Screenwriting Aspirations

There's a pretty good reason why I haven't been posting on here regularly and I'll let you know what it is...

I'm polishing up a script that I'm going to be entering into the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards.  I've been working on this script for a while and, a few weeks ago, I saw that the late deadline for the contest was Monday, April 2nd.  So, I made that my goal.  When I say I've been working on it a while, I mean I've been working on it for a while... like, 2 years.  I wrote my first draft fast, like a month and a bit.  Then, I rewrote it a couple times, I gave it out to a few people to get their advice and feedback, then I sat on it... for about a year.  Not sure what I was doing during that time, probably just drinking and contemplating the shittyness of aspiring to be a screenwriter.  Anyhow, I picked it back up a few months ago and, well, here we are.  So, every spare minute I get, I've got that fucking thing open and I'm tweaking words, phrases and sentences.  I'm cutting lines of description and I'm really working hard to polish this turd up.  At absolute worst, I want to be done with it so I can move on to my next script, for Christ's sake.  

There's only a handful of screenwriting competitions that are worth entering, let's start with that, and PAGE is one of them.  Slamdance's early deadline is in a couple weeks, that one is also worthwhile, especially as they have a horror specific category AND they've developed some of the screenplays.  I'll be entering it, as well.  Here's a link to the PAGE Awards site, as well as Slamdance, if you're interested.  I actually know a couple people that have been judges at PAGE and I've spoken with the festival director before.  I've also spoken with the festival director at Slamdance.  Long and short, I trust them.  For horror, there's also Screamfest and Shriekfest, but I don't know when their deadlines are.  I'm going to look into that.  

The cool thing is that, for an extra $50 or so, both PAGE and Slamdance will give you feedback on your script.  This is really what I'm looking forward to.  Truth is, not that many people have read my work.  Sure, a lot of my friends in the industry have, but they're going to be bias.  Sure, a few friends outside the industry have, but they don't know a good script for a piece of shit.  Sure, my film professors and some script supervisors have read my work, but I was paying them.  This will be industry folks that don't know me at all and have nothing to gain.  I want to know where I stand with them.  Quite frankly, so should you.  If you're an industry outsider and you're an aspiring screenwriter, what kind of options do you have of getting noticed?  Well, I'll tell you what... some sort of accolade from one of these competitions is a good start and if you get the big heave-ho right away, knowing why you suck is just as important.  

Anyhow, I'll let you all know how it goes, every step of the way.  

Stay tuned...      

Box Office Wrap Up, Sundance and the Week In Horror DVD's

I don't know, it's tough to say anything new about the box office anymore. Once again, "Avatar" is number one overall, although "Legion" did come in second... Currently, Worldwide, "Avatar" has grossed $1,836,143,000. "Titanic", obviously, is the highest grossing film of all time... it's final Worldwide take? $1,842,900,000. So, "Avatar" should surpass it sometime this week and take the top spot. The real story here is foreign box office and if you're interested in how you write something that has that international appeal, "Avatar" is a shining sample. It's all about universal, simple to understand stories, action & adventure and special effects. It's a spectacle film - everyone wants to see a spectacle and it's the same here as it is in India, China or Russia. What's funny is, the Chinese government finally banned "Avatar" from most of its theaters last week because they thought it was limiting the exposure Chinese movies. Crazy... Anyhow, on the other side of the film spectrum, both Sundance and Slamdance got underway this last weekend. There's various good looking horror films that are screening at Sundance this year, including: "Splice", which I'm extremely excited about and anxious to see; "7 Days"; "The Violent Kind", from the infamous Butcher Brothers; "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil", which looks awesome - please, find the trailer on youtube; the much talked about, "Buried", staring Ryan Reynolds and, finally, "Frozen", which looks crazy. I won't get into Slamdance, maybe I'll cover off everything that's playing there later this week, I don't know. However, what I would like to get to is the week in horror DVD releases, as it's the best week we've had in quite some time. As usual, click here to go to our Youtube page, where you can see all the trailers AND you can click on the titles to go to their Amazon pages, where you can read more about the films and/or buy them.

