June is ending. And you haven't figured out what to submit to this year's Hear Me Out Monologue Competition?
Don't panic. Sure, you only have about three weeks til the July 22 deadline, but if you break it down, you have more than enough time to conceive of, write and submit a winning response to this year's festival theme: Borders.
Here's my two cents on how I'd go about this if I were hoping to submit.
1. Write something new specifically tailored to the guidelines of the competition.
As you consider the calendar, it may be tempting to go digging into your files in search of an existing monologue from some older work that might fit the various judging criteria outlined in the Call for Entries.
The impulse is understandable. I admit to having wrestled with similar notions myself when hoping to enter a potentially lucrative competition with thousands of dollars in prize money at stake. The submission of a tried and true piece, perhaps one even pulled from a successful full-length play may be a kind of comfort a de-stresser. And of course, it requires less of you. Less time. Less thought. Less work.
Here's why I suggest you avoid this path.
When a competition announces a theme the judges are instructed to only consider work that meets this challenge. The drive to write less (which is of course universal among writers) and get paid more is powerful. And it will mess with your judgment. So much so you'll be re-reading a monologue about L.A. traffic and convincing yourself that in the right light it can be interpreted as having something to do with "borders."
When you write something fresh you're going to be submitting work by the artist you currently are not the artist you were three years ago. And, your odds of hitting upon something floating around the current zeitgeist is exponentially greater.
And here's some good news. A monologue is not a full-length play. I'd never try to conceive, write and polish a full-length in just three weeks. But a monologue? A so much more achievable goal.
2. Mind Meld with the Competition Guidelines
Schedule 30 minutes for a quiet deep dive into the Call for Entries.
Make time in the next 48 hours for a thorough review of the official Call for Entries and do yourself the additional favor of jotting down two lists:
A. Judging Criteria including the theme and any quality considerations and word count and formatting requirements. In the case of Hear Me Out Monologues, judges score entries according to 6 key quality criteria. Know these by heart.
B. Brainstorm a list of monologue ideas inspired by the festival theme before you choose the one you'll write.
The act of writing some of these essentials down will help focus your creative brain in the right direction.
3. Fake Yourself Out with a Fake Deadline
Count backwards 3-4 days from the actual submission deadline (which is July 22 at Noon) and make a bold impossible to miss calendar entry reminding you of the deadline. Then plan out all your writing and rewriting time for a flawless landing on that reminder in your calendar. That way in the event of some unforeseen act of God such as losing internet or power or both, you'll have time to make a submission Plan B.
4. Push Past Your First Idea
Write 2 or 3 monologues in one or two days. Then let them sit for a day or two before you take a look to see what you've got.
5. Lean on Trusted Professional Friends for Feedback
If time permits, read your final two options (if you've written more than one potentially winning piece) to no more than 3 very smart trusted colleagues. Who do you usually reach out to when you've completed a draft of a new script? Go to this person or people. Get their honest feedback.
6. Writing is Rewriting
My Mom (a gifted writer herself) never tired of reminding me that "writing is rewriting." Revise, revise, revise until you really would be delighted to sit in a darkened theatre and let your monologue wash over you. If you even find one errant comma, you've not spend enough time editing.
7. Submit your best work and give yourself credit for a job well done.
Once you've submitted the monologue, turn your attention to other creative work. And take a moment to congratulate yourself on having set a goal and met it with time to spare.
8. Don't wait until the home stretch to tell your friends to submit.
Glory and riches really do flow to those who behave generously toward their fellow writers. The more talented and skilled among your friends should not be overlooked. No two pickles taste exactly the same and no two writers should ever do anything but support and promote the success of a colleague. Of this fact you can absolutely be sure. One set of judges may favor one kind of work and another may prefer the opposite. No two competitions are the same and that is why you should never succumb to the seductive paranoid notion that no matter what you do, you should hide your ambition and your process from the rest of your theatre making community.
Trust me. This competition may have only officially announced a half dozen awards but there are myriad rarely considered ways in which your choices around submissions can make you a winner and a success regardless. You never know who you're going to meet along the way and how that friendship or working partnership could boost your success and exposure.
9. Take a look at the top 4 prizewinning monologues from last year's competition.
Who knows what sparks may fire.
Still have some unanswered questions? Send an email to Bill Crouch or Tweet your question including the hashtag #hearmeoutmonologues