Day 305: Entered the Screencraft Horror Competition
It's the start of a new month and there is no better way to kick it off than by entering a screenplay contest. in this case, I entered Screencraft.org's Horror Competition with The Calling. What makes this entry particularly sweet is that I had to do some quick rewrites on the ending with only about 48 hours to go before the deadline. Those rewrites turned out to be fairly simple. In fact, simplicity was the key. My original ending had turned out to be too complicated and readers were confused by the action and the resolution to several characters arcs. I think I was trying to be too clever by half. The new ending streamlines the action and offers a nice sentimental moment with all the characters understanding exactly what has happened. Previously, there was some question as to what exactly had transpired in the minds of both the protagonist and a major supporting character. And let's face it, when the hero of the story doesn't understand what's going on, it's a pretty good bet the audience won't either.
Normally, I would have sent the script out for readings before submitting to contests, producers or directors, but the time crunch left me little option in this case. The script has been receiving positive notice with only the ending seeming to detract from the story. I'm just going to have to trust my gut on this one. Screencraft is considered by many to be among the top ten of screenplay competition organizations, and I didn't want to let another year slip by without before entering. With the three-day holiday weekend coming up, I'll send the latest revisions to some trusted readers and see if my instincts were right or if I jumped the gun with this submission.