"Pontypool" was directed by Bruce McDonald and was adapted by Tony Burgess, from his own novel called "Pontypool Changes Everything". The entire film takes place in a radio station, as the morning team takes reports of an extreme, bloody riot from their field reporter. As the story unfolds, it becomes obvious that it's not just a regular riot, it's a zombie outbreak. Well, the filmmakers say they aren't zombies, it's a various, but... whatever. The cool thing about the film is, they simultaneously produced the story both as this film and as a radio play. Pretty cool, I'd love to check out the radio play.

Alright, Frank Henenlotter, I love you, buddy. I'm a huge "Basket Case" fan, loved "Brain Damage" and I even respect "Frankenhooker". However, I think you missed the boat on "Bad Biology". I could be wrong, please argue with me on this one, but... I just found it to be pure sexploitation. Don't get me wrong, sexploitation is overly evident in all Henenlotter films and I'm a fan, but... chasing a detached steroid-riddled penis around? Believe it or not, the film actually won the Phantasmagoria award from the Philadelphia Film Festival, where it premiered in 2008. He's a legend, check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

Speaking of legendary B-horror filmmakers... welcome back, Charles Band, welcome back. Nearly 20 years after the original "Demonic Toys", we finally get "Demonic Toys 2". Now, let's not forget that there was also "Dollman vs Demonic Toys", "Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys" and "Demonic Toys: Personal Demons", but this is the OFFICIAL sequel. Full Moon and Charles Band... love it.

From the mind of Walter Koenig, comes "InAlienable". Yes, Walter Koenig, Star Trek's Chekov. Believe it or not, he actually did do some writing over the years, mostly for the shows that he acted in. I've already talked about this particular film, so I don't want to rehash the fact that it stars piles of ex-Star Trek actors... but what I do want to comment on is, is it really about a guy who gives birth to an alien after it grows inside his stomach as a parasite, then he tries to adopt it back in a court case against the government? REALLY? Check out the trailer... I swear that's what the allude to. Either way, I'll be watching this one very soon.

Now, there's a few indie horror's coming out, as well... and I'll quickly touch on them because I don't know much about them, nor do I have time to research them. "Madness" is about a group of cheerleaders that hook up with a band of ruthless killers, nice mix. Cheerleaders and crazy killers, I like the concept. "Dead at the Box Office" is a zombedy about a zombies that trap a group of innocent bickering victims in a movie theater and they're more dangerous to each other than the zombies are. I do like the setting and premise, so I'll be sure to check this one out, too. "The Double Born" actually has some budget behind it and it won a bunch of festival awards. It's tauted as "a new thriller from the creative team that brought you the Hellraiser and Wishmaster series". Also, it's based on a Bram Stoker novel, I guess. Last up is "8 Million Dollars", which is a low-budget horror about 8 people competing for $8Million. The set up is, there's $8Million and 8 people and you're all spending the night in this old mansion. Split the money or one person can walk out with all of it, here's some weapons... have a nice night. Concept seems a bit used to me and the story would really require a good catalyst to get people killing each other, as I'd just say, "I'll take a million, fight amongst yourselves, I'll be upstairs taking a nap. Having said that, I haven't see it, so I don't know... maybe they do a good job of setting it up.

That's it for today, we've got a good interview ready for Wednesday, so look forward to that!

Setting Goals and Getting Shit Done... and Slamdance

If you've tried to reach out to me or sent me an email over the last few weeks, you may not have heard back... and, quite frankly, it's because I'm swamped. I'll get to it, I promise. I'm heading out of town next week and I anticipate a lot of time to catch up on shit, but that's beside the point. Lately, my 'day job' has been insane and, as far as Dead Harvey is concerned, we've been working on a few projects, plus I want to make sure that I at least attempt to keep the site fresh... One of our projects, as some of you may know, was born from our "Dead Harvey TV" idea. It's moving along, but its transformed into something completely different than what we had originally conceived. That's not to say it's bad, I really like where it's going and hopefully something comes of it. I know we're pretty excited about it. On top of that, Brad is finishing up a wicked looking documentary right now I'm starting work on a new feature script. Me, I'm really into the ideas and concepts, producing and writing and I've had a few ideas rolling around in my head, but then this one just really solidified for me and now I want to get it out there. My goal for this one will be to enter it into the screenwriting festivals and competitions and see how it does... and, of course, that will give me a deadline to work towards.

