The last few weeks have been exciting, thankful, and, yes, humbling. When I was preparing First Launch for the festival market, I didn’t have any idea how it would go. There is no guarantee when you enter a film or screenplay festival of acceptance, never mind an award. It starts when we review the festival. If we like what we see, we submit our project and pay the submission fee. From there the project is judged.

With nine wins, an honorable mention, one nomination, and four official selections to date, First Launch has formally lifted off the festival launch pad. Some of these festivals are familiar with my work from previous submissions while others are new. What’s important to me is that my work is being seen by a wide range of industry professionals around the world. As a filmmaker and screenwriter, it’s about getting my work out there and being noticed.

When we create these projects they come to life in a vacuum. The majority of us are working alone at a computer coming up with ideas. Ideas that we like, but that we hope others do too. But when you put yourself out there, you must be ready for the fact that not everyone is going to like your work. Whether you are a screenwriter, filmmaker, or actor, it’s never easy to be judged. But that is the nature of this industry. Yes, there are many festivals that haven’t accepted my work. But non-acceptance should never be a deterrence to create. It simply means that maybe the work needs more of a polish, wasn’t the right fit, or a host of other reasons that you may or may not ever know. In the early days of my career, it bothered me (it’s called being human), but now I always look forward not backward. It’s not about dwelling on the past but persevering for the future (I also apply this mantra to my corporate work).

Speaking of forward, since I started the process of publishing SOS United States as a novel, I was recommended to familiarize myself with the website Reedsy. They are a wonderful resource for writers. To quote their website, “Meet the editor, designer or marketer who can help bring your book to life.”

Reedsy also has a variety of webinars, panels and contests. Last week I participated in one of their writing prompts around the subject of sentient household items. I took myself way out of my comfort zone and wrote a first-person story from the perspective of this household item that came to life. I have to say I had a good time writing it as it had a set deadline and word count. Also, with solid guidelines in place, I didn’t have time to overthink the story. An idea came to mind and I wrote it out. Gave it a day to “sit” and then did an edit. If the story gets published, I’ll share the link.

As for books and screenplays, after talking with a couple of people close to the project, I’m editing the screenplay for SOS United States and incorporating some elements of the novel—particularly the ending. While we believe the screenplay works as is, we agree that it should generally reflect the book. Although the ending in the book is largely the same as the screenplay, it expands on a few characters and story points that we believe will make for a stronger film.

Full ahead.