Surprise, I'm not done. BlueCat is a mere two days away and I haven't even reached the climax of the second draft. Shame on me. So what have I learned from this situation? Three things:
1.) You can't write a GREAT screenplay in a month: Sure, you can try but mostly likely you're going to produce a misspelled mass of watered-down plot and dry characters. Unless you're already finished and only need to check your grammar, don't beat yourself up if you can't get it right in a month. Just research any of your favorite books and movies. Authors can take up to ten years getting a story right. I'm not saying it will take you ten years, but it might.
2.) You have to give yourself a break: Looking at your script with fresh eyes is one of the single most important things you can do. Don't believe? Ask anyone! All of the advice is the same. Put your script away and give your brain some time to recharge. Don't even think about it. When you finally sit down to write, new inspiration will come cascading out of you like a bloody nose.
3.) Read: This last one seems like a no-brainer but everybody knows that all great writers read A LOT! I have to admit, I haven't been reading. Blogs, magazines and emails don't count. I'm talking about sitting down with a novel or a screenplay and losing yourself in the story for a couple of hours. Reading keeps your brain active and working. Think of your brain as a car engine. You wouldn't drive a car without gas or oil, would you? Then why would you try to pump out page after page without giving your mind anything in return? It's a game of give and take, so start giving!
I hope this advice helps my fellow writers as much as it is helping me. I'm pretty bummed that I can't enter the contest but I would feel worse wasting my money and everyone's time.
I feel bad we didn't enter too but we really only had a month which is nothing. It's funny how I wrote a blog similar to yours haha
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