Now, I want to write about this because it's really the only thing that works for me and, well, if it helps bring one other indie project to fruition, it's worth writing about. Quite frankly, if I don't have a goal or deadline, I'm not getting it done. Ideas will never get past the 'notes' phase. However, if I set a goal and create a deadline, then work my way backwards, giving myself milestones to reach, I tend to get things done. For me, the goal can't be just "write a screenplay", it has to be something like "write a screenplay to enter into Slamdance's screenwriting competition". Then, I have a date to work towards and I can say, "well, let's pump out an outline by this point, a treatment by here, let's break out scenes next, then let's have a rough draft by February". It's the same as school. If a professor or teacher said, "You have to write two papers this year, but I'll give you a choice - I'll either give you specific deadlines OR you just have to hand them to me at the end of the semester". Guess what? If you picked the latter, you'd do a way shittier job and, possibly, not even get them done. Don't believe me? They did a study on it... it's outlined in the book, "Predictably Irrational". I hate to break it to you, but at the end of the day, we work better and more efficiently when we set goals and deadlines.

So, what about those goals and deadlines? I guess you could just draw a line in the sand and say, "this is when my film will be done by". However, it's probably a lot easier to just pick an existing goal. Lucky for you, there's a shit-ton out there. They're called film festivals and they all proudly display their deadlines. Your first step should be to research the festivals and competitions. Read about the past winners and finalists... watch the films that did well or read about the scripts that were finalists. Pick a festival or competition that suits you, then find out their deadlines and work out a plan to have your film or screenplay ready for that deadline. You want to research them? We have a list of screenwriting competitions and film festivals made up, it's all on the left there. It hasn't been updated in a while, but the links still work... and I'll get to that updating soon, really.

Now, just to throw something out there, as far as objectives and goals go, there's no better than Slamdance. I mention it because the deadline for this years festival, which takes place in January, is rapidly approaching. Next years screenwriting competition is going to be my goal. I figure a year is plenty of time to take a screenplay from concept to polished completion. Anyhow, Slamdance is the King of the indies and it's helped many films find distribution, including this years success story, "Paranormal Activity". If you need some motivation, check out the interview that we did with the Executive Director of Slamdance, Drea Clark. It's from a year ago, but it was a great interview and it's well worth the read. You can find it here.

Have a great weekend and we'll talk to you next week!

A Couple Of Competitions: The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition and The 13th Annual Slamdance Feature Screenplay Competion

You may or may not have noticed that I didn't post anything yesterday. Truth be told, I'm taking on a bit more work these days and my Thursday mornings are now shot. It's little side projects, but it's extra cash. So, I'll take it. Anyhow, what's pertinent to you and what I find funny is the fact that, when I was film school, parents, friends and, well, a lot of people, told me that the skills I was getting wouldn't have much real world merit. Like, if filmmaking doesn't work out, then what? Well, regardless, I got into marketing and advertising, but still write and make short films in my spare time (which is nominal these days) and I'm finding that filmmaking skills are actually quite useful. Why? Well, I deal with numerous businesses of varying sizes and having things like a social networking presence, full with photo's, video's and all that has become standard marketing fare. Plus, everyone wants (needs) to have short films made for their website. I mean, every company should have a dynamic webpage. So, check this out. If you're an indie filmmaker, I hope you know how to make a sharp short film. Also, chances are you're pretty f'ing good with a still camera... you probably spend a lot of time on Myspace, Facebook and reading blogs. You know your way around editing software. You can write. All of a sudden, you've got skills that almost every business needs, even though a lot of business don't know they need them quite yet. Somewhere in that clutter is where I'm finding a few side jobs and, maybe, you can, too. And side jobs are good because they pay you in money. And money is good.

There's a couple of competitions coming up, both are very cool... especially if you're into screenwriting. The first one, The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition, will require some screenwriting skills, but you need to be a filmmaker at heart. The other competition, The Slamdance Feature Screenplay Competition, is straight screenwriting, baby. Both look awesome and we'll take a closer look at each of them...

