At…long…last I reached the halfway mark on Oriana’s edits. Yay!

Never have I struggled so much with revisions. Line edits have proven incredibly painful for two reasons:

1) Her corrections are right on the money. Every time I start doubting the red pen, I read the before and after version aloud. Oriana: 841. Me: 5.

2) Where she misses the mark–this is rare–she’s close enough that I yield. Begrudgingly. When I make some bank doing this, I’ll call more of the shots.

Hope to finish all line edits on The Last Track by June 18th, which is the point full on active querying resumes–if necessary. In her infinite kindness, Oriana offered a second pass, probably very granular touch ups.

My check for the Nicholl’s competition cleared, so it’s a good bet my entry reached them in time. In six weeks they announce semi-finalists, which is a good turnaround for judges who consider 5,000 screenplays. By the way, the only contest I would consider entering that has a fee is Nicholl’s, because no other competition offers such a generous prize ( $30,000 ), publicity and a chance for five pitch meetings with studio executives. A review of the last ten year’s winners reveals that within two to three years of taking home the gold, nearly the entire winner’s circle are full-time screenwriters. Therefore, there is a direct and tangible benefit of winning the contest.

And a chance like that is worth a few bucks on the front end.