Congratulations, Janna, on tackling your story, getting your draft done, pushing yourself to make it as good as you can, and also for the self-awareness and honesty to recognize your writing strengths and weaknesses. Most of us need help brushing up our logline writing skills, and that's why we set up a logline workshop at the GOYOQ forum (it only shows up when you're logged in). If you'd like to get help on your own loglines or get practice by helping other writers with theirs, we'd welcome your company. Congratulations, again. I hope you rewrite your draft to perfection and that Scott will soon be sharing the good news of your script sale with us.

Janna your letter made my day. That unfettered joy you feel about completing your draft? It's something very real and very true, cling to that. Some days it's all those of us Spirit of Spec folk have...and, as you perhaps discovered, it IS enough. It has to be. Because we don't exactly have control of what happens after FADE OUT. The query letters, the emails, the market research, the follow up phone calls, that's a whole other world. But the thing we can control is the DRAFT. My wish for you is that you'll be typing FADE IN again soon. Because if you've done it once, there's no reason you shouldn't do it twice...two becomes four...four to eight...I think you get my drift. You are a SCREENWRITER. And I'm honored to be able to share in your joy.

I shared my story with Scott several weeks ago: A couple of weeks after sending him two-loglines, I started my own journey by prepping one of the stories (I believe I started July 2, to be exact). Four weeks later, I had everything outlined and started writing. By the second week of September, I had finished the first draft. This was done under very trying circumstances as my mother had to be transported and hospitalized in another city for a week while I drove my elderly father to see her every other day - but somehow I managed to use writing to kind of escape from what was going on and finished it about the time she was released. After letting it sit for a couple of weeks and making very minor changes, I sent it to ScriptShark to get feedback. The first word of the review was "Wow!". 10 weeks total - 4 weeks prep and 6 weeks of writing - and I got a consider on a first draft. I've since finished the 2nd draft (as of yesterday) and sent it back to them for their scouting services. In the interim, I had another writer read the first draft and he was very effusive - called it "awesome/genius in so many ways" and offered to forward it to a contact (producer/former agent) he had. Knock on wood, but I believe in this story and that it will lead to something, one way or another, so my take-away was much the same: believe in yourself. Ultimately you have control over very few things in life. Fortunately, one of them is the decision of how you respond to events and circumstances that are outside of your control.

Congratulations on the writing success, TBBB. That's fantastic, and really great to hear. I hope your mother is doing better now and that your whole family is doing well.

Thanks for sharing that, TBBB. Congratulations and please keep us updated.

I didn't exactly follow the same parameters as the Quest entrants, but it did fuel my drive. I was recently hired for a low-budget genre film. I prepped from September to October. From Oct. 20th to Nov. 27th I finished the first draft. I am now knee deep in notes and rewriting. I have the knowledge I need to keep going, thanks in part to Scott Meyers. Rock on, guys. Congratulations to Janna, and everyone else who is driving hard to kick out some words on paper. Keep writing, friends! Whoooosh!

Shaula, Thank you so much for your kind words. HA! You anticipated my need of needing to craft a better logline. Thank you I will look into that. Again, I really do appreciate the kind thoughts. Best of luck to you.

Jeff, I am so glad my note to Scott, touched you. Yes, that joy is insane isn't it? I have been typing FADE IN simulteanously (sp?) on other scripts as I was doing my feature. The only reason I am not writing currently is that I am away on business. But I promise... now that I know what it takes and the simplicity involved when you know your story... there will be eight. :-) Thank you!!! I am proud, excited, honoured and humbled to be a member of the Screenwriting club.

Congrats. Best of luck to you!

And Congrats to you too!

Thanks. I wish I could say my parents are doing better, but my father's health has suddenly started deteriorating. In fact, I woke up this morning to the "boom" of him falling down the stairs. He's ok now, but it's been a very stressful several months on top of the last few years for me. Thanks for the concern and well wishes.

Make it another mantra - every time someone says "No" to you, write another script.

I'm so sorry. Aging parents, elder care, medical troubles, stress -- these things are so worrisome and exhausting. I hope you can find support right now, and I'm happy for your parents that they have you there.