The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition is a dynamic filmmaking competition offering one visionary filmmaker a six-figure production grant and distribution deal. I've always liked competitions like this, it's like winning the lotto or something. It's sponsored by Canon, Final Cut Pro, NeoFlix, MovieMaker Magazine, Final Draft, and Filmmakers Alliance, which is a good group of sponsors. What's also really cool is that you don't need much to enter. To apply, you only need a one-page synopsis, 250 word "Why I Am a Filmmaker" essay, and a filmmaker resume. Ain't too hard. You can get that together in a few days. Fuck, I think I'm going to do it just for shits and giggles.

Everyone who enters gets a one year membership to Filmmakers Alliance Global, which is launching with this competition. The First Place winner receives, at minimum, a $200,000 USD cash production grant along with an additional $300,000 in resources to turn their proposal into a script and then into a film. The winning filmmaker will also receive a Canon HD camera, production software, and development and production guidance. And it doesn't stop there; the film will be heavily promoted, will premiere at a major film festival, and will be distributed on multiple platforms simultaneously - theatrically, on cable, and on the net - for maximum international exposure. How's that? Go check it out...

Tough act to follow, but for all you screenwriters out there, you should also be considering, one of my favorites, the 13th Annual Slamdance Feature Screenplay Competition, which boasts a great track record of success discovering and supporting emerging screenwriting talent and launching writing careers.

There's piles of success stories out of Slamdance and they're always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to assist emerging artists. This year, Slamdance has teamed with Upload Films to produce the year's prize-winning low budget feature screenplay. The top cash prize is $5000 USD, and finalists receive writer-friendly perks and goodies such as eligibility in the WGA's Independent Writers Caucus, Final Draft software, InkTip membership, Slamdance Film Festival passes, and more. Slamdance's top scripts are often requested by studios, production companies, management companies, and agencies, so finalists often secure representation and sought-after industry exposure.

That's all I've got for this week, folks. Have a great weekend, see you next week!

Film Fest Updates: Chicago Horror Fest, Shriekfest and Slamdance

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Film Fest Updates: Slamdance and Dead By Dawn

So, Slamdance has announced their 2009 Programming... and, believe it or not, 2009 is the 15th anniversary of the Slamdance festival, which is crazy. Good work, guys. Taking place in Park City, alongside Sundance, Slamdance takes place January 15 - 23, 2009 this upcoming year and they'll be screening about 100 films in total. I was supposed to go last year, but couldn't make it... and it's been on my "to do" list for a while, but then again, so is going to Mexico to get wasted for a week. Both aren't happening anytime soon. Anyhow, if you can make it, it's a great place to get a bit of snowboarding in, do some boozing and check out some films. Also, due to the "indie" nature of the Slamdance festival, they tend to get some good horror films... and this year looks to be no different. Highlights include the opening night film, "I Sell The Dead", from Glenn McQuaid, which is about a duo of bumbling graverobbers who begin to unearth peculiar corpes. Other horror notables are "The Ante", about an innocent man who becomes the killer everyone wants him to be; "The Conjurer", which we've covered before (click here) and is about an old cabin with a dark history and "Mum and Dad", which is about a murderous and perverse family that imprisons a young woman in their suburban house of horrors, where she discovers she has to become part of the family - and joining them in their insanity... or die. Now, here's the REALLY cool part... New this year is an online venture with indieroad.net, where Slamdance films will stream anytime throughout the festival, bringing the festival to a worldwide audience. It'll cost you $9 per film and around a third of all the money goes to the filmmakers... you gotta like that. You'll find that site here, at indieroad.net/slamdance. Also, if you want to know more about the festival, you can check out our interview with Slamdance Executive Director, Drea Clark here.

For our overseas readers or those over here who would consider travelling overseas and like a little international flavor, Dead By Dawn, Scotland's International Horror Festival, is gearing up. They're back for their 16th year (take that, Slamdance) at Filmhouse from Thursday April 30 - Sunday May 3, 2009. Also, Spawn of Dawn is returning on Saturday, May 2. I received a press release and they're bringing it up now because tickets and passes go on sale in January... and, if you're thinking of travelling there, you might as well start thinking now. For more on Dead By Dawn, go to their homepage, which can be found here.

An Interview With Slamdance Executive Director, Drea Clark

You're an indie filmmaker or an indie film fan, right? If you're reading this, I'd have to assume so. Then, when you think of Utah in January, what comes to mind? Drawing a blank? Okay, I'm not talking about snowboarding or anything like that. Let me narrow it down... think Park City. Think festival. Think indie film. Yeah, you got it... SLAMDANCE. The TRUE representation of independent film, not like that other festival thing that goes on at the same time in the area. I can't remember what it's called... I'm drawing an f'ing blank.

