I have been so busy in school and ive missed Naira land, I'm in love with this story competition and i'm so happy that most people suspect it is a scam. That means we would be very few submitting our entries. The fewer, the better for me. I can't stop thinking of the millions of things i can do with 25,000.
The bad news is that i'd be through with my exams by 25th of this month and might not meet up with the deadline, im slowly working on it anyway, and would sure submit, especially if the deadline is moved A LITTLE. please, for those who are writing, but not for the money, if you eventually win it, i use inter continental bank, account no, 0079 gosh, i dont have it off hand. i'd be fully back with it by 25th. see ya.

by the way, Sisikill, i missed ya, hope you missed me too, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee say yes

agent911:

Good morning Mr. Seun, there is a defficiency of understanding in this note sent to me!

It has been over Ten years I left secondary School, so I may not still remember the last day I visited The Ministry of Education. So how can I know what is still happening in there?

This is a competition, isn't it? Even the money is too cheap, because right from the response of people responding to this brief, i discovered that you will have to increase the "Winning emolument" for you to get result.

They needed high pay before they can respond, isn't it?

O! I just looked down at the subject below, this is a pool either, that means if 200 people passes the Exam, you will all give them 25,000 Naira each (25,000 multiply by 200 people = N5,000,000.00 only.
Can you pay such a money?

Please, think after it.

Is it just me or does this post make little or no sense to anyone else?

Seun

How do i start a topic?

Brgds

KB

hi seun. i'm practically impressed abt the great work u're doing. May the God Lord crown ur efforts with whaooooooo, a huge success.

Bubble I misssssssssssssed you too. I checked your blogs a few times but got page can't be found. I am so glad to hear school is almost over! Good luck with exams and everything and I hope you win. You still have my email right, holla anything, any day.

((((((HUGS))))))

give me 50000 and a movie script writing deal, and i'll write one. Honestly, $220 is NOT enough motivation.

jumobi1:

give me 50000 and a movie script writing deal, and i'll write one. Honestly, $220 is NOT enough motivation.

is dat a way 2 blackmail us into belivin dat u have wat it takes 2 write a novella??

Wao very interesting. I will try my best to you the competition.
But do I need to be part of the story?

seun am quite impressed about ur new competition.but i have a few questions like when is it to be submitted must it be 1st of september?or can it be before on the first?.because from the very beginning have always wanted to write a book,storyline of a play or whatsoever though i haven't had a chance but i will try my best 2 make this one a unique story sumthin not typical of Nigerians.u said u wanted a secondary school setting and its supposed to be believable even if its a real life story OK and it must be sent to Ur email address rite?.

taosola:

Wao very interesting. I will try my best to you the competition. But do I need to be part of the story?

No.

annabelle:
seun am quite impressed about your new competition.but i have a few questions like when is it to be submitted must it be 1st of september?or can it be before on the first?

The earlier you submit, the better, but September is the deadline.

because from the very beginning have always wanted to write a book,storyline of a play or whatsoever though i haven't had a chance but i will try my best 2 make this one a unique story sumthin not typical of Nigerians.

Nice!

u said u wanted a secondary school setting and its supposed to be believable even if its a real life story OK and it must be sent to your email address rite?.

It doesn't have to be a real life story, but it should be believable without being uninteresting. Yes, my email.

Okay I know we've beaten this dead horse every which way possible but what's another round, eh?

Anyway, in the middle of our difference in opinions last week, I sent an email to John Dart, a writer on allexpert.com, who is also very up and up in copyright issues, below is the my question and his response. I've also included the link to the website, they are very good in giving you answers on anything and everything to do with writers & writing . . . I think it is an excellent resource for any writer (especially for us who haven't made it big enough to hire our own lawyers. )

Again, it's not to force anyone to do anything, just hope it helps put your mind at ease for the future.

PS
Seun is not my brother, uncle, cousin. . . I don't know him from Adam, I don't have any stake in his movie . . . Well apart from hoping his movie makes it big and I can tell people I know him but right now, I am just a well wisher.


[Quote]Hi,
I'd like to know the copyright laws governing screen plays submitted for competitions. For instance, I came across an a call for screen plays on High School Experience. The winner gets a monetary prize and a credit in the movie. My question pertains to the non winning screen plays, it's only natural that the reader gets ideas from other scripts as he reads them, is there any law preventing him from using structure, dialogue, attitude, point of view, theme, invented characters and scenes or even your own private research culled from the other scripts?
Thank you,
Sandra


Answer

Sandra, sorry for the lengthy delay in getting back to you but I recently moved and that had to take precedence.

You will find that in most contests you are required to sign a release waiver indemnifying the contest from lawsuits. A waiver form may be completely upfront as something that you are supposed to read and agree to, or there is a check mark that you must agree to that says that you have read and agree to the contest's rules, regulations, etc. and within those rules and regulations will be similar terminology and disclaimers to protect the contest from lawsuits.

