Saturday, April 21, 2007

How to Win a Nicholl Fellowship

If you Google "how to win a Nicholl Fellowship", my blog is the sixth website on the list. Of course, with this post title, it will probably move up. I saw on my Sitemeter list that somebody had arrived here by Googling "how to win a Nicholl Fellowship" so I checked it out. I guess that's what happens when you chronicle your efforts to win a Nicholl as much as I have.

So, if you arrived here by Googling "how to win a Nicholl Fellowship", you should know two things:
  1. I have not won a Nicholl Fellowship -- YET.
  2. The way to win is to write a great screenplay.
By this time next year, maybe when people Google "How to Win a Nicholl Fellowship", they'll arrive here to find an article about how I actually won a Nicholl Fellowship. It could happen.

11 comments:

E.C. Henry said...

Googling your way through life, why not?! Too funny.

Hope you win your precious fellowship this year, but if you asked me you've got your sights on scaling the wrong mountain. Your REAL goal should be getting your writting made into a movie, NOT justifying your efforts by winning a contest.

Have you even finished your masterpeice? Time's a tickin' girl. DON'T ADD ANY NEW SCENES. Spell and grammar check the ones you've got, mail it in, then treat yourself to an ice cold, Miller's Genuine Draft (or perhaps a tasty sasparilla, if you're so disposed).

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

MaryAn Batchellor said...

Yup. Masterpiece done. Proofing, proofing, proofing. Thanks for the encouragement. Drinking green tea right now and just sent the teenager out to pick me up a Snickers bar. Do I know how to party or what?

The Nicholl isn't just any ol' contest, E.C. Careers are launched BECAUSE of the Nicholl. Look at Mike Rich, Susannah Grant, etc. It's not just about validation.

Having said that, though, I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket. I just chose to take time away from pimping my other work to focus on this screenwriting goal to better my odds of accomplishing it. If it doesn't pay off, what is the worst that can happen? I spent six months working to become a better writer.

It's a win/win.

I know a lot of people who set goals but don't put the time and work into accomplishing them and then wonder why they didn't get what they went after. The reason they didn't get what they wanted is because they didn't really go after it. They made a half hearted effort and waited for somebody to hand them the rest and then lied to themselves about the amount of effort they put into it. There are a lot of people giving 25% out there who really think they're giving 110%.

Anonymous said...

Well if YOU must focus on a competition, at least you're focusing on the RIGHT ONE.

Good luck!

Unk

MaryAn Batchellor said...

Moving on to something new after this week. What'll it be... what'll it be... some "unknown" project perhaps.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. Sounds intriguing.

Unk

Anonymous said...

I am glad you'll be submitting again, good luck, I want to see your name in accolades.

I won't make it. The story I am doing now is perfect for it but I don't want to spend the money sending it off as is. I would be rushing.

I'll do BlueCat and Scriptapalooza in the fall maybe, if I don't hear anything from shopping my stuff around this summer.

My new goal for 07 was to market myself

MaryAn Batchellor said...

Well this is mid-April. You got seven and a half more months to market!

annabel said...

Best wishes!

mernitman said...

Congratulations on completion -- I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!

Julie Goes to Hollywood said...

I was a finalist once. Also a quarter and a semi, I think. Something less than getting the money but more than getting your name in Variety and any number of cheese baskets from people who briefly want to know you but quickly change their minds. Bitter much? Yup, now I'm even heckling myself.

MaryAn Batchellor said...

annabel and Billy, thanks. If nothing happens, so what? I pout awhile and eventually realize that I'm a better writer from the process.

Julie, cool beans that you're back from fishing. Or is it?