As we usher in the alluring month of May, I have a special treat, TWINS! Oh so hot. In honor of Gemini, we'll be serving up not one but two titillating Contest Judges this month. It's bound to make choosing the Contest Judge of the Year very hard.

So sit back and savor this month's centerfold bringing you the inside story on Judges and Readers of the Top Screenwriting Contests in the country. Everything you ever wanted to know about these mysterious creatures but had no way to ask.

These bunnies are willing to bare it all for me, a fellow judge, working producer, screenwriting teacher, friend and colleague, so I can bring you the scintillating scoop on who is reading your contest script and what they really, really want. Use this unique peek into their minds so your next contest encounter will turn these Juicy Judges to putty in your hands.

Then turn the tables! It's your chance to vote for your favorite PlayJudge of the Year. Each writer who nominates the winning PJOY, receives a 10% discount on the BIG IDEAS Screenwriting Seminar, held around the country. Learn to create your most successful script before you ever type "Fade In." One weekend takes you from "What to Write?" to "Ready to Write!" and gives you the tools to complete your script faster than you dreamed possible.

Here's Mr. May, complete with tantalizing well-turned phrases and mad skills that come with experience.

VITAL STATISTICS:
Austin Film Festival Finalist judge for the last four years, coming back again for a fifth. Trying to keep my streak alive for as long as they'll have me.

REEL LIFE:
Writing credits on nine produced features and producing credits on three others. A few nominations and awards on the writing side. Academy member, Writers Branch. I've reluctantly produced but prefer to do so only when I read a script that I wished that I'd written.

TURN ONS:
When, regardless of the genre or subject matter, a writer's craft and talent compel me to turn the page to see what happens next. When I can actually visualize the movie while reading words on paper. When I can suspend my disbelief and essential cynicism and truly become emotionally involved in the characters and care about their fates.

TURN OFFS:
Facile clichés. Choosing the easy solutions to scenes, plot, and character. Hammering me over the head with and essentially stating the theme, the alleged big idea, rather than letting me discover it. That's why it's called the sub-text. Formulaic narrative structure that strictly adheres to all of the "rules" espoused by gurus but only really applies to blockbuster filmmaking that's rarely about the screenplay. Trying to do the job of the director, production designer, DP, and others on the page - it's not a shooting script, it's an invitation to make a movie that might hopefully attract a lot of talented people to want to be involved.

FAVORITE POSITION:
As far away from the computer monitor as possible. Call me old fashioned, or insensitive to trees, but I want to read scripts on paper and turn the pages. This can actually be accomplished in remarkably varied environments, both public and private, with or without a companion. When asked, on his deathbed, what he'd do differently, Groucho Marx allegedly replied, "Try more positions." Who knew that he was such an avid reader?

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET:
Ray Bradbury once said, "Find out what your hero wants, then follow him." He didn't say lead him, he said follow him. If you've created your protagonists well enough, they'll take you where your story needs to go and, in doing so, you'll actually discover your theme rather than start with it and impose it on your story. Good writing only begins after a lot of heavy lifting, a mountain of false starts and stops and what used to be crumpled paper. And then, if you're lucky, and talented, those characters will start to take you where they would go and do what they would do...and you'll experience the writer's equivalent of what athletes call "being in the zone." Writing is easy; thinking is hard.

REVOLUTIONIZE THE WAY YOU CREATE!

A working film producer who's sold pitches and specs to all the majors, Barri Evins created BIG IDEAS to give aspiring screenwriters what it takes to achieve their dreams by sharing the techniques she uses with highly paid pros on big league projects. The Big Ideas Screenwriting Seminar revolutionizes the way you write. Create ideas that ignite industry interest. Master tools to craft a successful script faster than you dreamed possible. The seminar includes Barri's mentorship for a year. Follow Big Ideas on Facebook.

NEXT UP:

The BIG IDEAS SEMINAR Weekend takes on 2012!

BOSTON January 20-22 SOLD OUT

CONNECTICUT January 27-29 location TBA

BOSTON MASTERS February 3-5 open only to previous students

BIG IDEAS in LOS ANGELES and WASHINGTON DC are in the works! Interested? Email us!

For more info or to grab your spot contact info@bigBIGideas.com.

Learn more at www.bigbigideas.com.

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Sign up for the Big Ideas Newsletter: Next - Contests, Contests Everywhere - learn Contest Secrets, Keep Your Eye on the Prize: Choosing the Right Contest, reveal who was crowned Contest Judge of the Year and more.

Check out our previous What's Next? Newsletter packed with videos, podcasts and pointers.