Contests

Screenwriting contests can be a great way to get some exposure for your work, as long as you're picking a reputable one. In addition, they can also provide a great way to network. If you win or even place, you may get exposure to genuine industry contacts.

Selecting the right contest is something you do want to take seriously or else you'll be throwing away your cash. There are a lot of contests out there (seemingly a new one every day) and they all want your money up front.

What should you look for? Well, look for contests sponsored by major screenwriting publications and organizations, for example, by Fade In or Creative Screenwriting.  Established Fellowship contests are unique and worthwhile because they strive to develop the most talented screenwriters of the lot.  A few notable fellowships include The Nicholl Fellowship from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sceiences (arguably the most prestigious), Walt Disney's Writing Fellowship, and The Sundance Institute's Screenwriters Lab.

Conferences

When you get a bunch of creative crazy people together for education, anxiety, conversation and wonder, what you have is a Screenwriting Conference. There are many to chose from each year and they can be an incredible opportunity for the beginning Hollywood wordsmith to get his or her feet wet.   On of the most popular ones is the The Los Angeles Screenwriting Expo, typically held in late October / early November.

The all-compassing activities at a screenwriting conference are plentiful enough to fill a weekend docket and offer everything from education to opportunity to networking to product.

You may want to take in a seminar or two. Seminars are provided by Hollywood screenwriters, producers, directors, studio executives and anyone else on the bigshot list. You'll receive inside information on everything from loglines to marketing strategy to taking meetings to pitch sessions, from those who actually make money in this crazy business. You want what they have so attend as many as you can. Oh yeah, don't forget to meet the speakers. They can only help you.

Other activities offered might be:

• Discussion groups with your peers so that you may bounce ideas.
• Private screenplay consultations with a pro
• Q & A sessions with industry leaders
• Various workshops from writing horror to grabbing a reader on page 1

But the granddaddy of all activities -- and where these conferences make  a lot of their money -- is the "pitch" session.  This is where you get anywhere from 30 seconds to about seven minutes to pitch your idea(s) to a industry insider.   They're typically set-up sort-of like speed dating.

Practice, practice, practice before your pitch session, and just like your screenplay should, try to hook them right away.   You'll learn a lot, and probably take some lumps.   Whether you're pitching to possible representation or a studio, it's not easy because some of the people you're pitching to just don't want to be there (they often take place on the weekend). But aloof or not, all the "pitchees" are looking for the next big thing, and you're hoping to be the one to deliver.   Who knows, you might just land a meeting, a full read, an agent, a manager or, dare I say,......a deal.  It does happen, which keeps the conferences going and the spec screenwriters writing!

But try not to become so much of a "Conference Junkie" that you're not doing the important work of actually writing!    If you've been to two or three conferences and attended a bunch of seminars, the amount of new information you're going to learn quickly diminishes.   The only reason to keep going would be the networking and pitching opportunities.