FEATURE GRAND PRIZE WINNER – Adele Smaill – NO GHOSTS TONIGHT
What first got you interested in screenwriting? When did you start writing?
I started writing almost four years ago after inhaling BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and wondering where the Christmas holidays went. I loved it – so I also read through the scripts (thank you amazing Wayback Machine!) .
That inspired me to write a horror-comedy pilot and after a couple of rewrites I sent it out for notes to Mat Cooper (a BAFTA-shortlisted screenwriter and script consultant). He’s been a brilliant teacher and mentor. His notes included an assessment of how hard it is to break into the film/T.V. industry – along with the dangerously encouraging comment: ‘But now, you need to think about rewriting the script in career terms’.
I hadn’t really considered writing as a potential career option: from that point on I got a lot more serious about it.
Is there anything you’d like to share about your writing routine? How do you find time to write?
I trained as a violinist and the importance of regular practise stuck with me. So I write or rewrite every day (barring travel or emergencies).
But I don’t write a set number of pages or for a set amount of time. And I don’t worry about getting distracted. When I’m on Bluesky I’ve always got a screenplay open that I could be working on – but in practice, if I sometimes let myself get distracted, useful ideas drop in to visit.
Sooner or later, the screenplay draws me in because, fundamentally, I want to write. When I have an external deadline, my ‘hit that deadline’ instinct kicks in like a mule – so that helps.
How many features have you written?
I’ve got two features out and about so far, with a third (co-written with Michael Buonocore, Shore Scripts Feature Contest winner in 2022) currently in rewrites. I’m in the early stages of the fourth (a science-fiction thriller) and have various others that I’m mulling over.
NO GHOSTS TONIGHT is my second feature. It’s had a really good year, also winning the Golden Script Competition and reaching the finals of the Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting.
What gave you the inspiration for this Feature Script? How long did it take to write?
NO GHOSTS TONIGHT came out of my anger at the inhuman mistreatment of people seeking asylum in the U.K., which leads to many people drowning in the English Channel. Even after arrival, the asylum system is designed to dehumanise, humiliate and traumatise people seeking protection. It’s deliberate, performative cruelty that has been perpetrated by successive U.K. governments – and it’s inexcusable.
Obviously, NO GHOSTS TONIGHT is a thriller/drama, not a documentary – but it is grounded in extensive research, which is part of why it took about two years to reach its current form. I was doing a lot of ‘learning how to write a screenplay’ along the way (and rewriting other work).
What do you enjoy most about writing?
There are moments where characters come alive and do things that I had no idea that they were going to do – but that are clearly the right choice. It’s rare, but when it happens, it’s magic.
What do you struggle with the most?
I’m prone to salience effects, so whatever I’m working on right now is the hardest thing ever! That said, loglines, synopses and writer’s bios don’t come as easily to me as writing scenes or rewriting – so I’m lucky to have both good guidance and friends to run my ideas past.
How do you feel that the film industry embraces new writing talent?
Many film industry professionals actively embrace and encourage new talent. I was fortunate to find an experienced mentor straight out of the gate – and because NO GHOSTS TONIGHT has done well in competitions, I’ve had great opportunities to meet established screenwriters and producers who have been just wonderful. So my personal experience is that the slice of the film industry that I’ve encountered so far is very welcoming.
But I know I’ve also been exceptionally lucky to have had opportunities that a lot of newer writers haven’t.
I’d also note that online screenwriter communities are very supportive of each other. I’ve found that – initially on Twitter and now on Bluesky – I’ve learned a great deal from writers, producers and others who have been willing to do note swaps, share scripts and offer advice from their own experiences.
How did you feel when your script placed as a quarterfinalist, then semi-finalist and then ultimately as one of our winners?
Absolutely delighted at every level! There are many excellent writers out there and it’s a huge honour to have won this year.
How did you hear about Shore Scripts?
I heard about Shore Scripts through Coverfly – and I’m very glad I did!
What goals do you have for this script and your future career?
I’d love to get NO GHOSTS TONIGHT made and am working towards that at the moment. In terms of my future career, I’m looking to develop my skills in adapting books to screenplays as well as writing more thrillers. I’m currently looking for representation.
What advice do you have for up and coming screenwriters?
Find someone with practical experience in screenwriting – who wants you to flourish – who will give you honest, constructive, and critical advice about your writing and how to improve it. Understand that the advice that’s hardest to hear may be the advice that you need to think about the most.
2nd PLACE WINNER – Alice Greenland – ONE RUBBISH SUMMER
What first got you interested in screenwriting? When did you start writing?
From the first time I saw a film – we had a film club in my village where the kids would go on a Saturday morning while parents shopped (those were the days!) and I was captivated by anything and everything we saw there. I knew I wanted to be part of creating something that seemed so magical and rewarding. I’ve been writing ever since.
