Thank you to everyone who sent in a script. It has a been an honor to read your work, and it’s encouraging to see so much dedication and creativity out there.

I know people like to say this, but there really were a lot of great scripts in the contest, and the decision wasn’t easy.

But since this is a competition, I had to choose. And so…

Below are the Quarter Finalists for Script Doctor Eric’s 2010 Screenplay Competition!

Alphabetical by Title

Blizzard
Cartel
Catch 21
Compulsive Lyor
Contract
Dreaming of Me
Golden Gloves
Greener Pastures
Horror Comic
Impossible
In Dead Company
Killsight
Linked
My Brother Mick
Once Upon a Time in Los Angeles
Pick Your Kids
Reflection
Short Term Forecast
The Cause
The Keeper Project
The Last Concerto
The Last Outlander
The Rebound Guy
The Stitcher
War According to Phillip
Worst Graders

Congratulations to all the writers who made the cut!

The semifinalists – chosen from the group above – will be announced May 10th, and the finalists, May 15th.

The finalists will then be judged by the wonderful guest judges and on June 1st we will announce the winners!

If you were NOT chosen, there are a couple of ways to take the news. I know when my screenplays didn’t make the quarter finals of a contest (this happened more times than I’d like to admit) sometimes I would dismiss the contest reader as an amateur, “I’ll bet they’ve never even read a screenplay before…”

Later, I’d go back and reread my script and realize they were probably right, “Oh, I see. This could use some work.”

In the end, my writing improved, not because everyone told me I was great, but because some people didn’t.

In other words, the best way to take such news is to make it an opportunity to get better. Learn everything you can about writing and screenwriting. Write three more screenplays this year. Get notes from readers. REWRITE. Make it so good that next time they’ll be no way it won’t place.

However…

I have been known to be wrong.

If you TRULY feel I made a grave mistake, that your screenplay should have easily made the quarter finals, I have created an Appeals Process. There’s no guarantee of placing after going through the process, but hopefully it will help in some small way.

If you have any questions or concerns about screenwriting – or anything else – please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m here to help.

Onward!

-Eric
[email protected]