Writers Digest Competition, 2.0.

The deadline for the 75th Annual WD competition is May 15th, and times a wasting.

I came in 11th place in the script writing category in last years competition. I believe I could have, and should have done better than that, so I'm looking forward to this years competition to see if I can improve my game. I was pretty harsh on last years winner, and while I do feel that most of what I said was true, I could have been nicer about it. She won, I didn't, so I'm bitter, but I can be a better person than that. Congratulations again Catherine.

Last year I entered the first 15 pages (that's all they want) of a spec script for Stargate: Atlantis. Sadly (and I mean that as in pathetic) it's just not done yet. It's a concept that could and probably will span three episodes or more. I know that's a big no-no for spec writing, but it's a project worth doing, and hence a story worth telling. Nothing could stop me from doing this, because I'm doing it to do it, not to win a job or someones approval. I have 45 pages out of 48 written for part 1 with two eps to go. I have it all in my head, I just need to get it down.

This year I've decided to write a spec for an original movie. It being original will force me to be more creative, and hopefully I can inch closer to first-place. I do have a multitude of ideas for scripts that fit this constraint, though one sticks out in my mind more than the others do.

The race to win the Ansari X-Prize stirred something inside me. I love space science, if I had any ambition at all, I'd be in the space program. There's zero doubt in my mind about it. I'm lazy though, and writing seems more conducive to sitting on your rear all day. Nevertheless, it's always something that is foremost on my mind. My love of SciFi is just a natural extension of that.

The premise is that a young girl, perhaps thirteen or so, is incredibly brilliant. Off the scale brilliant. The difficult life that comes with being so intelligent at such a young age is made worse by the loss of both her parents (I don't know how or why, just that they are gone.) Without her parents to guide her through life, her intellect becomes the driving force. This is established fairly soon, and we come into her life at the beginning of her obession to be the first private citizen to design, build, and fly a rocket/space vehicle alone. The odds are against her from every possible angle. She's so young she can't even drive, nobody believes she can do it, even for someone as brilliant as her, it's an overwhelming challenge.

The movie is her struggle to beat the odds, come to terms with her personal loss, and..whatever.

It's not a bad idea, but it's not original either. There's nothing new about brilliant kids in movies, and we've already seen the first privately achieved trips into Earth orbit. But that's not what matters, it's not the idea, it's the implementation of the idea. The story, what happens and how; that's all that matters.

I think it could be very moving and very enjoyable if done well, and I look forward to taking it head-on. I start work on it very soon. When I have something, I'm sure my ego will compel me to post it here.