Is there anything you’d like to share about your writing routine? How do you find time to write?
It’s difficult to find the time. I really have to work at it and set myself weekly goals. I found word count didn’t work for me, but a set amount of hours during the week around work and during the weekend around home-life meant I can see real progress from week to week and keeps me engaged.
How many features have you written?
Finished? Two … Started? About a thousand!
What gave you the inspiration for this Feature Script? How long did it take to write?
It was on a writing course I was lucky enough to be part of. We had an “idea generation” module. We were asked to think of something that really, really made us annoyed and upset. I chose … littering. Minor perhaps, but something I think is a reflection of how our modern society has a lack of care for ourselves and others, especially when it comes to how things can impact us all on a wider scale. From that grew my characters who care deeply about trying to make the world around them a little more beautiful for everyone to enjoy.
What do you enjoy most about writing?
Being able to imagine myself in someone else’s shoes and how they might see a world differently to mine.
What do you struggle with the most?
Procrastination – and spelling.
How do you feel that the film industry embraces new writing talent?
It’s tricky to find a way in – as an industry it’s very risk averse. And most writers, especially new ones I think, like to take risks and try new things. It’s difficult to find an outlet for that which can also support you in a long term career.
How did you feel when your script placed as a quarterfinalist, then semi finalist and then ultimately as one of our winners?
Elated, elated, elated.
How did you hear about Shore Scripts?
I googled “best screenwriting competitions”. Shore Scripts came up.
What goals do you have for this script and your future career?
I would love to be able to work closely with an editor or development team to redraft and rework my script with guidance from people more experienced than I am! And ultimately of course to see it made would be incredible.
What advice do you have for up and coming screenwriters?
Keep at it. Keep writing as much for yourself as for anyone else. And take any and all opportunities that come your way.
5th PLACE WINNER – Kylie Eaton – HUNTRESS
What first got you interested in screenwriting? When did you start writing?
I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. As an avid reader for my entire life, the two have always gone hand in hand. Escape through reading or writing has been one of the great joys of my life. As a teenager, I became interested in the craft of filmmaking and from there, my two great loves combined to make me an aspiring writer-director.
Is there anything you’d like to share about your writing routine? How do you find time to write?
As a toddler mom, time to write is fleeting and precious. I have to make writing a priority in my life, otherwise it would never happen. I find that blocking out the same time each day (right now, it’s said toddler’s nap time) helps to set up an expectation and create a routine.
How many Features have you written?
Huntress is my fifth polished feature. Unfinished, unpolished, half-abandoned scripts…my hard drive keeps those secrets.
What gave you the inspiration for this Feature Script? How long did it take to write? What do you enjoy most about writing?
I always find inspiration from my own life. Whether it be the emotional or physical circumstances, all of my stories are based on lived experience. Huntress was a way for me to explore the loneliness and rage of early motherhood, the voicelessness of victimhood, and the primal nature that all humans have for revenge.
From concept to final draft took about ten months. I enjoyed the process of getting to know each character and watching them come more to life with each pass of the script.
What do you struggle with the most?
In writing, I struggle the most with trying to focus in on one idea. I have a never ending idea train in my brain that’s difficult to pin down. I’ve gone the route of keeping an idea folder on my desktop, giving me a place to write out all those ideas at the beginning of a writing session, allowing myself to then focus on my current project.
How do you feel that the film industry embraces new writing talent?
It can be hard to break in for an emerging writer, and discouraging when the narrative around Hollywood is bleak, and the words ‘IP’ and ‘sequel’ pop up constantly. I find that organizations like Shore are integral to helping newer writers find feedback, encouragement, and pathways to enter the industry.
How did you feel when your script placed as a quarter-finalist, then semi-finalist and then ultimately as one of our winners?
Every time one of my scripts makes it to any round in a contest, it’s a fantastic feeling. I know the talent that exists in the world of emerging screenwriters, and to place among them is always an inspiring moment. To be one of the winners of the competition was even more validation to keep writing, keep filming, keep creating.
How did you hear about Shore Scripts?
Through Alliance of Women Directors, a nonprofit I’m the Co-Chair of.
What goals do you have for this script and your future career?
As a writer-director, I am working hard in 2025 to make the transition to feature film. I’m hoping that Huntress will be my feature directorial debut.
Long term, I hope to be creating original writer/director sci-fi, thriller, and genre films for the decades to come.
What advice do you have for up and coming screenwriters?
Read and write. It’s really as simple as that. Set up whatever routine you can to fit those two things into your life. I swore I’d never not read a physical book, but becoming a mom came with compromises, and one of those was to switch to mostly audiobooks for now. But I’m still engaging in the practice of studying story as often as possible. Write most days. Write what you love, but make sure it has some relevance to today’s cultural conversation. Dream big. Take the advice that works for you and forget the rest (including this).
Find out more about this year’s Feature Screenplay Contest HERE.
