Last week after talking about how I’m on the outside looking in, this week I have a small victory to report.

My feature-length script, ‘Best Woman’ has been shortlisted in this year’s Scriptapalooza International Screenplay Competition.

Awesome, as they say on this side of the pond. Or ‘What does it mean?’ if you’re my mum.

I have no idea mother, but I can say this with authority – the news is very welcome indeed.

‘Best Woman’ is a script I’ve been working on for a long time and is a real labour of love. I literally bled all over every page – and you know what, it shows. It is without doubt the best film I’ve ever written (and that includes Maconie’s List) and has made me a better a writer in the process.

I decided to enter Scriptapalooza back in January as a way of getting through another rewrite. Without a deadline, like every writer on the planet, I will do anything else other than write.

I also cherry-picked this particular competition because it seems to reap real rewards. There are so many writing competitions and festivals, and you can spend a small fortune entering them, but only a handful are worth the trouble, or have a good reputation.

Scriptapalooza gets managers, agents and producers to read the scripts and if you make it to the semis, they promote you for a year.

Whatever happens, I’m happy to have made it onto the shortlist. Last year I looked at the names on the website and thought to myself, ‘I want to be on that list’. Well, I’ve done what I set out to do and I’m incredibly proud of my achievement.

I find out on Friday whether or not I’ve made the semis. In the meantime, I’m crossing everything crossable. And of course I’ve come over all reality TV contestant. Now I’m not only determined to go all the way, but I want to ‘take it to the next level’ and also ‘give it 110%’.

Follow me through the nail-biting days ahead on Twitter – this week I shall mostly be playing it cool, and pretending that I’m not waiting for the results. BUT I REALLY WANT TO WIN. Ahem.

Come on ‘Best Woman’, you can do it!