I'm not sure that there's much I can say about Slamdance that hasn't already been said. Slamdance is the festival that's by filmmakers, for filmmakers, and has the balls to do it in the industry's favorite wintery stomping grounds. Although they're not specifically horror, the festival gets a lot of horror submissions. Long and short, this is a festival that you don't want to miss and you need to know about. So, to help you along on your quest for knowledge, we had the distinct pleasure of talking with Slamdance Executive Director, Drea Clark, and she's going to tell you about all the goodness that is Slamdance...

Please tell us a bit about yourself… how’d you get into the indie horror scence?

I guess I got into the indie horror scene as a direct result of working at Slamdance and programming films for so many years, although I’m a huge fan of the genre anyway. A lot of my favorite films growing up were horror films, and they also happened to be my introduction to indie films: Evil Dead, Re-Animator, Last House on the Left, Dead Alive.

Tell us a bit about Slamdance. When was it founded and why?

Slamdance was founded in 1995 by a bunch of losers. Actually, just four losers – four guys whose films were rejected from Sundance, anyway. (Um, sorry, Co-Founders That I Just Called Losers.) They made films on their own: their money and their talent and their friends. So when they got turned down, they decided the next step in an indie revolution would be to show the films anyway – they made them on their own, so why not show them on their own? We’ve grown a lot from that, this will be our 15th anniversary year, actually, but at the heart that’s still our focus. Our feature competition films are ONLY open to first time directors working with less than $1 million, that don’t have distribution. Other would-be losers; those are our people.

From the perspective of the film, why should indie horror filmmakers try to get their films into the festival?

We’ve had great success with their films getting stellar reviews, great audience reaction (and subsequent word-of-mouth) and solid film sales with our indie horror selections. Last year alone we had Paranormal Activity, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and Trailer Park of Terror. Those films were some of my favorites overall – we even had to add an additional midnight screening for Trailer Park, which was batshit fun. Plus, I got to meet Robert Englund (who stars in Jack Brooks), and that’s about the only kind of celeb encounter worth blogging about, in my estimation. People that check out Slamdance films are looking for raw talent and a good ride, and I think filmmakers taking on horror independently bring both to the table.

From the perspective of the filmmaker, what can I expect to get out of having my film screen at the festival?

I might’ve answered some of this in the first question, but the other thing that comes into play is that often Slamdance will be the first stop in a whole season of touring festivals with your film. Once you’re in the circuit, interacting with other filmmakers is a great way to gain insight to other fests and Slamdance is big on camaraderie. We really encourage our filmmakers to be all BFF with each other, to check out each other’s films and take part in all our activities. Plus, you’re in Park City! With a film! That town is swarmed with industry people and other filmmakers and parties and seminars, it’s like the most fun film boot camp you’ll ever attend.

As a horror fan, what can expect to get out of attending the festival?

Programming some great horror films is just a natural part of our slate (we call it our Twilight Series, and I don’t mean teen vampires in love with mortal girls... Unless someone submits something like that; I dig vamps). Along with the films I mentioned above, we’ve also had some foreign horror pics that you might not be able to catch elsewhere, like Cold Prey. So there are a lot of options at our fest, and Sundance has had some great flicks, as well. A couple years ago I was crushed because one of the films that we offered a position in our line-up also got into Sundance and played there instead – but it’s so good I’m totally fine pimping them out here: The Signal. You broke my heart, The Signal!

When you’re accepting films, what are you looking for?

Something that keeps my attention, that makes me think that the person (or the team) behind it all is someone who is doing something great AND has it in them to make more and more great movies. I like a consistent tone, I like a recognizable voice (and I mean directorial, not stars – we don’t care much about stars). I like being taken by surprise; if you knew how many films start with a white dude in bed as his alarm goes off and then he gets up and brushes his teeth... Kill me. (Or kill him! That keeps my eyes open.)

Does budget come into play when you’re considering films?