Right or wrong, the contest needs some basic protection from frivolous lawsuits. For instance, my company runs two contests a year. All of our principal owners and readers are also writers. We need basic protection just to prevent coincidences. Our latest contest in fact had a grand prize winner that has a storyline that has some basic similarities to an idea that I have been developing. Now, I didn't lift his idea, it just happens to have some basic similarities to my script. It is a pure coincidence. You have to expect that even if you feel that you have come up with the most original idea in the world, that someone else has probably already had the same idea. Ideas are a dime a dozen. There may already be 5 other scripts circulating around Hollywood right now that share basic similarities to your script/idea, etc. What makes your script unique is the execution of that idea.

The fear of having your "unique" idea or story elements stolen is a common one for writers. The thing is, in most cases you need to expose your script to everyone possible. Worry less about having your ideas stolen and concentrate more on how many MORE people can I expose my idea to! A contest is slightly different as you are not exposing your idea to a potential buyer. However, if you don't have an agent or manager, or your last name isn't Spielberg, than placing highly or winning a contest can assist you in your efforts to attract these people to your work. So, you pretty much have to just accept the risk and go forward. Theft is still pretty rare in Hollywood and just because someone "steals" your idea or other element, doesn't mean that they can write it as good as you have. Again, ideas are nothing in Hollywood. A great script based on a great idea is what sells.

Good luck and keep writing!

John Dart

www.storypros.com

http:/www.allexperts.com/user.cgi?m=6&catID=677&qID=4758115 [/quote]

I know, I know it says Hollywood but I figure since some of us aspire to be Hollywood writers someday, it shouldn't matter. . . right?

@ Seun,

I believe you never stated when the winner would be announced and the prize awarded. Or is this supposed to be a competition where you will read the entries at your own leisure?

about dis story writing. . . . . , the last time i wrote a soap opera like a full higher institution note it got stolen in school but dis one's short . . . . .moni's involved and its a gud way 2 start of my writing career.details pls

naijacutee:

lol. You guys crack me up - I actually have tears streaming down my eyes!  Look at people complaining that N25,000 is too small as if it is a business contract! Look at people asking for more money when their "magnificent stories" may very well be worthless. Look at people calling someone a scammer for giving them an avenue to showcase their talents. Look at people placing absurd values on their (probably) underdeveloped creative writing skills.
Yet, the same people after seeing good job adverts asking for 5 years experience wonder where they should get the experience will come from. Don't you know that in life, things don't happen by magic? To get to the top of the ladder, you have to start climbing from the bottom. This might require you to take up poorly paid jobs - simply for the experience (as long as it's putting food on the table, and a roof over your head). [b]Sometimes, you may even have to work for free, in the real world! [/b]It's this "easy money now" mentality that makes a good portion of our young, able citizens sit at cyber cafes and  generate badly typed "You-have-won-an-award" letters.

Sorry for the mini-preach, I do not expect to change your mentality in one post!  Sorry about the digression. Please keep writing.   

First THANK YOU for this post.

Second. . . working for free? Been there done that! Spent an entire summer working as "an assistant to the assistant script supervisor" of an Indie film. LOL, don't even laugh about the assistant to the assistant, nope laugh at what I actually did, I got coffee. . . by the time I was done, I knew all the different kinds coffee starbucks carried, I ordered lunches, I knew who liked Avian and who prefered Ice Mountain. When I  finally touched a script, it was to highlight words with my yellow highlighter, I'd sit in one tiny corner, legs hurting like crazy, sweating and higlighting my heart away. . .  never got a dime!! What's funnier. . . all the hoops we had to jump thru just be chosen as someone else's boyboy [/i]abi [i]girlgirl. LMOA

Sometimes, it's not the now that matters but where you wanna be and what you are willing to do to get there. . . that's the lesson I learnt.

And now I'll also oplogise for my mini-preach. 

A'ight not Oplogise but Apologise

what Indie film?

No

LMAO. . . don't cry!

Check my profile.


@ Cch3coo
Thots?

Sisikill:

@ Cch3coo
Thoughts?

Nice site.

Thanks 

Wait a minute. . . I just realized we have less than 3 weeks to go!

Exactly 2 weeks!!!

Tee hee hee

Just two weeks to go on the competition Right Sisikill?

esp? Im confused

what's the movie?

@ KarmaMod
LOL!Oh my God! Now I see why you are confused.

As per ESP, I used deductive reasoning.

Sounds like he is saying he's got ESP.

Check my profile for the link.

Maybe the deadline will be extended by Seun.

14 days to D-Day!!!

Is your script ready??

Fat chance of that happening. . . LOL . . . Goodnight everybody. ^{Or should i say Goodmorning}.

Well you better get to it!!!

Times-a-wasting!!!

G'nite for me!

pals Sen take every post as your script or if you need a writer i can connect you to one

"wildbubble":
The bad news is that i'd be through with my exams by 25th of this month and might not meet up with the deadline

I have a feeling you won't miss the deadline.  Your subconscious is already working on the story.

"True Brit":
believe you never stated when the winner would be announced and the prize awarded. Or is this supposed to be a competition where you will read the entries at your own leisure?

The winner will be announced 2 to 4 weeks after the last day of submission.  Before independence day.

"Cch3coo":
Maybe the deadline will be extended by Seun.

No, that would be unfair to those who submit early.  Writers should never miss deadlines.

By the way StephenP is no longer leading; the best entry so far is short, was written in all caps, and contains numerous grammatical mistakes.  Why?  It has heart and meaning, and seems original.

you wanna buy script, seun?