January 2008 Archives

I know, I've been quiet lately. Pending a complete overhaul of the template for this website to create a consistent and - more importantly - SIMPLE template across all my blogs, I've reverted this blog to a standard template in the interim. Tis is to prevent some pretty ugly formatting stuff that was happening live on the site as I tinkered. These are the troubles when a writer with incredibly basic html skills throws himself into Movable Type - a great blogging tool but with some complex and irritating little bugs that grow over time once you start tinkering with the code.

Only a few days into the New Year and already the emails are flowing announcing the start of a whole slew of new scriptwriting competitions. In preparing for the two competitions I’ve selected to enter this year, I trawled through the various script magazines , websites and forums for anything new that I may find useful in adding that final polish to my chosen script.

There is no shortage of competitions, books, software programs, magazines, subscription services and specially formatted stationery competing for the spare change of every amateur scriptwriter. Almost all market themselves as an essential component in achieving Hollywood success. Almost all are bought by the truckload by enthusiastic amateurs hoping to find that magic talisman or fool-proof formula that will guarantee huge success and endless streams of money.