Budgets come into play for us because they have to be under $1 million to be eligible for competition. Other than that, not so much, although I do like having at least a couple REALLY low budget bad boys in there. Two years ago we had a feature in narrative competition with a budget of $547 (tape stock). People that craft solid stories with no money are all right in my book... Biggest problem there often ends up being craptastic performances.

As a filmmaker, what can I do to make my film more festival friendly? Should I even be thinking of that?

I don’t know if that’s really anything you can do, because when you’re making a film you should primarily be thinking about the film itself. Think of how many big budget films suck ass, largely because you can just hear the executives’ notes while you’re watching it. I think what you CAN do is concentrate on making sure it’s as solid as it can be – there isn’t money for re-shoots when you’re shooting independently. Get smart people that you trust and that are blunt with you to a) read your script and tell you what doesn’t work and b) watch your edit and be brutal. I want to trim about 20 minutes out of 78% of our submissions.

At what point in the filmmaking process should I be thinking about the festivals?

I’d say when you’re in post, but I’m a purist (and down with artists) so I’m sure others would say differently.

I’d like to also mention that you have a screenplay competition. A lot of new screenwriters are weary of sending off their scripts, what can you tell them to put their mind at ease?

We actually have four writing competitions: feature screenplay, short screenplay, teleplay (comedy, drama and unscripted) and horror screenplay. We effing love writing competitions. I totally get being freaked about sending your script out, in some ways it’s kind of like a diary – like it’s more personal than sending out your film. You send the film and there’s other people to blame, but a screenplay is just all raw and you. What I can say is that we take our submissions seriously; most of the people who work at Slamdance (staff, programmers, readers, festival bitches) are filmmaker alumni – we’ve been there, many of us are still there in the off season. And we WANT your scripts to be good, we want you to have careers, we want you to win or to get good notes back and build a name for yourself and then someday thank us from some imposing podium. So we’re not reading things hoping to cut them down, we’re hoping for them to excite us – and they often do. (In a non-pervy way.)

As a screenwriter, what can I expect to get out of submitting my screenplay?

If you’re just submitting for the competition, then you’ll be in the running for a variety of prizes (money and the various option deals that we’re always developing and building on for the writing competitions). However, you can also check “Coverage” when you submit, which means you’ll get back comprehensive notes on what is working, what isn’t working, how you can improve it – we offer year round coverage outside of the competitions, as well. Either way, your script is read all the way through (I know this; I read a lot of our submissions) and given full consideration.

Are there any particular success stories from films that screened or the screenplays that were submitted to Slamdance?

We’ve had great films picked up at Slamdance, like Mad Hot Ballroom or King of Kong or Wassup Rockers. However, I think our biggest legacy has been in the directors who showed their first film at Slamdance and developed a career as a result: Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight), Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace), Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), and Greg Mottola (Superbad) all started at Slamdance, which is kind of a mindfuck. That’s really been our niche, launching talent. Our screenplay competition’s biggest breakouts have probably been Maria Full of Grace and The Woodsman.

What advice can you give to an up and coming filmmaker or screenwriter in the indie horror genre?

Just do it! Craft a good story, flesh it out on the page (or de-flesh it if that’s part of your narrative), make it interesting and tight, where every minute is worth watching. That’s the free part, when you’re writing, so really get in there. Then find some money, drag in your most talented friends, bring it to life. Indie horror is great because it can be irreverent or scary or allegorical or hilarious, there are so many options.

Tell us about the future of indie horror, where do you see it going?

I think people always want to be scared, it’s such a pure form of escapism. Indie horror films are fun, there’s opportunities to shock and provoke thought and be a little sexy or creepy or both. Some of the best original horror films had great metaphor to them, and I think that’s easily interwoven – I would love to see more of that. I always love to see more blood, either way.

What’s next for you and Slamdance?

We are just starting our programming process now, submissions are closed and I’m watching about 15 movies a week, gearing up for the festival. We’ll be in Park City from January 15-23, 2009. We’re at the top of Main Street, if you’re going to be in town – check us out. I’ll probably be in the office, yelling at someone, but pop in and say hi.

Where can people find out more about Slamdance and how can they go about entering their film?

Slamdance.com is the way to keep up with all our happenings, activities, clam bakes, screening series, blah dee blah. And they can enter their films there next year (closed for this year) and find out more about the writing competitions and those dates, as well!