I wouldn't worry too much about Carson or the pro writer. They are mostly a way for you guys to see where someone totally removed from SS rates your work and logline. Neither one will know who wrote what and I don't think they would care either.

Good luck Khamanna and your daughter too.

I've a big advantage. Who is Carson? And if any of us have the balls to post on SS in the first place, why worry now?!

Thank you, Pia. It's waterworks at our house everyday! She visits her teacher, comes home and bam... I have to watch the balcony all the time. It's the fifth floor and I have crazy thoughts.

Quoted from JEStaats I've a big advantage. Who is Carson?

look up scriptshadow.net
He's like a script critic or something. And last year he produced a short that took the Oscar.
It's called Stutterer.

Maybe someone else has better answer for this one though)

Quoted from JEStaats And if any of us have the balls to post on SS in the first place, why worry now?!

Haha, that's a good one!

"...no idea was bad if it was executed correctly..."

That really is not a constructive approach. It all starts with the idea. Why would someone go through the enormous effort required to make a quality film with a bad idea?

It all begins with hatching a concept that appeals to movie makers. Dena often succeeds just with a title!

Once you have the concept, you have to learn how to package it. People that are hunting for ideas to make a movie will hunt through hundreds and hundreds of loglines. Why would they open a script if it doesn't grab them?

And if they don't open the script, what does the execution even matter? No one is reading it. Unless it's a contest and the judges have to read it.

I'm in a writers group for prose. We meet once a month. One opinion I keep obnoxiously(would you expect any less? lol) pushing on them is the notion that you have to work EVERY SINGLE PAGE to capture and hold your reader. Unless someone has to read your work, because they're in a writing group or are a friend, you have to earn their reading time. And still, most of these writers keep pushing out characters that no one wants to follow into a story, and situations that aren't compelling. Unless you write like Cormac McCarthy, that's not gonna work.

I think this is similar: without a compelling concept and an effective logline, it's really just an exercise. Nothing wrong with that, but you really want to be training yourself to battle in the arena of ideas.

Of course, it's hard to know sometimes if your concept is good. That's why writers like to have people they can test their ideas on.

I will tell you from experience, it stinks to come up with an idea that you like for whatever reason, spend months writing the script, only to realize it was not an idea many others will like. I've done that more than once.

Pia's OWC is designed to help writers sharpen their skills at winning with their ideas, not just their scripts.

And it's in, done, done, bloody done.

Great challenge Pia, I had one idea and couldn't budge from it, praying to God that Jeff may actually make it through the whole thing but not counting any chickens...

Quoted Text Thank you, Pia. It's waterworks at our house everyday! She visits her teacher, comes home and bam...

Best of luck Khamanna, sounds like a hell of a struggle. If she's even got access to a stage it means she's obviously got talent. Just reassure her, go through with the performance tomorrow and try to batter a script out. I'm sure you've got an idea formulated by now, just use it as therapy, or a reward, which ever one is more appropriate.

Quoted from Cameron ...praying to God that Jeff may actually make it through the whole thing but not counting any chickens...

Hey now!  I've gotten through some of your scripts...right?

Anyways, I am going to do my best to read through each and every script in its entirety. In no way is that a promise to anyone, but I am going to seriously try.

Quoted from DanC I think my biggest issue is I can't tell what is good and what is a pisser idea.   I mean, if what I'm writing about really happened in the real world, I'd be terrified.   But, others might see it as the biggest pisser idea they've ever seen, and that's saying a lot. How do you tell what is a good idea vs what is a truly horrid idea? I once told Carson that no idea was bad if it was executed correctly, but, I'm not sure I believe that anymore.  I mean, some of the greatest movies that were surely pisser-esque got made, such as "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" or "A polish vampire in Burbank."   While my idea isn't nearly as corny as that, I guess there is such a fine line between scary and corny.  How many movies try to be serious and fall flat.  How many movies try to be scary but fall flat?   Hell, big budget movies have this happen too.  I saw a movie years ago called Cable Guy.  I honestly thought that movie was terrifying, but, others thought it was funny.  I mean, when he laid there silent and still enough for that spider to walk across his face, how could they be going for any other genre than really fucked up?   I know this is a big opportunity for all of us.  I guess the unexpected weight of being terrible in Carson's and the mystery reader's eyes has me unsettled a bit.   I need to take that next step and control my anxiety and not be afraid to succeed and fail.   I've talked to a few writers who've made it and they always say "just write" and that's what I've been doing.  I have a lot of stories and I guess I'm lucky in that way... Well, back to the story.  On the plus side, since I've done so much work with shorts, I've learned how to cut down the story and not have to cut 4 pages from a 15-page story.   This story should be around 7-9 pages.  Pretty happy.... Dan

Dan, I'm utterly confused by some of your comments.

You've mentioned this very little known film called "A Polish Vampire in Burbank" several times, and acted liked it's a good film.  It's not at all.  It was shot on a $3,000 budget, and was intended on being a comedy.  Now, let's understand that this flick was incredibly successful, basically because it was so horrible, it was hilarious to some, which is the definition of a pisser.

Same thing with "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes", which is again, a big old fat pisser, and considered by many to be one of the worst movies ever made, but again, because it is so bad, many love it, and it's well known because of that.

Now, you know me...I am not against an occasional pisser, but I don't understand why you don't understand the difference between a serious effort and a pisser...and I'm not trying to be mean.

Let me know how I can help you to see the light.

Quoted from Dreamscale Hey now!  I've gotten through some of your scripts...right? Anyways, I am going to do my best to read through each and every script in its entirety. In no way is that a promise to anyone, but I am going to seriously try.

Hahaha, alright Jeff!

Yeh mate, one out of my four attempts I think! Still, different strokes for different folks...one man's meat is another man's poison...not every goat makes a gander...made that last one up.

Decided I'm not going to participate this time. I wrote my script, decided I wasn't happy with it and considered I didn't have a lot of time to review others, even if I had entered it. Good luck, everybody. =)

Got a page done last night. Given that I barely get time to write anymore, I'm happy with that. Hope to get something in on Friday.

Good luck to all.

I have nothing down on the page as of yet, but while awake in bed last night, I did hash out my story, so will get to putting it to paper soon.

We'll see how it goes, but I should definitely be in.

ZERO on the page as of yet. I have an idea but I'm not real excited about it. I do not write sci-fi much and it's perplexing for me .... if I write one ...it may be the shortest page length. Busy week here. I wish I had more time in the day/night.

Quoted from Cameron Best of luck Khamanna, sounds like a hell of a struggle.

Thanks Cam!

Quoted from Cameron I'm sure you've got an idea formulated by now, just use it as therapy

Oh, you must really enjoy writing)
Well, I might, I started and might even finish it. Hopefully.

Glad to see I'm not the only one.

i thought this genre would be a slam dunk for me... but i'm struggling with it.

Quoted from khamanna Oh, you must really enjoy writing) Well, I might, I started and might even finish it. Hopefully.

I really mean it! I find it helps when things are a bit tough to let loose on a page, even if it's complete nonsense (as some of my OWC's have been, Danny DeVito leprechaun for example), it's a good release. At the very least it'll be a brief distraction from the stresses of the day to day things.

You've got the first bit down, just go for it if you find the time.