Justin Smith: Author and screenwriter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Step by step, brick by brick, Justin. It'll happen, no doubt. Great to have you here.

I tried writing a novel once. I got bored and when I saw my writing was rambling and all over the place, I shut it down. I found that Screenwriting comes much more easily to me. Its straight forward and gets right to the point.

Outline your entire story and make a list of conflicts going on in the protagonist's life and you won't have writer's block.

All of my screenplays are adaptations of my novels.

Feel free to send it my way if your just looking for someone to read it. I'm in the habit of reading all the scripts I can get my hands on. I can help you confirm any issues you may have or simply contribute feedback that will help you decide if it is ready.

My opinion is the more readers you have the better. It can help you find the issues that keep popping up! I'm happy to help in any way I can!

Me three, with Pierre. I did coverage on my very first script, with the intention though to get my flaws pointed out by a professional as I knew I was green...but by the time I got the feedback I had already learned what my flaws were from interacting here lol So most of what I was told I already began working on in the interim.

As newer writers we're normally eager to rush out there, but continued writing and reading scripts and interacting with more knowledgeable creatives garners a lot of growth. And you're in the right community here. There are those who have experience in the industry that will read your script, even if just a portion, and give feedback,. Go with that route first and hone your craft.

Best wishes bro!

I'll second or third or nth the strategy of getting fellow writers, who are willing, to give your material a read and let you know their thoughts. Then build up to opting into evaluations for contests you might enter. Then see if you can do the same for others, then volunteer for contests/festival where you yourself can evaluate, working up to writing coverage for independent production companies. Eventually though you might find writing coverage tiring but by then, hopefully, you'll be at the writing level to submitting to producers in full confidence that your material holds it own against anything else that's getting produced by even major studios. Good luck!

Justin they would have told you in the letter if you made it the top 20. If you didn't, then they don't say anything but "Regretfully,...."

Forgot in my message - congrats. It’s really a big accomplishment given the number

They're a little cagey with the emails, leaving most people to wonder where they'd placed if they weren't in the top 20 percent. I was told that 365 entries had advanced to the quarterfinals, that mine had placed somewhere in the top 100 of those who hadn't advanced, that it'd "just missed advancing" and fell short "by a thin margin," which I interpret as an attempt to soften the blow that I was Mr. Unlucky 366!