In 2015 I finalized, filmed, edited, and screened what I consider to be my best screenplay (and film): Frances Stein.

So I'm hoping to keep the momentum going!

Congratulations, Pj! Great news and yes, hope you keep the momentum going!

Definitely some cool accomplishments this year: I came up with a concept for a short film (I'd say I wrote it, but there was no dialogue and we never actually wrote anything down) and some friends and I made it! I wrote another short film. Pre-production in progress. And I wrote my first ever feature length screenplay draft during ZD30! Also started outlining an idea I came up with a while back. That will be my next ZD30 project.

Excellent, Gedaly! Creativity meets Productivity is the sweet spot we all want to hit!

Finished and rewrote my first screenplay. Came up with a couple of concepts I'm eager to write. Now outlining one of those. Not so great, but you have to start somewhere!

Katie, you're being productive and as long as part of the time and effort results in actual scripts, not just months and months of doing research and prep, you're in good shape. The main thing is to think of 2015 as the year you prepped, researched, wrote and rewrote your FIRST SCREENPLAY. You went from someone who TALKED about writing a screenplay to someone who ACTUALLY WROTE a screenplay. As we have discussed, that is a HUGE psychological deal representing a tangible breakthrough. Make 2016 a year in which you build on the success of this year. Whatever your goals, I would encourage you to include at least one more written / rewritten screenplay. And keep generating story concepts, always on the look-out for a great one. Onward!

I'll chime in with my reflection on 2015. Between blogging, teaching on two fronts (Screenwriting Master Class and U. of North Carolina), my work with the Black List (5 screenwriting mini-labs plus other activities), and other sundry responsibilities, I was focused on prepping a long-gestating story which finally made its way through other writing projects I had completed. I was deep into researching it when something happened in the news related to a major aspect of my story (it's historically based) which pretty much blew it out of the water, at least for now. Frustrated, I mulled over this negative, then had an inspiration which very much became a positive: I had a comedy which had been sitting in my list of story concepts for some time, but had been focusing the last several years on small indie dramas. I've come close with one of them to the point where we had a director, budget, and most of the cast set, but then that fell apart. Anyway point is, I hadn't written a comedy in quite some time. When my other project blew up due to current events, I pulled out the comedy. Immediately Voices Of Negativity went to work: Are you still funny? Can you write a story with four leads who 19-20 years old? Who are you trying to kid? Here is what my gut told me: Screw it, I'm going to write the comedy! And THAT led to the Zero Draft Thirty Challenge. So I did, I wrote a zero draft of the comedy. What's more, I along with lots and lots of other writers created something of a small, but empowering phenomenon, a Zero Draft community. Instead of limping out of 2015, feeling all bummed out about my collapsed historically based project, I can scamper out of this year into 2016 - all due to my gut saying, "Screw it, I'm doing this." It's in the exact same spirit as the time I uttered those fateful words, I can do that. And so a good reminder that any creative act involves a certain amount of courage and illogical but empowering sense of self-belief. Screw it! I can do it! Sounds like the makings of a new writing mantra! So that's my take on looking backward at 2015. How about you?

Okay, I'm a bit late getting to this, but here goes, let me see in 2015... I wrote - directed and completed my first short film as director, it was both exciting and terrifying! I'm still not sure it's something I will do again, but the temptation is very strong... I also wrote 4 feature scripts for other directors/producers, wrote 3 spec feature length scripts including one as part of ZD30 and have secured an option on one of them already - they plan to start production in mid 2016! That's all I can recall off the top of my head :-)

Two Comic Scripts and have about 4 different concepts in some sort of development. I made the switch from trying my hand at prose to going to comic's and with another ZD30 coming up I'll be working on a screenplay. Though I haven't decided if it's a movie only concept or something that could air as a series on one of the pay cable channels.

In 2015 I entered my pilot in two competitions, attended a Blue Cat workshop with Gordy Hoffman, attended my first film festival, and even attempted to flip my script into a novella. I need to stack projects but I'm so hooked on this pilot. Will work on starting new scripts in 2016 and of course continue to work on my pilot all while working full-time and taking a certification program at the GA Film Academy.