Write On! 2012 Writing Award Winners

Is it me? Or do all writers get super-motivated after watching the Academy Awards? Whether you aspire to write an award-winning screenplay, a great novel that gets adapted into an award-winning screenplay, or to cover the awards via video, print, or tweeting, there’s loads to get motivated from watching the Academy Awards.

The Artist took home awards for Best Feature, Director, and Lead Actor, among others at the Oscars. A beautiful film that, the Academy pointed out, was the only one filmed entirely in Los Angeles, The Artist really celebrated a love of movies … and their origin. Film Independent’s Spirit Awards also honored the film with awards in these categories.

Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash took home the Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Descendants, while Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris won for Best Original Screenplay. These two films also picked up the awards in their categories at the Writers Guild of America awards last weekend.

At Film Independent’s Spirit Awards, The Descendants won for Best Screenplay. Best First Screenplay went to Will Reiser, who wrote 50/50.

So, what is it about these films that got everyone so excited? What was it about the writing that allowed them to ruse to the top. And, what can we as writers do to elevate our writing to award-winning levels?

Congratulations to all of this season’s award winners. And best of luck, writers, as you complete your future award-winning screenplays …