And the Winner Is...?

Jeff Cohen

Nope. It's not about book awards. I've had my say on those.

I'm of two minds about writing contests. Right now, my son is two years out of college and wants to work in the film/TV business. He's talented, but this is the worst employment market since Tom Joad graduated from Hard Knox.

So Josh (my son, not our own Mr. Getzler) is writing some scripts and entering them in contests. Each one charges an entry fee. Each one will have hundreds, if not thousands, of entries. Each one will award one prize, maybe two.

When I was an aspiring screenwriter, I entered a few writing contests and didn't win any, which is not terribly surprising. My work was, I believe, good, but so was that of a lot of other writers. 

I've never entered a writing contest for novelists, so I can't speak to that from experience. But I believe the concepts are similar. Many will enter, very, very few will be chosen.

Writing contests are great for the people who win. There are sometimes cash prizes, but most often the award comes in the form of attention from those who can provide a career break--editors, publishers, agents, producers. I'm not against the concept of a contest in and of itself.

But there are two serious issues with contests, from my point of view. First, I'm not sure I believe in competition head-to-head for writers if they're not all trying to write the same thing. I'm not crazy about saying that this comedy is better than that sci-fi script, or that the character development in one is enough to make up for the heavy reliance on special effects in another.

And for those aspiring writers who see the contest--which they'll surely win, in their view--as the ticket to the Big Leagues, the crushing disappointment of not be chosen among 20,476 people can be a debilitating blow. 

I see how Josh, even with a rational view of the chances for success, hangs his hopes on the contests he enters, and it hurts. I can tell him his chances of buying a winning lottery ticket (okay, one that gets you $20, but still) are better, and he understands that. But he's young, and the dream is still fresh on his tastebuds. If he can just win this one, he knows that'll do the trick.

So like I said, I'm of two minds. I see the merits, but I also see the downside. What I'd tell any aspiring author (or screenwriter) is that enterting contests is fun and it's fine, as long as the entry fee is not too high. But don't expect that you'll win, and keep writing and pursuing the dream elsewhere while you participate. 

Don't let a competition be your only avenue to what you've always wanted.

 

P.S. I'll be in lovely Bethesda, Maryland this coming weekend for Malice Domestic. I missed the convention last year, but will be back and participating in a panel. Please, as I've said before, if you see me wandering around the halls or anywhere but the men's room, do not hesitate for one second to come up and say hello. It's why I'm there.

Comments

[Pat Brown]

There are some contests both in scriptwriting and novels where even if you don't win you get feedback from professionals. I've done this a couple of times and think the money spent is worth it.

[Kris Bock]

I know someone who won a scriptwriting contest even though one of the three judges HATED his screenplay. That shows how subjective contents can be. The good news is, this person did eventually have his screenplay made, it did well, and brought in over half million dollars in the next decade. It took almost 10 years after the contest win, though. As a bonus, when he was sued by someone claiming he'd copied their screenplay, having that record of the contest win proved his was written first.

[Nancy Bilyeau]

The contest circuit in screenwriting is out of control. There are about 100 of them, I am not kidding. Only a few can make a difference. The most prestigious one is the Nicholl Fellowship, which gives 5 or 6 writers $30,000 to "live on for a year" while hey write another script. The winners get critical exposure and contacts. Some have gone on to big careers. But do you know how many screenwriters usually enter the Nicholl? More than 7,000 in 2013.

[Lynne Patrick]

You're right about the comparing apples with oranges aspect of writing competitions, Jeff. I used to run a big short story competition, and by the time we were down to the last ten, no two were alike, so how do you choose the 'best'? When I'm asked for advice, wearing my other hat, I suggest finding out who the judge is, and giving him or her something appropriate.