Archive for the Contests Category

Monday, Monday…

Posted in Contests, The Writing Life, Writing a Novel with tags , , , , , , , , on July 19, 2010 by Faith Friese Nelson

So, it’s the start of a new week.

Current word count on the “Windfall” novelization:  4,412

Right now, I’m reading the book Make a Scene, Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time by Jordan E. Rosenfeld.  It is a good book for me, at this point in my “writer’s journey”, reminding me of some of the powerful tools available when writing a novel versus writing a screenplay.

I have started to do a step outline for my newest screenplay endeavor, mostly in my head, but it is being blocked and progress is being made.  I expect to be in the middle of this project by the fall.

Two main goals for this week:   First I need to finish the reviews for the “More of Less is More” competition at Moviepoet.com.  Then I need to decide on something to write for MoviePoet’s next competition, “White Out”.  I have one idea, an adaptation of a short story, and I’m waiting to hear from the author.  If the author doesn’t give permission, then I have another idea up my sleeve!

I have paid the entry fee to enter “Windfall” in the ScriptSavvy contest, and have until July 30th to make last minute changes.  The thing I like about this contest, is I can get feedback from it, so even if I don’t win, I get something in return for my $$.

The novelization of “Windfall” is progressing.  Some parts seem to write faster than others.  Returning to this medium has been fun but I am grateful that the plot has already been worked out so I can concentrate on the actual writing.

All About Bart Vader and Me!

Posted in Contests, Screenwriting How-To's, The Writing Life, Writing a Novel with tags , , , , on July 16, 2010 by Faith Friese Nelson

I heard from Margaret, the filmmaker who is turning my short screenplay “Bart Vader” into a short film.  They have done most of the filming and are waiting for an actor to return home from vacation to film the final scene.  So, soon, my friends…  Anyway, if you are interested in learning more about “Bart Vader” click here.

This week, I started to put “Windfall” into the novel format.    So far, a total of 3,561 words.  I know, not much, but it’s a start.  I am enjoying the return to writing prose.

Still researching my next screenplay.  At this point, I don’t know what I will do first – draft the novel, or draft the screenplay.  Don’t have to make that decision yet…

I only have two weeks to come up with an idea for the July MoviePoet.com contest.  I will enter, I just have to give it some thought.   I will admit that I have been distracted this month since I finished the “Windfall” screenplay.  Between the new research and the decision to write the novel I have been busy.  Still, I have managed to complete about half the reviews for the entries in last month’s  MoviePoet.com contest.   There are 64 entries.  Thank goodness they are all one-page scripts!

I spent a few minutes, today, and updated my “About Me” page.  If you are interested in learning more about me, click here.

My Baby is being Dissected

Posted in Contests, The Writing Life with tags , , , , , , , on April 27, 2010 by Faith Friese Nelson

Right now, “Windfall” my current baby is being read and reviewed by other screenwriters.  This is the part of writing that I love and hate.  “The Dissection.”

The “fresh eyes” are good.  It is always interesting to me to see the various directions other writers want to take my story.  And I appreciate  writers giving their time and thoughts to me.

What I have learned is to be patient and wait for all the “reviews and comments” to come.  I usually see a pattern.  If one reader tells me the second act is weak, that’s an opinion.  If all the readers tell me they think the second act is weak, then I’ve  probably got a problem.

Some ideas are beginning to surface, ways to improve “Windfall”.  But, rather than jump in and start a rewrite, I’m going to take a break and see what develops as the reviews come in.

In the meantime, I’m going to coax another idea out of my tiny brain and see if it develops into anything.  And, on May 1, I’ll tackle MoviePoet.com’s next challenge.