Take the April Script Writing Challenge

If you’ve ever wanted to write a screenplay but have simply lacked the motivation to do so, this April is your chance. The tagline, “30 Days. 100 Pages. Are you in?” pretty much sums up the entire challenge: Throughout the month of April, participants will try to write a 100-page script.

If you think it can’t be done, think about this: Sylvester Stallone wrote the script for Rocky (the first of the six) in only three days. And he was a working man at the time—doing janitorial work or some form of labor to support his family. So if Sly can do it, why not you?

It’s time to cross off “Write a screenplay” from your Living To Do List! There’s no pressure; you don’t have to commit to selling the screenplay, making millions of dollars, and rubbing elbows with Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. Just write. That’s all.

At Script Frenzy, you can sign up, get tools to help you out, and track your progress. There are articles and tips from experts, forums to talk with other writers, and your own personal log-in space where you can track your work.

Your 100-page work doesn’t have to be a film script (though it can be). It can also work as a television show, a short film, a stage play, or even a graphic novel. It just has to be completed between April 1 and 30.

I’ve only written two scripts in my life, and one was a short one-act in college, so I’m no expert by any means—but I do know that simply getting the words on the page can be done well within thirty days from experience. The screenplay that I finished a few years ago was written in one three-day weekend. True, my husband had to watch our daughter during the whole time and I didn’t cook or clean for three days, but it did get done. I remember that I wrote through Friday night and Saturday, took a nap on Saturday afternoon, and then wrote all through Saturday evening and Sunday, completing the work Sunday night.

You don’t have to tell me that it was overkill—it wasn’t even for a specific project or anything; it was simply on my Living To Do List and I wanted to see if I could. And I could. I did.

So can you.

And you don’t have to do it in three days—you’ve got ten times that amount of time, which is plenty of time. Think about it: Divide 100 pages by 30 days and you get 3 to 4 pages a day. That’s doable, right?

If you want to take part, sign up today to get started tomorrow. Set some time aside every day to do some writing. Maybe you could do half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening, or get up earlier than the kids for the month. If you’re like me and you need bigger chunks, maybe you could schedule your writing throughout the weekends. Whatever you do, just do what Julia Cameron says and get to that page!