Screenwriting Blog
Posted on by Courtney Meznarich

NoFilmSchool: Winner of “So, Write Your Bills Away” Sweepstakes Describes His 3-Month Paid Screenwriting Journey

Screenwriter Zachary Rowell just wrapped up a potentially life-changing experiment, as the winner of SoCreate’s “So, Write Your Bills Away” Sweepstakes. We awarded him three months of paid time off to write a feature-length script, which is a luxury few aspiring screenwriters get. The cash, he said, was a very nice bonus, but surprisingly not the most impactful takeaway from his experience.

In his own words, Zachary wrote an opinion piece for NoFilmSchool.com to discuss the process, and what the prize really meant to him.

Some excerpts are below. You can read the piece in its entirety by heading over to Jason Hellerman’s full article at NoFilmSchool.com.

“… The past three months have been a blessing for me. I stopped doing Postmates and had so much free time to just live in my script.

“Instead of getting lost in thoughts of worry, I was able to lose myself in the world of my screenplay … It was so nice to have all the drama confined to the page instead of real life.

“… There is honestly nothing better than waking up every morning and remembering, “Oh, hey. I’m getting paid to write a freaking screenplay today! … It gave me a glimpse of what life might look like if I achieve my dreams. That feeling was more impactful than the $9,000. I hope everyone has that feeling at least once. I hope one day life gives you a break just like it gave me.

“I’ll be chasing that feeling of freedom for the rest of my life. I don’t know if SoCreate is planning on doing another one of these challenges, but if they do, throw your hat in the ring. Throw your hat in all the rings. You never know who might pick it up.”

Hint, hint: SoCreate IS planning on doing another one of these challenges.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Announcement coming soon,

Courtney Meznarich, Director of Community Outreach
Courtney Meznarich Director of Community Outreach
@courtonthecoast

You may also be interested in...

Announcing the So Write Your Bills Away Sweepstakes top 25 semi-finalists!

Announcing 25 Semi-Finalists for SoCreate's "So, Write Your Bills Away" Sweepstakes

DRUMROLL Please … We received nearly 5,000 entries from writers who are ready to write their bills away! Here are the top 25 semi-finalists, drawn randomly from all the entries and bonus entries. These top 25 now must submit a cover letter, letter of recommendation, and screenwriting sample for consideration. We’ll select ONE winner on August 30, who will receive $3,000 per month for 3 months to pay their bills so they can finish a 90-120 page screenplay while the writing community follows along! To enter, we asked you to tell us in one sentence why SoCreate should pay your bills, and...
SoCreate's “So, Write Your Bills Away” Sweepstakes winner 28-year-old Zachary Rowell

It’s Here! Read Screenwriter Zachary Rowell’s 90-Day Screenplay Challenge Script

At SoCreate, we’re on a mission to make screenwriting fun again, to make it more accessible, and to help writers around the world tell their stories and make their dreams come true. That’s why, before we’ve even launched our software, we’re looking for ways to help writers in any way we can. In mid-2019, we had an idea: What would happen if we removed a common barrier to success to see if we could kickstart one screenwriter’s dream? We’ve heard from so many of you that it is a struggle to balance jobs and free time for writing and that paying your bills becomes the priority over pursuing your...

90 Days Starts Now! Follow Along as Zachary Rowell Writes a Feature-Length Screenplay by December 31, 2019

If you’ve been following, you know that Zachary Rowell, 28, of Los Angeles won SoCreate’s “So, Write Your Bills Away” Sweepstakes about a month ago. As the winner, we’ll send him enough money to pay his bills for the next three months, if he completes a series of check-ins to show that he’s using the time to write a feature-length screenplay. He has 90 days to take the project from start to finish. And the best part? He is going to share his entire experience with you! We came up with this sweepstakes because we know, for many of you, time is a luxury. It’s incredible to watch writers working multiple...