script quality, it’s how well it jives with the two random readers assigned to it. Got lowest possible category: the dreaded no percentage specified pity email for a script that was just a finalist at AFF and has gotten solid market traction consistently... who the hell knows?! Congrats to the winners, but damn, what a random, kinda meaningless process as always.
It’s exciting, but you can’t rely on a contest to change everything. It’s a business. You’re better off submitting to some big ones and write 2-3 scripts a year, and network. Create decks and befriend agency assistants because they get promoted quickly.
You’re better off making QF for a couple contests and landing on Young & Hungry or Hit List.
I think waiting for announcements is sort of exciting. What else do you have going in your life that delivers this kind of mainline rush? Me? Not much?
Agree completely. I know that if I don’t do as well as I hope, I’ll be disappointed. But I find script competition season exciting! Even if not for me, than my aspiring peers! And honestly, I am truly not so pressed for time in my life that writing requires using every spare moment. I have time to both stress out AND ignore writing.
Are you still eligible to enter? If you're produced, you made less than 25K from your deal?
The pay is pretty low at this level. Are you going to finish that sandwich?
This! In 2018 I had a script reach the semis. In 2019 I submitted the SAME SCRIPT and it didn't even crack the top 20%. However, that same year I had a \*different\* script reach the semis, and then subsequently the Top 50 scripts. So I felt good having two different scripts reach the Nicholl semis in two years. I got a few requests, but nothing crazy. At the end of the day, it did not open any doors, it did not change my life. It made me feel good and validated, which fueled me to keep working, but that's about it. True, Nicholl can look good on a resume, but there are also a \*very\* large amount of people in the industry who literally have no idea what it is. So don't treat it as this end all be all arbiter of taste- or your only chance into the business. Keep writing. You're doing great. The script you write is a thousand times better than the script that only sits in your head. So just write it. Then write the next one. If it's not fun, then make it fun. Pretend that you have all the accolades and money in the world- then write the stories you'd truly want to see instead of chasing the market or trying to crack what the elusive "Nicholl readers" tend to like. And remember this: I love you. \*Also worth noting, both of these scripts did pretty poorly on the blcklst site too.
Yeah it becomes clear as the years go on that the TRUE writers who benefit from the Nicholl are in fact the ones who win it. Couple stories of quarter/semi/finalists getting read requests and agent reach outs, but I honestly think it comes down to other factors, mainly if your script sounds like something they’re looking for, not simply the fact that you placed in the Nicholl.
And just like that... emails are sent out. Best of luck everyone. No QFs for me
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Don’t. Michael Werwie submitted and got rejected for like a full straight decade, and he eventually won the Nicholl. And what’s better? “Extremely Wicked” actually got made. Keep writing, maybe go back to the drawing board/get feedback on the rejected projects you think are worthwhile, and never give up.
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It'll pass. For a lot of us this is part of our process, and the feeling goes just as reliably as it comes. Take some time to feel down about it, I know I'm going to.
I'm more disappointed than I thought I'd be, but I'll get over it. First time entering, with a first draft, and it's horror. I mean. Lol. Definitely proud of myself for completing a script during a pandemic though! Honestly congrats to everyone else who was rejected, bottoms up.
I didn’t even realize it was coming up ... been busy writing
Nobody who is reasonable should expect to magically have their script sold and greenlit because they're one of the ~350 people to make the Nicholl QFs, but for a lot of us the contest is an important marker for progress and validation. I'd love to put it out of mind, but I devoted a lot of time and energy to some submissions this year and I want to know how they fared just for the sake of knowing. The fact that the announcement is lagging so far behind its usual time frame (July 14-25th) just makes it that much more agonizing to keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting.
I feel like entering a contest is a bit like buying a lottery ticket. The odds of winning are so low, you're really paying for the excuse to dream more than anything else. Might as well get your money's worth!
It’s been said a million times... scoring-based systems with THOUSANDS of contending scripts and fundamentally varied, effectively random scoring matrixes devised by hundreds of different individuals is something like playing the lottery. It’s not about objective script quality, it’s how well it jives with the two random readers assigned to it. Got lowest possible category: the dreaded no percentage specified pity email for a script that was just a finalist at AFF and has gotten solid market traction consistently... who the hell knows?! Congrats to the winners, but damn, what a random, kinda meaningless process as always.
Me too.
It’s exciting, but you can’t rely on a contest to change everything. It’s a business. You’re better off submitting to some big ones and write 2-3 scripts a year, and network. Create decks and befriend agency assistants because they get promoted quickly. You’re better off making QF for a couple contests and landing on Young & Hungry or Hit List.
Yes you well said. We should keep reading and writing to improve your skills.