COMMITMENT AND PASSION Applying to Hedgebrook 2017 Screenwriter’s Lab How Storyrocket Can Help You

As a writer, you will face competition at all levels, so you need to keep working on your projects and get them out there for the right people to see. One way to do this is to apply to residencies, especially a screenwriter’s program like the one offered by Hedgebrook. Their motto is Women Authoring Change and their advisory board includes legendary writers such as Gloria Steinem and Dael Orlandersmith. In addition, the location of Hedgebrook is spectacularly unique on Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington State. The dateline for Hedgebrook 2017 Screenwriters Lab is Thursday, May 25. I’m getting my application in well before that date because, in a sense, I started preparing when I first heard about Storyrocket.

 

The way Storyrocket is set up forced me to become more professional about my work. Many writers hide their creative work, but Storyrocket offered a safe place for me to put my ideas and story concepts out into the world and at the same time take on a more professional attitude toward the process. Storyrocket asks you to think about yourself as an artist whose goal is to make a living from your creative work. Also, I like that Storyrocket has several built-in security features such as keeping a record of requests to see entire screenplays. Personally, I really like that it asked me to come up with a tightly written Logline and Synopsis, and even to visualize actors I would like to see play the characters in my screenplay, Children of the Sea. These things seem easy to do until you try them! But I’m glad I did because these are all things related to what you have to do when applying to a screenwriter’s lab like the one offered by Hedgebrook.

 

As a child, my mother used to say to me, “You are so stubborn.” She just didn’t understand the benefits of this trait. Because you know what? Unblinking perseverance is fundamental for anyone dreaming of being a successful writer, any type– novelist, short story writer, poet, film or literary critic, journalist, and of course, screenwriter.

 

So, check yourself: Do you detect in you a good degree of “stubbornness” or let’s say, “I’m sticking to this project come hell or high water”?

 

Yes? OK. Good! Because among the questions Hedgebrook asks you to think about,  this one stands out for its openness:“Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?”

 

I think they ask this question because they want to evaluate your persistent commitment to your project and to the commitment of the Hedgebrook organization to diversity and to the creative work of marginalized writers. As a woman and a writer of color, I understand the value, no, the absolute requirement, of commitment when faced by innumerable obstacles.

 

And passionate commitment is a kind of stubbornness but in a good way!

 

So for now, I’m going to leave you with these key questions: “Are you fully committed and passionate about your project?”

 

I hope you said “Yes!” Now carefully think about “Why?” Because this will give you a better understanding of your project. And then go on to write about the other questions that Hedgebrook asks you to think about:

 

• Your project’s protagonist, their relationships, and goals.
• The theme, tone, and over-arching plot of your screenplay.
• The audience you visualize for your completed film.

 

And a completed film is one of the important goals of Hedgebrook Screenwriter’s Lab and they do offer post-residency guidance in order to bring projects to fruition.

 

I will be back soon with more on applying to residencies and other ways to improve your writing. And remember the dateline to Hedgebrook is fast approaching: Thursday, May 25. Start right now. For more on applying and to watch a video on last year’s program participants click here.

 

And if you haven’t uploaded your projects to Storyrocket, don’t think about that anymore. Trust me! It will help you take the next step to become a better, stronger, and more professional writer!