Results

Today is an interesting day for aspiring screenwriters--the day the quarterfinalists are announced for the Nicholl screenwriting competition. It is one of the oldest (since 1981 I believe), and most respected of the screenplay contests--I guess because it run by a reputable foundation, and, I guess, since a thirty thousand dollar fellowship to the winner garners a certain amount of respect.

Since it's a pretty big day for results, I thought I'd take this opportunity to report on some other topics I've touched on in recent months. If you are a frequent reader, and have tremendously good recall, I'm sure you might be plagued by wonder at what has happened. So here goes:

Nicholl Fellowhip--I was NOT a quarterfinalist, although an early draft of my script CHILDREN OF OTHERS did place in the top 20%, as did ZOMBIE PARENTS, a script Paul and I are working on together. (Full disclosure, my other entry, RIBBIT, did not even warrant a mention, and rightly so. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I entered it, as it's in serious need of a rewrite.)

Paul however, received better news in the wee hours of the morn. TWO of his screenplays CANCERLAND and HEIST are both quarterfinalists.

Page Awards--My script THE INVISIBLES, was named a quarterfinalist in the Page Awards last week. (RIBBIT, which as I have mentioned, kind of sucked, did not make it past the second round.)

Internship-- I did get the second internship that I was hoping to get. According to the woman who hired me, only a handful of people sent cover letters, and the fact that I had a coherent one worked to my advantage. I call this new internship "Internship #2" and it has been a really good experience which I will try to remember to talk about in a future post.

Medical-- I finally had my colonoscopy and endoscopy, and the doctor did not find any cancer. Yea! But he maybe found a few spots that he scraped off--I don't understand what that's about, and no one has sent me any paperwork explaining it, but no one seems worried, so I'm not worrying, because I have too much other stuff to worry about.

What else? Paul did not get an HBO Directing Fellowship. He was super bummed about this.

First Pitch: Out of eight script requests, I've heard back from about half, and not heard anything from the other half, of the half that I heard from, three (maybe four) passed, and one guy invited me to lunch... He has passed my script to some other people, some of whom have liked it, but nothing dramatic (like getting a manager) has happened.

I think that's everything for the moment... Other developments to wait for with bated breath...

More script competitions. I believe the first round of Scriptapalooza selections will be published tomorrow.

Essay submissions: I have few out there for an essay I feel pretty good about called THE C WORD. If I get anything besides rejections, I'll let you know here.

MRI: I'm supposed to get one, but I keep putting it off.

This class I want into -- taught by TC Boyle: I hear it's good. They said there "might be a space" and asked for some writing samples. So maybe I'll get in. And maybe my department will approve it as elective hours toward my degree.

School: I might go back in the fall, I might go back in the spring. I might just drop out and save myself 13000 dollars. Stay tuned.

Job: Will I ever get one... I mean one that pays money? If it happens, you, dear readers, will be the first to know!